Dr. Murray, D.Phil. in modern history, the University of Oxford. FRHistS. He is the author of four books: The Rocky Road to the Great War, on the development of trench warfare prior to 1914; and three translations (with commentary) of Clausewitz’s histories (volumes 4, 5, and 6 of his writings) covering the revolutionary campaigns in 1796, and 1799-1800. He has authored numerous articles, and is working on his next books. He serves on the editorial board of the Journal for Military History. He has advised and assisted the OSD with policy regarding military education and wargaming, and he has received numerous awards including the OSD's highest medal: the Exceptional Public Service Award.
Books- The Coalition Crumbles, Napoleon Returns: The 1799 Campaign in Italy and Switzerland, Volume 2. Translation with commentary of Vol. 6 of Clausewitz’s writings. University Press of Kansas, 2021.
- Napoleon Absent, Coalition Ascendant: The 1799 Campaign in Italy and Switzerland, Volume 1. Translation with commentary of Vol. 5 of Clausewitz’s writings. University Press of Kansas, 2020.
- Napoleon’s 1796 Italian Campaign. Translation with commentary of Vol. 4 of Clausewitz’s writings. University Press of Kansas, 2018.
- The Rocky Road to the Great War: The Evolution of Trench Warfare to 1914. Potomac Books Inc. (an imprint of the University of Nebraska Press), 2013.
Books in Progress- Frederick the Great’s Campaigns. Translation with commentary of Vol. 10 of Clausewitz’s writings. Under contract with the University Press of Kansas, expected 2023.
- The Campaigns in Germany and Switzerland in 1799. Translation with commentary of the Archduke Charles’s two volume campaign history. These have been translated, and I plan to start the commentary next year.
Reviewed Journal Articles- “Chance, uncertainty, genius, and the analogy of card games in Clausewitz’s On War: time to rethink,” accepted for publication by Parameters Journal.
- “The Results of War are Never Final? Meditations on an American defeat (2022),” RUSI Journal, DOI: 10.1080/03071847.2021.2022529. This was co-authored with Anand Toprani and Michael Dennis.
- “The evolution of trenches: hidden in plain sight (L’evoluzione delle trincee: nascosti in bella vista),” Storia Urbana 149/2015, 113-138.
Reviewed Articles- “Mine Warfare,” 1914-1918 online, Freie Universität Berlin, http://encyclopedia.1914-1918-online.net/article/mine_warfare.
- “Attrition Warfare,” 1914-1918 online, Freie Universität Berlin, http://encyclopedia.1914-1918-online.net/article/attrition_warfare.
- “The Role of Professional Military Education in Mission Command,” Joint Forces Quarterly 72, First Quarter 2014.
- “Bloch, Jean de,” The Encyclopedia of War, Gordon Martel (ed.). Wiley-Blackwell, 2011.
- “The Development of Fortifications,” The Encyclopedia of War, Gordon Martel (ed.). Wiley-Blackwell, 2011.
Chapter in an Edited Book- Murray, Nicholas. “Capturing Eben-Emael: the key to the Low Countries,” in 16 Cases of Mission Command, ed. Donald P. Wright (Fort Leavenworth, Kansas: Combat Studies Institute Press, 2013), 143-154.
Articles- “An Assessment of Rigor in PME: JPME Phase I,” War on the Rocks, http://warontherocks.com/2016/02/rigor-in-joint-professional-military-education/ (February 19, 2016).
- “Trench Warfare,” Missouri: Over There, http://missourioverthere.org/explore/articles/trench-warfare/ (Spring 2015).
- “Nanshan, Battle of (25-26 May 1904),” Russia at War, Timothy Dowling (ed.), ABC-CLIO, (December 2014).
- “Plevna, Siege of (July 20 – December 10, 1877),” Russia at War, Timothy Dowling (ed.), ABC-CLIO, (December 2014).
- “More Dissent Needed: Critical Thinking and PME,” War on the Rocks, July 2014.
- “Officer Education: What Lessons Does the French Defeat in 1871 Have for the US Army Today?” Small Wars Journal, January 2013.
- “Great Britain 1783-1812,” The Encyclopedia of the Wars of the Early American Republic (1783-1812): A Political, Social, and Military History, Spencer Tucker (ed.). ABC-CLIO, 2013.
- “The Battle of Kars, 1877,” Conflict and Conquest in the Islamic World: An Encyclopedia, edited by Alexander Mikaberidze. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, 2011.
