This book presents a new interpretation of the development of the French army during the "personal rule" of Louis XIV. Based on massive archival research, it examines the army not only as a military institution but also as a political, social and economic organism. Guy Rowlands asserts that the key to the development of Louis XIV's armed forces was the king's determination to acknowledge and satisfy the military, political, social and cultural aspirations of his officers, and maintain the solid standing of the Bourbon dynasty.

This is a study of an aspect of the ethnohistory of North Indian peasant society: the importance of its military labour market for state and sect formation, for social change as well as for the energetic survival strategies of the villages of Hindustan. It traces the history of the British Indian sepoy to at least as far back as the fifteenth century, firmly rooting him in India's medieval past. It also shows that, from the anthropological point of view, not the hierarchically arranged castes, but the multiple alliances and fluid identities of the peasantry were the central phenomena of North Indian politics and decision making.

At the Front Line draws on a plethora of letters, diaries and documents written by over 300 Australian soldiers in the field to present a picture of the hardships and triumphs of their wartime experience. Mark Johnston analyses the suffering of front-line soldiers caused not only by the opposing force, but also by the conditions imposed by their own army. The book details the physical and psychological pressures of life at the front and shows how soldiers survived or surrendered to unbearable environments, fear, boredom and the constant threat of impending death. The myths of mateship and equanimity are brought under scrutiny. Much hostility can be explained by competition between ranks and the perceived hostility of superiors. The author investigates the immense strain that led to many breakdowns and the characteristic forebearance that saw so many others through.

For years, the Veterans Administration (VA) has struggled with an increasing workload of disability compensation claims. The average time to complete a claim was 188 days in fiscal year 2011, and the VA expects an increase in claims received as 1 million service members leave military service over the next 5 years. As the Government Accountability Office (GAO) and other organisations have previously reported, the VA has faced challenges in reducing the time it takes to decide veterans' claims. This book examines the factors that contribute to lengthy processing times for disability claims and appeals; and the status of the Veteran's Benefits Administration (VBAs) recent efforts to improve disability claims and appeals processing timelines.

Since 1976, the International Military Education and Training (IMET) program has provided education and training to foreign military personnel. The program's objectives include professionalising military forces and increasing respect for democratic values and human rights. In 2010, Congress appropriated $108 million in IMET funding for more than 120 countries. The Department of State and the Department of Defense share responsibility for IMET. This book assesses changes in the program from fiscal years 2000 to 2010, by funding levels, students trained, and recipient countries; the program's provision of and emphasis on human rights training for its students; and the extent to which the Department of State and the Department of Defense monitor IMET graduates and evaluate program effectiveness.

This book provides an overview of the benefits, issues, policies and programs relating to our military service-members. Topics discussed in this issue include medication needs during transitions for service-members and DOD and VA health care oversight; the Veterans Paralympics Program; disabled Veterans benefits; current life insurance programs for Veterans; overview of the appeal process for Veteran's claims; the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans claims and the judicial review of VA decision making; and a descriptive analysis of both non-monetary and monetary burial benefits and national cemeteries.

Many families struggle to balance their job demands with ensuring that their children have access to a high-quality education, and for military families this struggle can be exacerbated by the highly mobile nature of their service. Family concerns about education affect readiness and retention of military personnel, according to the Department of Defense (DOD). The majority of children of military families in the United States attend public schools. A 2008 DOD study recommended offering military families a public charter school option in areas with poorly-performing local schools. This book examines the guidance needed for military base schools on start-up and operational issues; a review of charter schools on military installations; and a study recommending better oversight to improve services for military dependent students with special needs.

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has assisted veterans with home-ownership since 1944, when Congress enacted the loan guaranty program to help veterans returning from World War II purchase homes. The loan guaranty program assists veterans by insuring mortgages made by private lenders, and is available for the purchase or construction of homes as well as to refinance existing loans. A third way in which the VA provides housing assistance to both veterans and active duty service members is through the Specially Adapted Housing (SAH) Program. Through the SAH program, veterans with certain service-connected disabilities may obtain grants from the VA to purchase or remodel homes to fit their needs. This book discusses these three types of housing assistance; the loan guaranty program, direct loan programs, and Specially Adapted Housing program -- their origins, how they operate, and how they are funded. Additionally, the default and foreclosure of VA-guaranteed loans is discussed.

