Throughout the world, countries are obliged to make great sacrifices in order to raise the vast sums of money needed to secure their defence. But both the sacrifice and the money will be wasted unless properly prepared and qualified commanders are available to direct military operations in the event of war breaking out.

Many books have been written which attempt to deduce the qualities required of contemporary generals by studying the performance of the great captains of history. By contrast, in "Directing Operations," first published in 1989, Kitson works out the qualities needed by studying the tasks that would be likely to confront commanders of the day. He goes on to discuss how traditional methods of producing senior officers, which may have been suited to the needs of the massed armies of the first half of the twentieth century, should be adapted to fit the demands of the modern world.

Kitson's writings continue to be widely read and provoke strong opinions, and the ideas contained in "Directing Operations" remain highly relevant to the armies of all developed countries.

"Bunch of Five" is General Sir Frank Kitson's military autobiography. In it this expert in counter insurgency describes his experiences in Kenya 1953-55, Malaya 1957, Muscat and Oman 1958, as well as his peacekeeping activities during two stints in Cyprus, 1963-64 and 1967-68. He wanted to write about Northern Ireland also but at the time of first publication that was too sensitive. Instead, in keeping with the title, he wrote a fifth part summarizing his conclusions in all the zones he had fought in. This fifth part was used by the United States army for a long time on its own

"Bunch of Five" has been out of print for many years with second-hand copies commanding high prices. This reissue will be welcomed.

Low Intensity Operations is an important, controversial and prophetic book that has had a major influence on the conduct of modern warfare. First published in 1971, it was the result of an academic year Frank Kitson spent at University College, Oxford, under the auspices of the Ministry of Defence, to write a paper on the way in which the army should be prepared to deal with future insurgency and peacekeeping operations.

In his foreword, General Sir Michael Carver wrote with percipience 'The necessity for the integration of intelligence and operations is his most important lesson and the one least appreciated by the conventional soldier. Frank Kitson's great virtue is that his above all a realist, in spite of being both an idealist and enthusiast. The reader will not finding these pages a purely academic theoretical exercise. He will, however, find something stimulating and original suggestions about the tasks which confront the Army in the field of ''low intensity operations'' and about the methods which should be used both to prepare for and execute them.'

For too long unavailable in the U. K. this ground-breaking work is as pertinent now as it was when first published; one only has to think of Afghanistan and Iraq to appreciate the sad truth of that.

'To understand the nature of revolutionary warfare, one cannot do better than read "Low Intensity Operations" . . . The author has had unrivalled experience of such operations in many parts of the world.' "Daily Telegraph"

'A highly practical analysis of subversion, insurgency and peacekeeping operations . . . Frank Kitson's book is not merely timely but important.' "The Economist"