"The General Board of the Navy, existing from 1900 to 1950, was a uniquely American and unparalleled strategic planning organization at the time of its establishment. As John T. Kuehn shows, this was the United States' first modern general staff in peacetime, as well as the nexus for naval thought and strategic thinking. The Board's creation was very much a reflection of the reformist spirit of the times that also gave birth to the Army War College, the Army General Staff, and the Chief of Naval Operations. By the 1920s, the General Board was a permanent feature of the Navy and was regarded as the premier strategic "think tank" for advice to the Secretary of the Navy. The service of the men who comprised it is little-known, but their collaborative ethos should serve as a model for their modern counterparts. Kuehn's work offers both the first single-volume history of the General Board of the Navy, as well as analysis of the U.S. Navy during periods of great transition in both peace and war."--Provided by publisher.