The VA/DoD published the first Clinical Practice Guideline for management of opioid therapy for chronic pain in 2003. This original publication was intended to improve pain management, quality of life, and quality of care for veterans. The focus of the guideline has been to provide education and guidance to primary care clinicians, researchers and other health professionals as they encounter patients with persistent pain and its complications. This book aims to update the evidence base of the 2003 Guideline. It is focused, as was the original CPG, on chronic opioid therapy (opioid therapy for more than one month). It is directed to the clinician who is interested in knowing more about this approach to the management of chronic pain.

The Honoris Crux (Cross of Honour) was South Africa's premier gallantry decoration awarded to members of the SA Defence Force between 1952 and 2003. The stories behind over 300 of these awards and other medals for bravery are graphically told - ranging from outstanding valour in all types of warfare to exceptional heroism displayed in saving lives. For these soldiers, sailors and airmen the common denominator was courage. The heroism of the Special Forces, or Recces, became legendary. We read the unbelievable but true stories of two-man teams who crept into enemy camps, sometimes hundreds of kilometres from their bases, to gather vital information. If discovered they had to extricate themselves from impossible situations, such as the frogman team which attacked an enemy bridge then fought their way out - against small arms fire and hand grenades, as well as against crocodiles! The Naval heroes range from the seaman who remained inside the sinking SAS President Kruger to rescue friends, to the frogmen who went inside the sinking MV Oceanos to ensure that no one remained behind. Two of them dived into the stormy sea to rescue floating passengers and crew, thereby ensuring the success of the greatest sea rescue of the century. One of the survivors had won the DCM in World War II, while his son had earned the Honoris Crux in 1983. The awards were made irrespective of race, colour or creed - despite most of the events taking place during the Apartheid years. Men from diverse backgrounds learnt to live and fight together, especially among the Special Forces, where their lives often depended on each other. The award of the HC Gold to a black Recce attests to that. During a period of five months on five occasions he approached the enemy on his own and fought to the death, thereby displaying total disregard for his own safety. This new edition has been thoroughly revised and updated, to include not only new information but additional photographs, too.

This is an extremely thorough 4 volume guide to the regimental march tunes and other parade music which inspired loyalty, pride and battlefield motivation for generations of Germans over three centuries. Built around a translation of the previously unpublished works of two great German military music historians, the late Lieutenant Colonel Joachim Toeche-Mittler and Lieutenant Colonel (Retd) Werner Probst, it describes the history of every march in the official collections sanctioned by successive kings of Prussia, German Emperors, and later by Chief Inspectors of Music of the German Republic and Third Reich. This work is no apology or eulogy for a militaristic culture now long gone amongst the German people, but a description of the international and home sources for the march repertoire, and the personalities involved in composing, commissioning, and dedicating marches to the leading personalities of the age, and their adoption as regimental music by the fighting units of Prussia and the other Old German States, Imperial Germany, and the later German Reich and Post War Republics of East and West Germany. The series will provide information about how the regimental bandsmen and signaller musicians on fife, drum and bugle paraded and performed this repertoire, the manufacture and embellishments of their instruments, Schellenbaum 'Jingling Johnnies' and Drum Majors' Staffs, and their employment and deployment in the ranks of the fighting units on parade and in battle. After a short introduction, Volume 1 concentrates on the vast official Royal Prussian collection of'regimental' and 'neutral' quick marches. Translated from previously unpublished original research by the late Luftwaffe Lt. Col. Joachim Toeche-Mittler, it provides a definitive description for each march, its composer, and how and by whom it was used, in many cases on campaign as well as on parade. With only one exception before 1914, every Prussian, and most non-Prussian regiments, had their regimental march from within this collection.

