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Books > Social sciences > Warfare & defence > Land forces & warfare
This handbook comprises essays by leading scholars and
practitioners on the topic of U.S. counterterrorism and irregular
warfare campaigns and operations around the globe. Terrorist groups
have evolved substantially since 9/11, with the Islamic State often
described as a pseudo-state, a terrorist group, and insurgency all
at the same time. While researchers', analysts', and policymakers'
understanding of terrorism has grown immensely over the past two
decades, similar advancements in the understanding of
counterterrorism lag. As such, this handbook explains why it is
necessary to take a broader view of counterterrorism which can, and
often does, include irregular warfare. The volume is divided into
three thematic sections: Part I examines modern terrorism in the
Islamic world and gives an overview of the major terrorist groups
from the past three decades; Part II provides a wide variety of
case studies of counterterrorism and irregular warfare operations,
spanning from the 1980s to the irregular warfare campaign against
the Islamic State in northern Syria in 2018; Part III examines the
government instruments used to combat terrorism and wage irregular
warfare, such as drones, Theater Special Operations Commands, and
Theater Commands. The handbook fills a gap in the traditional
counterterrorism literature by its inclusion of irregular warfare
and by providing analyses from academic experts as well as
practitioners. It will be of much interest to students of
counterterrorism, counterinsurgency, U.S. national security,
military affairs, and International Relations. The Open Access
version of this book, available at
https://www.routledge.com/Routledge-Handbook-of-US-Counterterrorism-and-Irregular-Warfare-Operations/Sheehan-Marquardt-Collins/p/book/9780367758363,
has been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non
Commercial-No Derivatives 4.0 license.
Noted authority Steven J. Zaloga charts the development, combat
use, and influence of man-portable air defense systems, from the
late 1960s to the present day. The first attempts at developing a
man-portable air defense system (MANPADS) based around a guided
missile began in the mid-1950s, as a response to the increased
speed and maneuverability of jet aircraft. This book charts the
technological evolution of the MANPADS and explores their combat
usage and the lessons from these encounters. Besides detailing the
missiles, it also surveys the various methods developed as
countermeasures to the MANPADS threat. The first generation of
MANPADS, such as the US Army's Redeye and the Soviet Strela-2 (SA-7
Grail), saw combat use in the Vietnam War in 1972 and the Yom
Kippur War of 1973. The next generation of infrared-guided MANPADS,
such as the US Stinger and Soviet Igla, came to prominence
following the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979. Since the
1970s, MANPADS have been used in innumerable wars, border
conflicts, civil wars and insurrections. Featuring specially
commissioned artwork and carefully chosen photographs, this study
tells the story of these lethally effective weapons, from their
origins to their use today.
Drawing on 30 years of scholarship, this is a unique, richly
illustrated history of the Ancient Assyrian Army and Empire. For
the greater part of the period from the end of the 10th century to
the 7th century BC, the Ancient Near East was dominated by the
dynamic military power of Assyria. This book examines the empire
that is now acknowledged as the first 'world' empire, and thus
progenitor of all others. Fully illustrated in colour throughout,
with photographs of artefacts, drawings and maps, it focuses on the
Assyrian Army, the instrument that secured such immense conquests,
now regarded by historians as being the most effective of
pre-classical times. It was not only responsible for the creation
of history's first independent cavalry arm, but also for the
development of siege weapons later used by both Greece and Rome.
There is a great deal of visual evidence showing how this army
evolved over three centuries. During the rediscovery and excavation
of the Assyrian civilisation in the mid-19th century, many wall
reliefs and artefacts were recovered, and the enormous amount of
research carried out by Assyriologists since that time has revealed
the immense impact of the Assyrian Empire on history. Such has been
the scale of archaeological discovery in more recent years that it
is now possible to give the actual names of chariot/cavalry unit
commanders. Drawing on this rich scholarship, and utilising the
fantastic collections of museums around the world, Mark Healy
presents a unique new history of this fascinating army and empire.
