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7 Seconds to Die: A Military Analysis of the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War and the Future of Warfighting Kindle Edition

by John Antal (Author), Alexander Kott (Foreword) Format: Kindle Edition
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 114 ratings
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A military study of the 2020 war between Armenia and Azerbaijan—the first war in history won primarily by unmanned systems.

Fought over the course of forty-four days, the Second Nagorno-Karabakh war resulted in a decisive military victory for Azerbaijan. Armenia lost even though they controlled the high ground in a mountainous region that favored traditional defense. In 7 Seconds to Die, military consultant and historian John Antal examines the decisive factors of the war and their implications for the future of armed conflict.

The fact that Azerbaijan won the war is not extraordinary, considering the correlation of forces arrayed against Armenia. What is exceptional is that this was the first modern war primarily decided by unmanned weapons. The Turkish-made BAYRAKTAR TB2 Unmanned Air Combat Vehicle (UCAV) and the Israeli-made HAROP Loitering Munition (LM) dominated the fighting and provided Azerbaijan with a war-winning advantage.
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  1. Print length
    197 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publisher
    Casemate
  5. Publication date
    February 3, 2022
  6. File size
    6853 KB
  7. Page Flip
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From the Publisher

7 seconds to die by John antal cover 7 seconds to die by John antal cover white sun war by mick ryan cover First fights in Fallujah by David Kelly Cover baghdad blues by Paul Kendell cover
7 Seconds to Die Next War White Sun War First Fights in Fallujah Baghdad Blues
Customer Reviews
4.5 out of 5 stars
114
4.6 out of 5 stars
20
4.2 out of 5 stars
438
5.0 out of 5 stars
2
5.0 out of 5 stars
4
Price $19.01 $24.26 $18.20 $26.76 $18.96
Military ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
Non-Fiction ✓ ✓ ✓
21st Century Warfare ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
Futuristic Warfare ✓ ✓
John Antal Books ✓ ✓

Editorial Reviews

Review

"....concerns an aspect of warfare that is in flux, with various armies still uncertain how new technologies and tactics will affect combined arms land tactics....Antal is an excellent guide to a subject—and a current history—whose final outcome remains uncertain. At a minimum, this concise work usefully counters the extreme claims of UAV manufacturers and observers of recent conflicts."
Michigan War Studies Review

"Enjoyed it."
Historical Miniatures Gaming Society

"Antal provides readers with an excellent overview of the war as well as a critical reference on some of the robotic technologies involved and their implications for future U.S. military operations."
ARMY Magazine

"Antal’s 30-year career as an armor officer and post-Army career allow him a unique analysis of the war."
Aether: A Journal of Strategic Airpower & Spacepower

“A must read for anyone in the military and all those who want to learn about the future of war...ntal tells the story of the Second Nagorno Karabakh War and articulates the lessons learned. We must learn from this war, and the fighting in Ukraine, to fully grasp the rapid technological transformation of modern combat. Everything that is playing out in the Russo-Ukrainian War is foretold in this book.”
Shawn Graves

"To comprehend what is taking place in Ukraine and elsewhere and to anticipate how that will affect the future of warfare, it is essential to read Antal’s highly informative guide."
Air & Space Power History

"This book reiterates that the enemy is always thinking and uses the Second Nagorno Karabakh War to expound on the future of the technology of combat. 7 Seconds to Die is an excellent primer for today’s thinking strategist and for anyone interested in understanding the changing methods of war."
Colonel Richard Jung, US Army (Ret.)

"This small gem dissects the little-known second Nagorno-Karabakh war...Many of these dynamics are currently playing out at scale in Ukraine and have tremendous implications for the U.S. military and the future of warfighting."
War on the Rocks

About the Author

Jim Seybert has been telling stories for more than sixty years. As a young boy he would dictate stories, telling his parents to "write this down." Fast-forward to the present, and Jim lends his clear, confident voice to some of the most interesting stories of the day: military histories, political commentary, true crime, heroic memoirs, and great fiction. When he is not recording in his studio on California's pristine Central Coast, he walks quietly along trails in the Sierra Nevada, cooks gourmet meals for friends, and watches films with his wife Rhonda and their Chihuahua, Lucy.

John Antal is a soldier, military historian, and leadership expert. He served for thirty years in the US Army as a combat arms officer, senior staff officer, and commander. He has commanded units from platoon level through regiment and served on corps and multinational staffs. In his post-Army career he has become a video game producer and military consultant, as well as the author of fourteen books and hundreds of articles on military and leadership subjects.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B09VVJ9PGK
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Casemate (February 3, 2022)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ February 3, 2022
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 6853 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 197 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 114 ratings

About the author

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John Antal

John Antal

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John Antal is a Soldier, historian, author, leadership development expert and master storyteller. In one of his many books or in a single session, John will teach you how to improve your leadership and raise your team's effectiveness. He has published fourteen books and hundreds of magazine articles on military history, military technology, and leadership topics. John served thirty years in the US Army and retired from the US Army as a Colonel. He is Airborne and Ranger qualified and commanded tank and cavalry units. In his post-Army career, John has become a successful author, magazine correspondent and editor, video game producer, military consultant, film personality, public speaker, radio talk show host, explainer-integrator, journalist and leadership coach. He has been awarded the prestigious Draper Leadership Award, the Silver Order of Saint George Medal, and numerous military medals including three separate awards of the Legion of Merit. In October 2017, John was awarded the Congressional Veteran Commendation (CVC) by Congressman Sam Johnson of Texas. In short, John's life purpose is to develop leaders and inspire service.

