The British Army since 2000

The British Army since 2000 PDF Author: James Tanner
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1782005943
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 66

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Book Description
In the past decade and a half the unique requirements of dual wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have radically altered the appearance and capabilities of the British Army's infantry soldiers. Gone are the tactics uniforms and equipment of the Cold War, replaced by an elite fighting force, skilled in counterinsurgency operations and warfare in both urban and rural environments. Fully illustrated and written by an insider, this engaging book traces the major transformations in British Army doctrine, organisation, structures, units, uniforms and equipment, from the end of the Cold War in the 1990s up to today, revealing how despite being a small force in global terms, the British Army continues to be able to punch above its weight.

The British Army since 2000

The British Army since 2000 PDF Author: James Tanner
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1782005943
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 66

Get Book Here

Book Description
In the past decade and a half the unique requirements of dual wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have radically altered the appearance and capabilities of the British Army's infantry soldiers. Gone are the tactics uniforms and equipment of the Cold War, replaced by an elite fighting force, skilled in counterinsurgency operations and warfare in both urban and rural environments. Fully illustrated and written by an insider, this engaging book traces the major transformations in British Army doctrine, organisation, structures, units, uniforms and equipment, from the end of the Cold War in the 1990s up to today, revealing how despite being a small force in global terms, the British Army continues to be able to punch above its weight.

The Changing of the Guard

The Changing of the Guard PDF Author: Simon Akam
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781913348489
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :

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Book Description
A revelatory, explosive new analysis of the military today. Over the first two decades of the twenty-first century, Britain has changed enormously. During this time, the British Army fought two campaigns, in Iraq and Afghanistan, at considerable financial and human cost. Yet neither war achieved its objectives. This book questions why, and provides challenging but necessary answers. Composed of assiduous documentary research, field reportage, and hundreds of interviews with many soldiers and officers who served, as well as the politicians who directed them, the allies who accompanied them, and the family members who loved and -- on occasion -- lost them, it is a strikingly rich, nuanced portrait of one of our pivotal national institutions in a time of great stress. Award-winning journalist Simon Akam, who spent a year in the army when he was 18, returned a decade later to see how the institution had changed. His book examines the relevance of the armed forces today -- their social, economic, political, and cultural role. This is as much a book about Britain, and about the politics of failure, as it is about the military.

The British Army since 2000

The British Army since 2000 PDF Author: James Tanner
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1782005951
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 152

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Book Description
In the past decade and a half the unique requirements of dual wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have radically altered the appearance and capabilities of the British Army's infantry soldiers. Gone are the tactics uniforms and equipment of the Cold War, replaced by an elite fighting force, skilled in counterinsurgency operations and warfare in both urban and rural environments. Fully illustrated and written by an insider, this engaging book traces the major transformations in British Army doctrine, organisation, structures, units, uniforms and equipment, from the end of the Cold War in the 1990s up to today, revealing how despite being a small force in global terms, the British Army continues to be able to punch above its weight.

Military Identities

Military Identities PDF Author: David French
Publisher: OUP Oxford
ISBN: 0191531561
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 412

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Book Description
The regimental system has been the foundation of the British army for three hundred years. This iconoclastic study shows how it was refashioned in the late nineteenth century, and how it was subsequently and repeatedly reinvented to suit the changing roles that were forced upon the army. Based upon a combination of official papers, private papers and personal reminiscences, and upon research in the National Archives, regimental museums and collections, and other depositories, this book challenges the assumptions of both the exponents and detractors of the system. The author, David French, shows that there was not one, but several, regimental systems and he demonstrates that localised recruiting was usually a failure. Many regiments were never able to draw more than a small proportion of their recruits from their own districts. He shows that regimental loyalties were not a primordial force; regimental authorities had to create them and in the late nineteenth century they manufactured new traditions with gusto, whilst in both World Wars regimental postings quickly broke down and regiments had to take recruits from wherever they could find them. French also argues that the notion that the British army was bad at fighting big battles because the regimental system created a parochial military culture is facile. This is the first book to strip away the myths that have been deliberately manufactured to justify or to condemn the regimental system and to uncover the reality beneath them. It thus illuminates our understanding of the past while simultaneously throwing glaring new light on the still continuing debate over the place of the regimental system in the modern army today.

The British Army, Manpower, and Society Into the Twenty-first Century

The British Army, Manpower, and Society Into the Twenty-first Century PDF Author: Hew Strachan
Publisher: Psychology Press
ISBN: 9780714650050
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 296

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Book Description
These essays set the relationship between the Army and society in the context of the 20th century as a whole. They then consider the key areas of current controversy - the pressure on the Army caused by changes in society, the Army's "right to be different", race, homosexuality and gender.

