Annual Booklist 2026 : Brigadier Shaun Chandler
Brigadier Shaun Chandler is Head of the British Army's Leadership, Education and Development Group (LEDG), where he oversees leadership development, professional military education, and lifelong learning across the service. Having served in a range of command and staff appointments in the UK and overseas, he is particularly interested in how armies learn, adapt, and prepare leaders for an increasingly complex world. His interests include military history, institutional learning, leadership, and the changing character of war.
The Leadership, Education and Development Group exists to help the Army think, learn, and adapt. Bringing together leadership development, professional military education, and lifelong learning, LEDG prepares soldiers and officers for the challenges of an uncertain future while ensuring that the Army continues to learn from its history, its operations, and its people. Its role is to develop the intellectual, moral, and professional foundations of fighting power, helping to ensure that today's Army remains ready for tomorrow's challenges.
The British Army has never enjoyed the luxury of fighting the same war twice. Its history is therefore less a story of battles than one of adaptation: how soldiers, leaders, and institutions learn, innovate and recover under pressure. The books I have selected reflect that theme. They explore the human, intellectual and organisational foundations of fighting power, from morale and leadership to institutional learning and the changing character of war. Together, they offer insights not merely into how the British Army has fought, but how it has evolved and remained effective across generations of change.
Jonathan Fennell, Fighting the People's War
Fennell's study of the British and Commonwealth Armies in the Second World War is one of the finest examinations of morale, cohesion, and combat effectiveness ever written. Moving beyond campaigns and personalities, it explains why soldiers continue to fight under extreme pressure and how leadership, trust and purpose sustain fighting power.
Why I chose it: At its heart, military effectiveness rests on people. Fennell demonstrates that leadership, motivation, resilience and culture remain as decisive today as they were in 1945.
Daniel Marston, Phoenix from the Ashes
Marston's account of the British Army's transformation in Burma is a masterclass in institutional adaptation. Following a series of painful defeats, the Army reformed its leadership, training and doctrine before returning to operational success.
Why I chose it: This is fundamentally a book about learning. It demonstrates how honest assessment, professional development and organisational reform can transform adversity into success.
Emile Simpson, War from the Ground Up
One of the most original military books of recent decades, Simpson explores conflict in an era shaped by information, media, and competing narratives. His central argument is that military action and political outcomes are no longer linked in straightforward ways.
Why I chose it: It challenges us to think critically about the changing character of war and reminds military professionals that adaptation begins with intellectual curiosity.
Langley Sharp, The Habit of Excellence
Sharp explores the leadership culture of the British Army and the habits, values, and developmental experiences that shape effective leaders. Drawing on military history, professional practice, and contemporary leadership theory, he examines why leadership remains one of the Army's enduring strengths and how excellence is cultivated over time.
Why I chose it: Leadership is not an event but a habit. Sharp's book captures the importance of culture, standards, education and continuous development in producing leaders capable of succeeding in uncertainty and change.
John Keegan, The Face of Battle
Keegan transformed military history by shifting attention from generals and strategy to the experiences of soldiers themselves. Through Agincourt, Waterloo and the Somme, he reveals the timeless realities of combat.
Why I chose it: It reminds us that warfare is ultimately a human endeavour. Leadership, education, and development only matter insofar as they prepare people for the demands they will face.
The Book That Doesn't Exist But Should: How the British Army Learns (and Sometimes Forgets): Two Centuries of Military Adaptation
Many books describe how the British Army fought; remarkably few explore how it learned. The book I would most like to read would trace three centuries of adaptation: the development of doctrine, professional military education, leader development, training systems, and institutional learning. From the reforms of the eighteenth century to contemporary lessons from Ukraine, it would examine how the Army has repeatedly reinvented itself to meet new challenges.