Invented during World War I to break the grim deadlock of the
Western Front trenches, tanks went on to revolutionize warfare.
From the lightning Blitzkrieg assaults of World War II, to the
great battles in the Middle Eastern desert, tanks have become one
of the key components of the 'combined arms' philosophy of the
modern battlefield. This pocket guide makes accessible to
'rivetheads' everywhere essential information to identify 40 of
history's most fearsome tanks, including Germany's Tiger, Russia's
T-34, America's Sherman and Panther, and France's FT-17. Each tank
is presented with a detailed drawing to aid recognition.
This book examines the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia
(FARC) as a commercial insurgency through the network-complex
paradigm of insurgency. Countering traditional perspectives of the
group, it proposes new and comprehensive explanations for the
FARC's presence in Latin America. Existing narratives have
portrayed the FARC as a terrorist, narco-terrorist, or criminal
organization - a narrative popularized by the government offensive
conducted by the Colombian state during the last couple of decades.
In contrast, this book goes beyond simplistic perspectives of the
FARC and instead studies the group in relation to the
network-complex paradigm of insurgency. It explains the
organization as a 'commercial insurgency' with three dimensions -
political, criminal, and military - and understands the Colombian
insurgency not as a monolith, but as a system of individuals with
diversified interests ranging from the highly indoctrinated to the
profit-motivated. This examination allows for an analysis of some
of the insurgency's most unexplored characteristics: an interest in
urbanizing its actions and the increased 'invisibility' of
combatants, the significance of its political institutions, and the
construction of its transnational networks. The volume also
discusses the future of FARC in post-conflict Colombia, not only
within the country but as an actor in the region. This work will be
of much interest to students of insurgencies, military studies,
Latin American studies, criminology, security studies, and IR.
Fully illustrated, this enthralling study explores how the Vandals
in North Africa attempted to defend their kingdom against the
resurgent Byzantine Empire during 533-36. In AD 533, the Byzantine
Emperor Justinian I launched the first of his campaigns to
reconquer the Western Roman Empire. This effort began in North
Africa (modern Algeria and Tunisia), targeting the Vandal kingdom
established there a century earlier, which also included Sardinia,
Corsica and the Balearic Islands. Featuring full-colour artwork and
mapping alongside carefully chosen archive illustrations, this book
shows how the Byzantine general Belisarius established his
formidable reputation in the lightning-fast campaign that ensued,
exploring the origins, tactics and reputation of the two sides'
forces as they fought for control of North Africa. The landing of
Belisarius' forces took the Vandal king, Gelimer, completely by
surprise; in September 533 the two sides met in battle near
Carthage in an encounter known to posterity as Ad Decimum, with
Gelimer ambitiously attempting to trap Belisarius' forces as they
advanced. In December, the two sides fought again in a momentous
clash at Tricamarum, where the fate of Gelimer's regime would be
determined. A third battle ensued in 536, when the rebel Stotzas'
Byzantine and Vandal troops confronted Belisarius' forces, the
outcome sealing the Byzantine general's standing as the foremost
soldier of his age. Featuring specially commissioned artwork and
mapping alongside archive illustrations and photographs, this vivid
account compares and assesses the two sides' fighting men as they
vied for supremacy in North Africa.
How do rebel groups decide how to recruit members? To answer this
question, Obayashi classifies recruitment techniques of rebel
groups into two types, coercion and inducement, and develops a
theory of rebel recruitment that simultaneously addresses agency
problems inside rebel groups and the rebel-state contest over
information. Important themes such as desertion, counterinsurgency
strategies including amnesties and civil war termination are also
examined to further understand the dynamics of rebellion and
violent disorder. The theory is applied to examine the changes in
conflicts involving the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam in Sri
Lanka and the Lord's Resistance Army in Uganda.
