Reddit mentions of Protect and Defend

Assuming his love of war books isn't limited to historically-set pieces, I've got a somewhat obscure author to suggest on his behalf: Eric L. Harry. He has three war novels, the first about a limited nuclear war between Russia and the US, and subsequent efforts to prevent an escalating conflict, called Arc Light. The second is about an anarchist revolution in Russia which leads to a power vacuum in Asia, resulting in a war between the US and China, called Protect and Defend. The last is about a dominant China essentially taking over the world and invading the United States, with enthralling subplots ranging from a plot to overthrow the president regarding his handling of the war and guerrilla tactics being used against the Chinese invaders in the Deep South. That one is appropriately titled Invasion.

I've read all of them and found each of them more enthralling than the last (in the order I listed). They are techno-thrillers, so there are occasional bits of very specific description, but I find this both interesting and informative and enjoy it in fiction if it is done right (see: Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child). And with those technical descriptions, Harry tends to avoid the overly dry descriptive style that Clancy can sometimes descend into, so I sometimes consider him a step up from good ol' Tom. Overall, I'd say Eric L. Harry is great at weaving together his understanding of political and military workings, quite original (and eerily prescient) plots, and very well-rounded characters into novels that really keep the pages turning. I'd say they are some of the best war novels I've read, and I've made my way through quite a few, thus I suggest them to you on behalf of your father.