This book examines the strategic risk posed by a smaller and restructured Army; the "health" of the Army given the impending downsizing; the draw-down and restructuring of the U.S. Army, including the role of the National Guard and Reserves. On 26 January 2012, senior DOD leadership unveiled a new defence strategy based on a review of potential future security challenges, current defence strategy, and budgetary constraints. This new strategy envisions a smaller, leaner Army that is agile, flexible, rapidly deployable, and technologically advanced. This strategy will rebalance the Army's global posture and presence, emphasising where potential problems are likely to arise, such as the Asia-Pacific region and the Middle East. The proposals to draw-down and restructure the Army have a number of strategic implications, including the capability to conduct stability and counterinsurgency operations, the ability to fight two simultaneous wars, shifting strategic emphasis to the Asia-Pacific region, and how the Army will maintain presence in the Middle East.

"Lands of Lost Borders carried me up into a state of openness and excitement I haven't felt for years. It's a modern classic."-Pico Iyer A brilliant, fierce writer, and winner of the 2019 RBC Taylor Prize, makes her debut with this enthralling travelogue and memoir of her journey by bicycle along the Silk Road-an illuminating and thought-provoking fusion of The Places in Between, Lab Girl, and Wild that dares us to challenge the limits we place on ourselves and the natural world. As a teenager, Kate Harris realized that the career she craved-to be an explorer, equal parts swashbuckler and metaphysician-had gone extinct. From what she could tell of the world from small-town Ontario, the likes of Marco Polo and Magellan had mapped the whole earth; there was nothing left to be discovered. Looking beyond this planet, she decided to become a scientist and go to Mars. In between studying at Oxford and MIT, Harris set off by bicycle down the fabled Silk Road with her childhood friend Mel. Pedaling mile upon mile in some of the remotest places on earth, she realized that an explorer, in any day and age, is the kind of person who refuses to live between the lines. Forget charting maps, naming peaks: what she yearned for was the feeling of soaring completely out of bounds. The farther she traveled, the closer she came to a world as wild as she felt within. Lands of Lost Borders, winner of the 2018 Banff Adventure Travel Award and a 2018 Nautilus Award, is the chronicle of Harris's odyssey and an exploration of the importance of breaking the boundaries we set ourselves; an examination of the stories borders tell, and the restrictions they place on nature and humanity; and a meditation on the existential need to explore-the essential longing to discover what in the universe we are doing here. Like Rebecca Solnit and Pico Iyer, Kate Harris offers a travel account at once exuberant and reflective, wry and rapturous. Lands of Lost Borders explores the nature of limits and the wildness of the self that can never fully be mapped. Weaving adventure and philosophy with the history of science and exploration, Lands of Lost Borders celebrates our connection as humans to the natural world, and ultimately to each other-a belonging that transcends any fences or stories that may divide us.

Moron Corps: A Vietnam Veteran's Case for Action speaks to all veterans who served in Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan. It comprises the challenges of combat injuries and tells how the Veterans Administration has failed so many of us in great numbers. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder can aggravate pre-existing injuries as well as injuries caused by exposure to chemicals. The book delves into the plight of veterans having been drafted unlawfully by the Johnson Administration and also the failure of the U.S. government to adhere to the Department of Labor's mandate that would apply affirmative action in prioritizing preferences provided for veterans. These problems contributed to many suicides, and over the years have made things difficult for all of us. My inspiration in writing this book is entirely due to my personal experiences as well as the suffering of so many veterans with problems whom I have assisted. My heartfelt experience carries the knowledge of how they were treated, or not treated. Watching them suffer as I had and left to rot without assistance, gave me the impetus to fight for their rights to get the assistance they need. John L. Ward grew up in Glasgow, Missouri. He is retired from the Marine Corps. "I am now residing in the Philippine Islands doing all of the things necessary to keep my health as good as possible and am continuing to assist veterans as best I can." Publisher's Website: http: //sbpra.com/JohnLWard

The Army's management of Arlington National Cemetery has come under scrutiny following the discovery of burial errors and the identification of serious management deficiencies affecting cemetery operations. Established during the Civil War, Arlington contains the remains of more than 330,000 military service members, family members, and other individuals, including two U.S. Presidents. Arlington conducts an average of 27 funerals each day, hosts hundreds of ceremonies throughout the year, and has approximately 4 million visitors annually. This book examines the Army's efforts to address and improve management deficiencies at Arlington; the process for providing information and assistance to families regarding efforts to detect and correct burial errors; and factors affecting the feasibility and advisability of transferring jurisdiction for the Army's national cemeteries to the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).

