This book investigates the UK's nuclear weapon policy, focusing in particular on how consecutive governments have managed to maintain the Trident weapon system. The question of why states maintain nuclear weapons typically receives short shrift: its security, of course. The international is a perilous place, and nuclear weapons represent the ultimate self-help device. This book seeks to unsettle this complacency by re-conceptualizing nuclear weapon-armed states as nuclear regimes of truth and refocusing on the processes through which governments produce and maintain country-specific discourses that enable their continued possession of nuclear weapons. Illustrating the value of studying nuclear regimes of truth, the book conducts a discourse analysis of the UK's nuclear weapons policy between 1980 and 2010. In so doing, it documents the sheer imagination and discursive labour required to sustain the positive value of nuclear weapons within British politics, as well as providing grounds for optimism regarding the value of the recent treaty banning nuclear weapons.

When Howard D. Linson joined the U.S. Army at 18 in 1998, wanting to serve his country, he never could have anticipated the ordeal he would face. During his nine-year career he experienced continuous harassment and violence for being a bisexual soldier, which nearly cost him his life. Throughout Linson's enlistment, the issue of gay, lesbian, and bisexual (GLB) people in the military was governed by the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy (DADT), which was repealed in December 2010. It allowed all citizens to join regardless of sexual orientation, as long as they did not reveal their sexual identities. As a result, DADT put Linson and other GLB soldiers in a maddeningly ambiguous situation-they could serve as long as they lived a secret life. And while the law changed the military's policies, it did not change the army's entrenched hatred, ignorance, and bigotry about GLB soldiers. The Untold Truth "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" is Linson's harrowing account of surviving a nightmare world of ignorance, paranoia, and oppression, where your greatest enemy is your comrade in arms.

"What next?" The Colonel asked. Chief Master Sergeant George T. Graham, Jr. stood beside the Colonel. "This will not be good," he thought. "What next?" The Colonel asked, noting no one had heard him the first time. "He shot her." Sergeant Lucas confessed, abruptly, interrupting the Colonel as if he anticipated the question. He did. He had witnessed the event. "It's that simple. He shot her...she was....very...she was very...pretty." Sergeant Lucas collected himself. Or so we thought. His eyes welled up with emotion. He glanced at Chief Graham. .."..and then he...after a very brief and...very........... quiet....argument," Sergeant Lucas continued in an uncollected tone. "There was an argument. An argument that nearly nobody - nobody - witnessed or in any way took seriously.... Why would we?" The young sergeant took another breath and pressed ahead with his story. "He stood there. Diego Gianelli stood there. He pulled out a large pistol. A LARGE pistol," Lucas emphasized. "And he shot her.....point blank......what a mess " "What next?" The Colonel asked again. "What next?" Lucas repeated. Chief Graham nodded toward Lucas to continue. Lucas continued as ordered.

Does class rank really matter? Q: What do you call the person who's last in their class in medical or law school? A: Doctor or Lawyer. Q: And, what do you call the person who's last in their class at West Point, Annapolis or the U.S. Air Force Academy? A: Lieutenant or Ensign. Same Date of Rank salutes 17 men and three women grads at the top and bottom, representing the U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps. They range from the "goat" or last man in West Point's Class of 1942, who was the first man in his class promoted to Brigadier General, to a 1999 Annapolis All-American rugby player who has served three tours in Iraq in the Marine Corps. Read about combat leaders, admirals, astronauts, pilots, ship captains, business leaders, an historian, logistics expert, mayor, teacher and software guru. The book also provides class ranks of many famous academy grads from George Pickett and George Armstrong Custer (lasts) to Robert E. Lee and Douglas MacArthur (2nd and 1st) as well as Dwight Eisenhower, Jimmy Carter, John McCain, and Jim Webb plus athletes like Roger Staubach of the NFL and David Robinson of the NBA. And, it includes timely information about how to apply to each of the three academies, too.