This book examines the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia
(FARC) as a commercial insurgency through the network-complex
paradigm of insurgency. Countering traditional perspectives of the
group, it proposes new and comprehensive explanations for the
FARC's presence in Latin America. Existing narratives have
portrayed the FARC as a terrorist, narco-terrorist, or criminal
organization - a narrative popularized by the government offensive
conducted by the Colombian state during the last couple of decades.
In contrast, this book goes beyond simplistic perspectives of the
FARC and instead studies the group in relation to the
network-complex paradigm of insurgency. It explains the
organization as a 'commercial insurgency' with three dimensions -
political, criminal, and military - and understands the Colombian
insurgency not as a monolith, but as a system of individuals with
diversified interests ranging from the highly indoctrinated to the
profit-motivated. This examination allows for an analysis of some
of the insurgency's most unexplored characteristics: an interest in
urbanizing its actions and the increased 'invisibility' of
combatants, the significance of its political institutions, and the
construction of its transnational networks. The volume also
discusses the future of FARC in post-conflict Colombia, not only
within the country but as an actor in the region. This work will be
of much interest to students of insurgencies, military studies,
Latin American studies, criminology, security studies, and IR.
OVER 100 APPROVED BRITISH ARMY CHALLENGES Packed full of puzzles
and challenges, this book will help you develop the vital
mind-training skills needed for any team player or budding recruit
- get ready to tackle logic puzzles, explore mazes and wrestle with
problem-solving tests. You'll learn to: Crack codes essential to
survival situations Complete complex navigation challenges Put
leadership and teamwork skills to the test with essential lateral
thinking techniques Strengthen crucial cognitive skills through
quizzes and word games Problem-solve under pressure Analyse
'real-life' scenarios, and ask yourself: 'What would I do in this
situation?' Teamwork is at the heart of the British Army, and this
is the perfect challenge book to enjoy with family and friends -
work together or invite some friendly competition!
The regular Mounted Infantry was one of the most important
innovations of the late Victorian and Edwardian British Army.
Rather than fight on horseback in the traditional manner of
cavalry, they used horses primarily to move swiftly about the
battlefield, where they would then dismount and fight on foot, thus
anticipating the development of mechanised infantry tactics during
the twentieth century. Yet despite this apparent foresight, the
mounted infantry concept was abandoned by the British Army in 1913,
just at the point when it may have made the transition from a
colonial to a continental force as part of the British
Expeditionary Force. Exploring the historical background to the
Mounted Infantry, this book untangles the debates that raged in the
army, Parliament and the press between its advocates and the
supporters of the established cavalry. With its origins in the
extemporised mounted detachments raised during times of crisis from
infantry battalions on overseas imperial garrison duties, Dr Winrow
reveals how the Mounted Infantry model, unique among European
armies, evolved into a formalised and apparently highly successful
organisation of non-cavalry mounted troops. He then analyses why
the Mounted Infantry concept fell out of favour just eleven years
after its apogee during the South African Anglo-Boer War of
1899-1902. As such the book will be of interest not only to
historians of the nineteenth-century British army, but also those
tracing the development of modern military doctrine and tactics, to
which the Mounted Infantry provided successful - if short lived -
inspiration.