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5
114 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Ross Low
5.0 out of 5 stars what is MDO
Reviewed in the United States on March 14, 2024
Verified Purchase
Read this book if you want to understand deep sensing impacts to the modern battlefield. A Deliberate Defense is no longer as effective as you think. Great Book and worth the time!!
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Jorg Iowa
4.0 out of 5 stars Good look at little know conflict who's lessons are again seen in the former USSR
Reviewed in the United States on July 11, 2022
Verified Purchase
Great book with good information and maps on a little known conflict. It's insights are highly relevant to the current War in the Ukraine.
3 people found this helpful
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Stephen Fancey
5.0 out of 5 stars Easy read, very informative!
Reviewed in the United States on February 17, 2024
Verified Purchase
A bit repetitive in the first few chapters, but an easy, engaging read!

I loved that the author goes a bit further than “everything in the future is won with drones” and explores the implications of outdated Soviet doctrine and the survivability of command posts in modern conflict!
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars A must read for anyone who wants to understand modern war
Reviewed in the United States on November 2, 2023
Verified Purchase
As a former U.S. Army Special Forces (Green Beret) officer and current military analyst focused on Russia, I can attest to the immense value of this book for military leaders, scholars, or anyone who wants to better understand how modern war is evolving. No other book I have read offers such distilled concepts, ground truth and practical lessons for how to win on the modern battlefield. The book goes into detail explaining how the Azerbaijanis employed various cutting edge techniques/technologies such as drones, sensors, loitering munitions, electronic warfare and information warfare in new innovative ways to achieve decisive results against a supposedly superior adversary. Studying and analyzing the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War is extremely helpful when trying to understand similar trends in Ukraine, the Middle East or future conflicts against near-peer adversaries.
4 people found this helpful
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R B
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent - but gets Elon Musk all wrong
Reviewed in the United States on November 29, 2022
Verified Purchase
This book is top-notch. The author uses Roman history to illustrate the timeless concepts of warfare while applying them to the most modern tech.

When it comes to advanced tech related to Elon Musk though, the author parrots a bit too much of Elon's own hype without examining other sources. For example, an independent teardown of the "next generation" battery the author lauds in the book turned out not to provide as much additional range+power as Tesla stated originally. Same thing with Neuralink, which neurologists in the field rate as remarketing existing research. It makes me doubt the author's conclusions for areas where I'm not as well-read.

Unluckily for the author (whose book was published Feb 2022), most of the Nagorno-Karabakh lessons will be overshadowed by a focus on the Russian invasion of Ukraine so this book may not get as much of an audience. I would love to read more of Antal's thoughts now that we've seen more UAS/LM combat in Ukraine.
7 people found this helpful
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Shawn F. Graves
5.0 out of 5 stars Learn the importance of studying war, the enemy and the future of warfare.
Reviewed in the United States on April 5, 2022
Verified Purchase
Never under estimate your enemy nor believe "you" have all the answers. Lessons learned from this "short in duration" war should create fear in all of us. Ignorance in planning; foolish assumptions; avoidance of what new systems are available off-the-shelf and the I own the high ground - did not work again!
John's detailed study of this war has awakened what the future holds in warfare. The flawless use of UAS and Loiter Munitions should open our eyes to the possibilities yet to come. As warriors and students of the "art of war" this book gives us a glimpse of how wars can/will be fought; the systems available Now; the speed at which decisions must be made and by whom or what; and poses questions for all of us as to where are we in our preparation?
Once again COL (ret) Antal gives us a view of the future and lays significant questions for our "little gray cells".
4 people found this helpful
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The Corfu
5.0 out of 5 stars 7 Seconds to Die shows where modern warfare is headed
Reviewed in the United States on March 20, 2022
Verified Purchase
In 7 Seconds to Die, John Antal (US Army Col. Ret.) summarizes the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War. He summarizes the strategy and tactics used by the combatants (Armenia and Azerbaijan). He details Azerbaijan's highly effective use of drones and loitering munitions.

In addition to the detailed summary of the progress and outcome of the war, he raises questions about the changing nature of war and its use of technology and how those changes need to shape the US Army's strategy and tactics, as well as its technology choices.

Besides the needed technology changes, Antal highlights the need to study this conflict and apply those lessons learned rapidly.

Although he never explicitly mentions OODA, the ever-decreasing time to react on the battlefield is demonstrated. The book is thought-provoking and raises issues the US military needs to consider.
7 people found this helpful
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Liam H Dooley
2.0 out of 5 stars This is not a "book" but a report, light on narrative and short in length
Reviewed in the United States on May 23, 2023
Verified Purchase
This report is something that might come from a master's student or a think tank. It has no "narrative" or story. It reads like a Wikipedia page, with a focus on some geo-political backgound, some basic information about events (at this date and time and place...). No stories or experiences, witness accounts, etc. The author did not interview a single person, did not delve into any archival documents, etc. Basically, all he did was read some news articles.

Worst, 75% of the book is just a discussion about weapon systems and a bit of contemporary military news. here again, little more than a news story survey without any original research, interviews, etc.

I would expect this report to be free, not cost whatever I paid for it.
3 people found this helpful
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