- “Nuri Osman Pasha,” Conflict and Conquest in the Islamic World: An Encyclopedia, edited by Alexander Mikaberidze. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, 2011.
- “Doss, Desmond,” America's Heroes: Medal of Honor Recipients from the Civil War to Iraq, edited by James Willbanks. ABC-CLIO, 2011.
- “Pope, Thomas A.,” America's Heroes: Medal of Honor Recipients from the Civil War to Iraq, edited by James Willbanks. ABC-CLIO, 2011.
- “Harmon, Roy William Woodrow,” America's Heroes: Medal of Honor Recipients from the Civil War to Iraq, edited by James Willbanks. ABC-CLIO, 2011.
Op-Eds- “The Winter War: this isn’t the Fabian strategy you are looking for,” Hasty Ambush, War on the Rocks, July 2016.
- “Finally, official recognition that CGSC is broke: A follow up,” Best Defense, October 2015.
- “Finally, official recognition that CGSC is broken, bust, and in the ditch,” Best Defense, September 2015.
- “Teaching at an Army school, we’re not surprised by Sen. Walsh’s plagiarism,” Best Defense, July 2014.
- “Historical Decision Making and the Harvard Case Method,” Command and General Staff College Foundation News, (Summer 2014).
- “Hey, the QDR left out PME! How come?” Best Defense, March 2014.
- “Tales of the shutdown (III): On civilian faculty, federal furloughs, and quality,” Best Defense, October 2013.
- “Guess what? PME is even more broken than we thought! And it is getting worse,” Best Defense, September 2013.
- “To Fix Critical Thinking Within PME, Start at the Ground Floor With the Basic Stuff,” Best Defense, March 2013.
- “Why do we Often Fail to Correctly Measure Success in Wars?” Small Wars Journal, April 2013.
Policy Writing for the Office of the Secretary of Defense- DOD Instruction 1322.me Department of Defense Instruction: Military Education (Draft).
- DOD Instruction 1322.ss Department of Defense Instruction: Building Force Capacity to Identify and Develop Strategic Talent (Draft).
- Report on Review of Joint Professional Military Education and Professional Military Education Programs, National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017, Committee on Armed Services, United States Senate, Report 114-265, January 2018, “Item of Special Interest.”
- Edited and wrote key parts of the Personnel Polices to Enhance Readiness and Lethality
- Final Report for the CJCS.
- Helped to write the policy section of the current revision of DoD Instruction 1300.19, DOD Joint Officer Management (JOM) Program.
- Edited and wrote the Joint Strategist Program proposal for SecDef Mattis’ office regarding the Development of Strategic Thinkers within PME.
- Drafted the introduction of the transition letter for the outgoing Undersecretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness.
- Assisted with the writing and editing of the Defense Planning Guidance on Resolving Faculty Issues at PME/JPME Institutions.”
- Wrote the first draft of the “Guideline of Best Practices for Professional Military Education, based upon institutional responses to the Defense Planning Guidance on Institutional Rigor.”
- Assisted with the writing of the “Senate Armed Service Committee Report 114-255”, which is a part of the 2017 National Defense Authorization Act.
- Assisted with revision of DoD Directive 5124.02 for the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Readiness (ASD(R)). This assigns the responsibilities and functions of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Readiness and Force Management.
- Assisted the Office of the Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness (OSD (P&R)) with the “Action Memo, Request for Approval of Military Education Assessments and Policy Implementation.”
- Wrote the Defense Planning Guidance Resolving Faculty Issues at PME/JPME Institutions, (2017-2021) Task to assess “Institutional Rigor.”
- Contributed to the National Defense Authorization Act for the Fiscal Year 2017, The Assessment of Joint Professional Military Education.
- Researched and wrote An Assessment of Rigor in Joint Professional Military Education for circulation in the Secretary of Defense’s Office, the office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the military education system (this was later published in an abbreviated version).
- Assisted with revision of DoD Directive 5125.01 for the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Readiness (ASD(R)). This Directive updated the responsibilities, functions, relationships, and authorities of the ASD(RA) under the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness (USD(P&R)).
- Reviewed the Goldwater-Nichols Working Group Recommendations for OSD (P&R) in support of the Joint Chiefs of Staff J7.
- Assisted OSD (P&R) with their work on DPG Directed Assessment on Professional Military Education.
Book Reviews- Numerous book reviews (the more recent are available on request).