Inside the Five-Sided Box

Lessons from a Lifetime of Leadership in the Pentagon

By: Ash Carter

Narrated by: Ash Carter

The twenty-fifth Secretary of Defense takes readers behind the scenes to reveal the inner workings of the Pentagon, its vital mission, and what it takes to lead it.

The Pentagon is the headquarters of the single largest institution in America: the Department of Defense. The D.O.D. employs millions of Americans. It owns and operates more real estate, and spends more money, than any other entity. It manages the world’s largest and most complex information network and performs more R&D than Apple, Google, and Microsoft combined. Most important, the policies it carries out, in war and peace, impact the security and freedom of billions of people around the globe.

Yet to most Americans, the dealings of the D.O.D. are a mystery, and the Pentagon nothing more than an opaque five-sided box that they regard with a mixture of awe and suspicion.

In this new book, former Secretary of Defense Ash Carter demystifies the Pentagon and sheds light on all that happens inside one of the nation’s most iconic, and most closely guarded, buildings. Drawn from Carter’s thirty-six years of leadership experience in the D.O.D., this is the essential book for understanding the challenge of defending America in a dangerous world—and imparting a trove of incisive lessons that can guide leaders in any complex organization.

In these times of great disruption and danger, the need for Ash Carter’s authoritative and pragmatic account is more urgent than ever.

great story about our past and future

Ash is a little less than riviting, but the story content makes up for it!

listening after death of SecDef

great account of Pentagon history and view point from his position. great insights. Highly recommended for DoD and fed employees

Great read and very informative.

A good book by a great American. Ash Carter was a loyal and faithful servant.

Great Story Very Informative Sightly Biased

Like Bob Gates’ book Duty; here is a rare opportunity to get a firsthand look at the workings of our military at the highest level. Ashe Carter describes the details of the position of Secretary of Defense and some workings of the Pentagon.
Occasionally, Carter colors outside the lines with his support of Obama and his dislike of Trump. If you read between the lines and study actual policy and exec; you will find that he simply enjoyed working with Obama and personally disliked Trump.
Carter wasted a chapter plus numerous other remarks basically saying he disliked Trump but not necessarily saying his policies were wrong. If you listen closely he had a good working relationship with Obama but disagreed with a lot of his policies and really found Obama’s advisers way over the top and woefully inadequate to the important tasks at hand.
Recommend you forget YOUR BIASES and learn from the book and you will have a better appreciation for the enormity of responsibility of the job and office of both the President and the Secretary of Defense.

He's kicked the ball out there

Let's hope the USA some personal depth, to keep it going. The current political administration has laid waste to the State Department, the judiciary is being politicised.... 🌏