Fighting The Enemy, first published in 2000, is about men with the job of killing each other. Based on the wartime writings of hundreds of Australian front-line soldiers during World War II, this powerful and resonant book contains many moving descriptions of high emotion and drama. Soldiers' interactions with their enemies are central to war and their attitudes to their adversaries are crucial to the way wars are fought. Yet few books look in detail at how enemies interpret each other. This book is an unprecedented and thorough examination of the way Australian combat soldiers interacted with troops from the four powers engaged in World War II: Germany, Italy, Vichy France and Japan. Each opponent has themes peculiar to it: the Italians were much ridiculed; the Germans were the most respected of enemies; the Vichy French were regarded with ambivalence; while the Japanese were the subject of much hostility, intensified by the real threat of occupation.

The Unified Command Plan (UCP) and associated Combatant Commands (COCOMs) provide operational instructions and command and control to the Armed Forces and have a significant impact on how they are organised, trained and resourced - areas over which Congress has constitutional authority. The UCP is a classified executive branch document prepared by the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and reviewed and updated every two years that assigns missions; planning, training, and operational responsibilities; and geographic areas of responsibilities to COCOMs. This book provides information on the history, mission, and operational considerations of the UCP and COCOMs with a focus on current issues and considerations.

See Tucson with a Local! Experience the laid-back atmosphere and vibrant culture of this artsy desert enclave with Tucson local Tim Hull. What you'll find in Moon Tucson: Strategic, flexible itineraries that can be adapted for your schedule, including: "The Best of Old Pueblo in Three Days," "Sonoran Desert Adventures," "Midtown Biking," and "Southwest Style"Full-color, vibrant photos and detailed maps Honest advice on when to go, where to stay, how to get there, and how to get aroundThe top sights and unique activities: Visit remnants of ancient cultures, or explore vestiges of the Old West's legendary conquistadores, cowboys, and outlaws. Browse galleries of Pueblo art, hit an eclectic fusion restaurant, and shop for one-of-a-kind Native American crafts. Find the best resorts for golfing or a spa day, taste phenomenal Mexican food, and discover the top spots to sample the local nightlifeDetailed coverage of restaurants, shops, and nightlifeExpert insight from Tucson local Tim HullSuggestions for excursions outside of the city, including Kartchner Caverns and the Huachuca Mountains, Bisbee and Tombstone, the Border Region, and Willcox and the Chiricahua Mountains Thorough information, including background on the landscape, plants and animals, climate, and local cultureWith Moon Tucson's curated advice, myriad activities, and local insight, you can experience the city your way.

Silver was the codename for the only quintuple spy of the Second World War, spying for the Italians, Germans, Japanese, Soviets and the British. The Germans awarded him the Iron Cross, Germany s highest military decoration, and paid him 2.5 million in today s money. In reality Silver deceived the Nazis on behalf of the Soviets and the British. In 1942 the Russians decided to share Silver with the British, the only time during the war that the Soviets agreed to such an arrangement. This brought him under the control of Peter Fleming who acted as his spy master. Germans also gave Silver a transmitter which broadcast misleading military information directly to Abwehr headquarters in Berlin. Silver was one of many codenames for a man whose real name was Bhagat Ram Talwar, a Hindu Pathan from the North West Frontier province of then British India. Between 1941 and 1945 Silver made twelve trips from Peshawar to Kabul to supply false information to the Germans, always making the near-200-mile journey on foot over mountain passes and hostile tribal territory.Once when an Afghan nearly rumbled him, he invited him to a curry meal in which he had mixed deadly tiger s whiskers killing the Afghan. "

For almost thirty years, the Nunn-McCurdy Act has served as one of the principal mechanisms for notifying Congress of cost overruns in Major Defense Acquisition Programs (MSAPs). Nunn-McCurdy establishes different thresholds to determine if an MDAP or designated major subprogram of an MDAP experiences a cost overrun. These thresholds are based on a comparison between a program's actual costs and the current baseline estimate or the original baseline estimate. A program that has cost growth that exceeds any of these thresholds is said to have a Nunn-McCurdy breach and must notify Congress of the breach. This book analyses the background and issues for Congress of the Nunn-McCurdy Act and defence spending overruns.

