The original edition of the Strategic Leadership Primer, published in 1998, served the U.S. Army War College (USAWC) well as a basic overview of Strategic Leadership. Written by Dr. Rod Magee with the assistance of several other faculty members, it was intended as an orientation reading for students arriving at the USAWC whose backgrounds were primarily in the tactical and operational field environment. The Primer was useful because there was no other adequate work that described and defined strategic leadership in terms that could be understood and applied by USAWC students. A 2nd edition was published in 2004 and edited by Colonel (Ret) Steve Shambach. This 3rd edition updates significant portions of the Primer, especially Chapters 1, 2, and 3 and also adds a chapter on decision making (Chapter 5). It is not that the nature of strategic leadership has changed drastically, rather this edition preserves the salient features of the original editions. It is updated with contemporary literature and examples to sustain the Primer's relevance.