During her childhood, Lee Summers came to realize what a special father she had in Henry Sonnenfeld, a former US Marine. He instilled discipline and commitment in her, and he taught her about sacrifice, heroism, and patriotism. Best of all, he had wonderful bedtime stories. Never Anticipate the Command is the first in a series to share Henry's remarkable stories of being a US Marine during World War II and the Korean War. As told through his daughter, Henry reveals how, as a young man from New Jersey, he enlisted in the US Marine Corps after Pearl Harbor and fought the Japanese in the brutal Pacific campaign. Henry relates those first few harrowing days as a marine and the grueling training regimen on Parris Island. With remarkably vivid details, he recounts life on the island of Bougainville; tells the tale of his island pet, a womp-cat named Bougie Sam; and describes watching Pappy Boyington's Black Sheep Squadron perform. Never Anticipate the Command recalls an era when men rose to action to protect their country. It shows how one man in particular served God, his country, and his family-in that order.

For Rich Bishop, reporting to basic training for the US Navy was reminiscent of Dorothy leaving Kansas and ending up in Oz. The transition from civilian to navy life overwhelmed Bishop. In "Nuts to Butts," he narrates excerpts of his twenty-two-year career-from basic training to retirement.

In this memoir, Bishop tells of meeting a wide assortment of people and the problems they brought with them. He shares the good and not-so-good times of serving in the fleet, including dealing with the loss of privacy, becoming a team member, and keeping US warships in mission-ready condition and the crews in shape to play the mental games required in an examination- and deployment-laden schedule. "Nuts to Butts" describes living through basic training, working in the scullery of an aircraft carrier, serving duty as shore patrol, visiting exotic ports of call for liberty, climbing a plateau with shear vertical sides in Sri Lanka, living on the naval base at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba, and making night dives among the sharks.

Bishop provides keen insight into the life of a sailor, delivered with humor. He not only fondly remembers his service, but preserves the stories for all.

Firefight is a compilation of Rick Kurelo's personal accounts as a professional firefighter in Canada and as a Canadian Forces soldier in Afghanistan and Bosnia. Ninety-seven stories and forty-five photos document Rick's experiences at scenes of chaos and conflict, where he and his teams encounter one dangerous scenario after another. They convey the deadly tensions, pressures and risks that can arise at any moment, as well as the poignant human connections that often occur. Firefight is a memoir that brings to life the human experience - the tragic, touching and humorous - that we all share.

This book uses several fantasy movies or movie series and television series to explain political and international relations (IR) concepts and theories. It begins with an overview of the importance of fantasy in literature, film and television, and its increasing impact on the field of International Relations. It then presents the political, IR, and social issues in each franchise, and in five chapters uses these tales' key story arcs or plot points to illustrate major political and IR themes. The volume pays particular attention to such fantasy franchises as Lord of the Rings, Game of Thrones, the Harry Potter films, recent fairytale and children's stories, and female-led fantasy projects.

This handbook provides a straightforward account of how women have served in combat roles and explains the ongoing controversy surrounding efforts to legalize combat assignments for female service members. Women have been excluded from combat roles for most of American history. During conflicts such as the American Civil War, a few women enlisted as men; in some cases, their identities as women were not discovered until after their deaths. Today, the nontraditional battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan have no clearly defined front lines, and many female soldiers have found themselves face-to-face with the enemy. Yet despite the realities of modern warfare, the subject of women serving in combat roles remains highly controversial. Women in Combat: A Reference Handbook examines the historical background, current dilemmas, and global context of this contentious issue. The author explores both sides of the argument, presenting information from leading sources and gleaned from personal interviews. Statistical data, primary source documents, a directory of organizations, and print and electronic resources offer additional insight. Offers insights obtained from exclusive interviews with distinguished long-time female military officers, international scholars, and religious leaders Contains relevant materials such as the 1988 Risk Rule, Soldier's Creed, Department of Defense ground combat policy, and USC 6015 Includes biographical information on more than 25 women who have served or are serving in combat positions, as well as advocates and opponents of combat roles for women Presents a chronology of significant events related to women in the military from 1775 to 2010 Contains a bibliography of important materials to assist readers in further study of this controversial subject Provides a glossary defining key military acronyms and terms

