Lawrence Sondhaus was born in St. Louis, Missouri. He received his BA at Elon University and, after studying as a Fulbright Scholar in Austria, he obtained his PhD at the University of Virginia. Since 1987 he has been on the faculty of the University of Indianapolis, where he currently serves as Professor of History and Director of the Graduate Program in History. He is the author of thirteen books on naval and military strategy and policy, including Strategic Culture and Ways of War, World War I: The Global Revolution, and The Great War at Sea: A Naval History of the First World War. He lives in Indianapolis.