What was it like to be a soldier on a Napoleonic battlefield? What happened when cavalry regiments charged directly at one another? What did the generals do during battle? Drawing on memoirs, diaries, and letters of the time, this dramatic book explores what actually happened in battle and how the participants' feelings and reactions influenced the outcome. Rory Muir focuses on the dynamics of combat in the age of Napoleon, enhancing his analysis with vivid accounts of those who were there-the frightened foot soldier, the general in command, the young cavalry officer whose boils made it impossible to ride, and the smartly dressed aide-de-camp, tripped up by his voluminous pantaloons. This book sheds new light on how military tactics worked by concentrating on the experience of soldiers in the firing line. Muir considers the interaction of artillery, infantry, and cavalry; the role of the general, subordinate commanders, staff officers, and aides; morale, esprit de corps, and the role of regimental officers; soldiers' attitudes toward death and feelings about the enemy; the plight of the wounded; the difficulty of surrendering; and the way victories were finally decided. He discusses the mechanics of musketry, artillery, and cavalry charges and shows how they influenced the morale, discipline, and resolution of the opposing armies. This is a volume that will fascinate all readers with an interest in military history, European history, or the psychology of combat.

At the Front Line draws on a plethora of letters, diaries and documents written by over 300 Australian soldiers in the field to present a picture of the hardships and triumphs of their wartime experience. Mark Johnston analyses the suffering of front-line soldiers caused not only by the opposing force, but also by the conditions imposed by their own army. The book details the physical and psychological pressures of life at the front and shows how soldiers survived or surrendered to unbearable environments, fear, boredom and the constant threat of impending death. The myths of mateship and equanimity are brought under scrutiny. Much hostility can be explained by competition between ranks and the perceived hostility of superiors. The author investigates the immense strain that led to many breakdowns and the characteristic forebearance that saw so many others through.

This book records the actions of those Irish soldiers (and others) who were awarded the Victoria Cross in the event known to the British public in 1857 as 'The Indian Mutiny'. Since then, revisionist historians have applied other names to what occurred: a 'war of independence', 'a revolt', or 'a great rebellion'... none of these are accurate for the events that began in Meerut on Sunday, 10 May 1857: it was a mutiny; when soldiers refused a lawful command, it was a mutiny. Those former members of the Indian regiments were mutineers and those civilians who joined or supported them were rebels... these were the words of the time and, in recounting the activities of the time, these are the words that should be used. It took two and a half years to quell the Mutiny, and more than half the regiments of the British Army would, at some stage, see action - and this involved only the Indian troops in one of three Presidencies. While many regimental records show the names of those men who were wounded, or who died of disease or were killed in action - allowing a total number to be calculated - the overall cost to the native populations of Indian towns and villages can only be guessed at.

Epitaphs of the Great War Passchendaele is an edited collection of headstone inscriptions from the graves of those killed during the Third Battle of Ypres - Passchendaele. Limited by the Imperial War Graves Commission to sixty-six characters - far more restrictive than Twitter's 140-character rule - these inscriptions are masterpieces of compact emotion. But, as Sarah Wearne says, their enforced brevity means that many inscriptions rely on the reader being able to pick up on the references and allusions, or recognise the quotations - and many twenty-first-century readers don't. Consequently she has selected one hundred inscriptions from the battlefield cemeteries and by expanding the context - religious, literary or personal - she has been able to give full voice to the bereaved. This collection, the second in a short series, will be published to coincide with the centenary of the opening of the Passchendaele offensive on 31 July 1917. Together with Epitaphs of the Great War The Somme, published on 1 July 2016, these books cover the epitaphs of the ordinary and the famous, the privileged and the poor, the generals and the privates and, after a hundred years, give us an insight into what contemporaries believed they had been fighting for and how they viewed the loss of the men they had loved.