Sixteen-year-old twins, Frank, Jr. and Gerry wanted to help their mother make ends meet after their father became estranged from their Boston family. The year was 1942; America was at war in Europe and the South Pacific. The twins saw the chance to earn military pay to send back home to Mom. There was one problem. The minimum age for enlistment in the United States military was 17. Together they hatched a plan to enlist. Gerald is accepted into the US Navy. Frank finds a way into the US Coast Guard. These are Frank's stories, sometimes funny, of the brave young men and women he served with until President Harry Truman announced the end of World War II on September 2, 1945.

When China and Russia established a "strategic partnership" in 1996, both nations declared that they would further develop military cooperation in various fields. Tsai examines the course of this military cooperation to reveal the nature of the military ties with the hopes of determining whether these two traditional adversaries have put aside historical legacies and mutual mistrust to create a full-fledged military partnership. After analyzing the motives and concerns of both powers, Tsai concludes that, while progress has been made in reducing military tensions in border regions, the level of trust has not increased substantially. The nature of these ties remains extremely fragile. Among Western analysts, there has been concern that a closer partnership might adversely affect U.S. interests in the region. China and Russia have developed cooperation in certain areas, such as arms transfers and military-technical cooperation, and these achievements have successfully reduced political tension. However, reciprocal threats against each other's territories and China's increasing ambitions and capacity to act as a great military power in the region could eventually become a major source of friction. Based on research in both Chinese and Russian, this study offers a comprehensive analysis on the development of and limits to this military cooperation.

The story of a modern centurion: Tom Cobley's excellent and comprehensive account of his 40 years of service has much to tell the reader. His service took him from Australia and the Pacific Islands, to Britain and Northern Ireland, to the Balkans, Afghanistan and Iraq, and places in between. In different regiments of two armies, often alongside men from other armies, he served on operations in many theatres. He tells of service life, the training, comradeship and preparation for operations; his insights show what it is really like. He tells of command and staff work on operations. And above all we learn of Tom Cobley, the centurion himself. General Sir Rupert Smith KCB, DSO*, OBE, QGM (DSACEUR 1998-2001) Although I have served with the Parachute Regiment for close to 40 years, I only got to know Colonel Tom Cobley later in his career. When he was in Afghanistan I was the UK Chief of Joint Operations (CJO), with operational responsibility for our forces there. Subsequently I saw him in Iraq, first as CJO and later as the Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Europe (DSACEUR), when visiting the NATO training mission. Finally, he worked in my EU strategic level Headquarters at Mons, whilst I had command of the EU operation in Bosnia. It is my experience that you find the best soldiers wherever there is an operation; the same faces always turn up where the action is. Tom is no exception and his account of his fascinating and varied career is well worth reading. General Sir John Reith KCB, CBE (DSACEUR 2004-2007)

The first comprehensive account in English of how the Portuguese Armed Forces prepared for and conducted a distant counterinsurgency campaign in its African possessions with very limited resources, choosing to stay and fight despite the small odds for success. The Portuguese military crafted its doctrine and implemented it to match the guerrilla strategy of protracted war, and in doing so, followed the lessons gleaned from the British and French experiences in small wars. The Portuguese approach to the conflict was distinct in that it sought to combine the two-pronged national strategy of containing the cost of the war and of spreading the burden to the colonies with the solution on the battlefield. It describes how Portugal defined and analyzed its insurgency problem in light of the available knowledge on counterinsurgency, how it developed its military policies and doctrines in this context, and how it applied them in the African colonial environment. The uniqueness of its approach is highlighted through a thematic military analysis of the Portuguese effort and a comparison with the experiences of other governments fighting similar contemporaneous wars.