An authoritative military history of the U.S. Army’s 3rd Infantry
Division in Operation Iraqi Freedom, describing the 2003 invasion
of Iraq, the siege and fall of Baghdad, and the nation-building
mission that followed. In 21 Days to Baghdad, historian Dr. Heather
Stur describes the commitment of the division to Kuwait, the
invasion of Iraq and the three weeks of violent desert conflicts on
the way to Baghdad before the siege and battle for the city itself,
and the “thunder runs” that saw its fall to U.S. forces. She
then details the complex security mission that required the
soldiers and their commanders to convince Iraqi citizens that the
U.S. was there to help them, while at the same time they continued
fighting Saddam Hussein’s elite Republican Guard, paramilitary
forces, and terrorists. This new history is based on exclusive,
extensive interviews with General Buford “Buff” Blount, the
U.S. Army two-star general who led the 3rd Infantry Division. His
years of experience in the Middle East led him to question the
recall of his division from Iraq at the end of 2003 and its
replacement by a less experienced unit. President George W. Bush
and Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld did not believe that
peacekeeping and humanitarian assistance were worthwhile uses of a
conventional combat force like the 3rd Infantry Division. The
division had destroyed Hussein’s government. Mission
accomplished, or so Bush and Rumsfeld thought. 21 Days to Baghdad
illustrates the long reach of the U.S. military, the limitations of
nation building in the wake of war, and the tensions between
policymakers in Washington, DC, and troops on the ground over the
purpose and conduct of the U.S. invasion of Iraq.
Fully illustrated, this study assesses the Soviet and Waffen-SS
troops who contested the cities of Kharkov and Rostov-on-Don on the
Eastern Front during 1942-43. As the Axis invasion of the Soviet
Union unfolded, two places that suffered exceptionally severely
were Kharkov (now Kharkiv) in Ukraine and Rostov-on-Don in Russia.
In total, Kharkov would change hands violently four times between
October 1941 and August 1943, and Rostov-on-Don also four times
between November 1941 and February 1943. In this book, Chris McNab
examines the fighting men of the Red Army and the Waffen-SS who
clashed in three battles - one for Rostov (July 1942) and two for
Kharkov (February-March and August). He clearly explains the key
differences between these two opponents - training, tactics,
weaponry, ideology and motivation - and examines how these
differences played out in the three engagements, which ranged from
open-terrain combined-arms battles to close-quarters street
fighting in major urban zones. The text is complemented by
specially commissioned artwork and mapping and carefully chosen
archive photographs.
This book argues that China's rise is driven by the self-fulfilling
prophecy of the dream of the 'great rejuvenation of the Chinese
nation', and Beijing's economic miracle has translated into a call
for military preparedness guided by the logic of 'fight and win'.
China's quest lies in perfecting the art of being 'combat-ready'
with the aim of making the People's Liberation Army a 'world-class
military'. While Beijing maintains that it has a defensive military
posture, the author argues that its growing military capabilities
and increasing unilateral behavioural dispositions highlight an
'offensive' intent-demonstrating the 'China Threat'.
How do rebel groups decide how to recruit members? To answer this
question, Obayashi classifies recruitment techniques of rebel
groups into two types, coercion and inducement, and develops a
theory of rebel recruitment that simultaneously addresses agency
problems inside rebel groups and the rebel-state contest over
information. Important themes such as desertion, counterinsurgency
strategies including amnesties and civil war termination are also
examined to further understand the dynamics of rebellion and
violent disorder. The theory is applied to examine the changes in
conflicts involving the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam in Sri
Lanka and the Lord's Resistance Army in Uganda.
From the bestselling author of Normandy '44 and Sicily '43, a
brilliant new history of the last days of the war 'Seldom is war so
vividly described...An assault on the senses...Painful to read,
impossible to put down' Gerard DeGroot, The Times 'Epic and
moving...Holland brings this cramped universe vividly to life'
Patrick Bishop, Daily Telegraph ______ It took a certain type of
courage to serve in a tank in the Second World War. Encased in
steel, surrounded by highly explosive shells, a big and slow-moving
target, every crew member was utterly vulnerable to enemy attack
from all sides. Living - and dying - in a tank was a brutal way to
fight a war. The Sherwood Rangers were one of the great tank
regiments. They had learned their trade the hard way, in the
burning deserts of North Africa. From D-Day onwards, they were in
the thick of the action til the war's end. They and their Sherman
tanks covered thousands of miles and endured some of the fiercest
fighting in Western Europe. Their engagements stretch from the
Normandy beaches to the bridges at Eindhoven. They were the first
British unit into Germany, grinding across the Siegfried Line and
on into the Nazi heartland. Through compelling eye-witness
testimony and James Holland's expert analysis, Brothers In Arms
brings to vivid life the final bloody scramble across Europe and
gives the most powerful account to date of what it was really like
to fight in the dying days of World War Two.
