Operation Enduring Freedom Afghanistan has been the longest war in American history. Even after the drawdown of NATO/ISAF forces it has cast a shadow over Afghanistan's future and highlighted the U.S. failure to gradually wind down the conflict. Today, the resurgent Taliban hold more Afghan territory than before, the civilian toll is at a record high and Afghan military casualties are rising. From sanctuaries in Pakistan and from the Afghan areas they hold, the Taliban are carrying out increasingly daring attacks, including in the capital Kabul. In declaring war in Afghanistan,in 2001, after the world's worst terrorist attack in modern history, U.S. President George W. Bush had the sympathy and support of the world. Yet before he could accomplish his war objectives in Afghanistan, he invaded and occupied Iraq. The course of the war, in Afghanistan, is explained in great detail in this book. The changes of strategies, force levels and the circumstances which brought them about bear description as the U.S. searched for a viable strategy. President Barack Obama thought that he could end the war simply by declaring it over and by making the Afghan people responsible for their own security. The role of Pakistan in this conflict also merits a detailed explanation. The continuing conflict poses a threat to regional peace. This book will be of interest to military professionals as well as the lay reader. It describes an important era of the history of South Asia.

This book was complied as a gift of motivation for you. Keep it on your desk so that you can refer to it often. The collected quotations, sayings, aphorisms, maxims, and epigrams contained within these pages have been specifically selected for their value to the military professional. This book tells you a lot about the military profession, and about what it means to be a leader in the military. It is an anthology from people who have understood that very well and written about it over the ages. Included within its pages are passages that are thousands of years old, extolling the eternal truths of soldiering, and some from people who are living today. There is much in it that is helpful and inspiring, and probably some things with which you will disagree as well. Reading it will cause passages and phrases to echo in your mind and create a resonance that has been a talisman for many in the profession of arms. The quotes show up one unalterable verity of the military profession. Many of the problems faced by military men centuries ago are exactly the same as those faced by soldiers, sailors and airmen today. The Quotes cover a great variety ranging from leadership to behavior on the battlefield, or directly related to sustaining forces in battle. They reflect the complex world of the military profession. Like their predecessors military commanders of today require physical courage, but just as important, and much more difficult, is moral courage. The Quotes includes examples of individuals who placed their careers on the line in defence of a greater principle, but there are just as many examples of individuals who failed the test. Indeed, examples of what not to do are sometimes the more important.

Panipat has been the cockpit of Indian history for nearly four centuries. The fate of India was decided three times in fiercely contested battles in the area around Panipat. However, an objective study of the battles- from a military standpoint- is conspicuous by its absence. It has been downplayed by the historical context of the battles, which have gained significance. In this book, the three battles fought at Panipat will be analyzed from a military perspective. 14 January 2011 will be the 250th anniversary of the Third Battle of Panipat. The word 'Panipat' has entered the Indian strategic lexicon as a failure to do anything until the enemy has reached your doorstep. The Indian leadership ostensibly suffers from the Panipat ' Syndrome' even today. Even in this age of rapid technological change, the history of previous combat is relevant. It serves to provide a platform to judge effects of new weapons or methodologies, and affords an insight into the performance of leaders. This book explains that, while modern warfare has changed, the nature of war fighting and the principles according to which all wars are fought, are enduring. It also analyzes the reasons why Panipat had been a battleground through the course of Indian history. The Battles are graphically represented, through maps and sketches, in order to afford the reader a more dynamic picture of their conduct. The book also includes three disquisitions on "Elephants in Battle"; "Cannons in the Indian Medieval Period"; and "The Theory of Battle".

On 8 August 2008, what started as a provoked assault by Georgia against the separatist regime of South Ossetia quickly developed into a short armed conflict between Russia and Georgia. The Georgians had miscalculated when they attacked South Ossetia's capital, Tskhinvali, while Russia took the conflict to another level by bombing and invading Georgia proper. The five-day military conflict challenged the geopolitical setting of the Caucasus region. The complex and multifaceted nature of this conflict has important implications for regional and international power politics. The decisive military move by Russia was the first of its kind, beyond Russian borders, since the Afghan war of the 1970's and 1980's. The war apparently served to restore Moscow's control over the geopolitically crucial region of the South Caucasus, which is enormously important for Europe since it enables the transportation of Caspian oil to the West. However, it also raised critical questions over the tension between Russian identity and other ethnic groups living in the Caucasus region; nationalistic rhetoric within the domestic politics of Russia and Georgia; the role of the United States in the region where important allies are expecting NATO membership; and finally, the image of Russia as a resurgent Great Power. This book discusses what motivated Russia and Georgia to believe that a war was necessary to meet their national interests and how critical was the influence of domestic politics in making those decisions? It also covers the history and geography of Georgia and analyses the military aspects, including cyber warfare, of the short war in great detail.