Extensively illustrated with 52 detailed campaign and battle maps
and diagrams, this book, originally published in 1990, surveys the
evolution of warfare in Europe from Napoleon to the end of the
twentieth century and in Asia from the Middle Ages. It considers
the interaction of technology and warfare. With wide-ranging
examples, the book includes two in depth case studies, one on the
Soviet Operational Manoeuvre Group and its predecessors in the
Russian Imperial Army, the other on the history of land warfare,
including guerilla warfare, in Asia. In this book the author
demonstrates that military history can be of immense practical help
to the modern military analyst and professional. Now updated with a
new introduction to take into account changes since 1990, this book
remains of essential value to students, teachers &
professionals in political & social history, international
relations, defence, war & peace studies.
Modern Artillery brings together 300 of the most important examples
of artillery used or designed since 1900. Beginning with the guns
that pounded the trenches in World War I, the book details all the
major forms of artillery in service throughout the century. From
hand-held anti-tank devices, anti-aircraft guns and field pieces of
World War II to the recent tactical and strategic missiles, the
book provides a wide survey of the development and use of
artillery, with the entries conveniently placed into categories for
easy reference. Each artillery piece featured is illustrated by a
full-colour artwork and accompanied by a detailed specifications
table giving the country of origin and technical details of the
weapon, including where appropriate the calibre, elevation, muzzle
velocity, traverse and range, all measurements being provided in
imperial and metric. Each entry also contains a piece of text
summarizing the weapon's development and service history. Presented
in a handy, pocket-book size, arranged by type and with 300 colour
illustrations, Modern Artillery is an authoritative and accessible
reference work, which will appeal to anyone with an interest in
military technology.
A new history and analysis of the German and Soviet tank forces
that battled on eastern German soil in the final months of World
War II. The final months of World War II on the Eastern Front saw
the Wehrmacht fighting with exhausted armoured divisions, albeit
now armed with the most advanced and heaviest tanks of the war, to
slow the Soviet advance. The Red Army meanwhile was rolling
relentlessly westwards, with its own highly developed tank forces
now equipped with T34/85s and the huge IS-2 heavy tanks, intent on
taking Berlin and as much German territory as possible. This book
is a history and analysis of the state of these two mighty armoured
forces, as their battles decided the fate of Germany. It covers
their initial encounters on the German frontier in 1944 (East
Prussia), the fighting of the Oder-Vistula offensive in January
1945 and describes the condition of the German tank forces and
their Hungarian allies as they were beaten back. It also considers
the huge impact of The Red Army and other significant Allied forces
such as those from Poland, Czechoslovakia and Romania on the
outcome of victory in the war.
A study of the little-known career of Germany's Panther, perhaps
the greatest tank of World War II, in foreign hands both during and
after the war. The Panther was arguably the most successful medium
tank design of World War II, demonstrated by the number of
Germany's enemies that used them after, and even during the war.
While some were used by the Western Allies, the Russians used the
greatest number of captured Panthers against Nazi Germany, though
they did not find much favour thanks to their mechanical
unreliability and difficulty in acquiring spare parts. After the
war, they were mostly passed on to satellite states such as
Bulgaria and Romania. The French army also used them in significant
numbers after the war with approximately 50 in service from 1946 to
1950, and they were a significant influence on future French tank
design. Using detailed artwork and contemporary photographs, this
fascinating book tells the little-known story of the Panther tank
in foreign hands in World War II and beyond.
This study of firearms analyzes the employment of such weaponry,
dated more than 40 years after use in Europe, towards the close of
the 1360s.
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