A British Profession of Arms

A British Profession of Arms PDF Author: Ian F. W. Beckett
Publisher: University of Oklahoma Press
ISBN: 0806162023
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 369

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Book Description
“You offer yourself to be slain,” General Sir John Hackett once observed, remarking on the military profession. “This is the essence of being a soldier.” For this reason as much as any other, the British army has invariably been seen as standing apart from other professions—and sometimes from society as a whole. A British Profession of Arms effectively counters this view. In this definitive study of the late Victorian army, distinguished scholar Ian F. W. Beckett finds that the British soldier, like any other professional, was motivated by considerations of material reward and career advancement. Within the context of debates about both the evolution of Victorian professions and the nature of military professionalism, Beckett considers the late Victorian officer corps as a case study for weighing distinctions between the British soldier and his civilian counterparts. Beckett examines the role of personality, politics, and patronage in the selection and promotion of officers. He looks, too, at the internal and external influences that extended from the press and public opinion to the rivalry of the so-called rings of adherents of major figures such as Garnet Wolseley and Frederick Roberts. In particular, he considers these processes at play in high command in the Second Afghan War (1878–81), the Anglo-Zulu War (1879), and the South African War (1899–1902). Based on more than thirty years of research into surviving official, semiofficial, and private correspondence, Beckett’s work offers an intimate and occasionally amusing picture of what might affect an officer’s career: wealth, wives, and family status; promotion boards and strategic preferences; performance in the field and diplomatic outcomes. It is a remarkable depiction of the British profession of arms, unparalleled in breadth, depth, and detail.

Military Training in the British Army, 1940-1944

Military Training in the British Army, 1940-1944 PDF Author: Dr Timothy Harrison Place
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1135266492
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 244

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Book Description
In this study, the author traces the reasons for the British Army's tactical weakness in Normany to flaws in its training in Britain. The armour suffered from failures of experience. Disagreements between General Montgomery and the War Office exacerbated matters.

A Military History of Britain

A Military History of Britain PDF Author: Jeremy Black
Publisher: Praeger
ISBN:
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 216

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Book Description
Starting his account at a time when Britain was poised to rule the world's oceans—and much of its land as well—prolific historian Jeremy Black details the nation's involvement in global affairs from the late-18th century to the present. A Military History of Britain is an account of military structures and cultures, and relevant socio-political contexts, as well as of conflicts. As in all of his writing, Black seeks to challenge conventional assumptions and offer illuminating new perspectives. Black begins by setting the background to British military history, in particular the anti-(large) army ideology, the maritime tradition, and the growing geo-political rivalry with France. After the defeat of the French in North America, Britain would become the world's leading maritime power. The 19th Century would see tension between Britain and the new United States, France, Germany, and an increasing emphasis on imperial conquests. Organized in three parts: Britain as Imperial Parent; Britain as Imperial Rival; and Britain as Imperial Partner. A primary focus of this account will be the 20th century, examining Britain and World War I (including Britain as a world power and issues of imperial overstretch) and World War II (and the subsequent wars of Imperial Retention in Malaya, Kenya, and Cyprus). As in all of his writing, Black seeks to challenge conventional assumptions, and offer illuminating new perspectives. Black details the involvement of Britain in global affairs up to the present. Recent issues of continuing importance include Britain as a nuclear power, the end of the East of Suez policy, NATO membership; out-of-area conflict (from the Falklands to Iraq), and the adjustment to new global roles. This wide-ranging and broadly-based account is designed for students and for the general reader.

"The Army Isn't All Work"

Author: James D. Campbell
Publisher: Ashgate Publishing, Ltd.
ISBN: 1409436969
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 337

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Book Description
This book documents the origins and development of formal physical training in the late Victorian Army and the ways in which the Army's gymnastic training evolved into a vital building block of the process of turning a civilian into a fighting man. It also assesses the nature and extent of British military sport, particularly regimental sports, during this period of evolution for the Army.

Big Wars and Small Wars

Big Wars and Small Wars PDF Author: Hew Strachan
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1134233280
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 200

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Book Description
This is a fascinating new insight into the British army and its evolution through both large and small scale conflicts. To prepare for future wars, armies derive lessons from past wars. However, some armies are defeated because they learnt the wrong lessons, fighting new conflicts in ways appropriate to the last. For the British Army in the twentieth century, the challenge has been particularly great. It has never had the luxury of emerging from one major European war with the time to prepare itself for the next. The leading military historians show how ongoing commitments to a range of ‘small wars’ have always been part of the Army’s experience. After 1902 and after 1918 they included colonial campaigns, but they also developed into what we would now call counter-insurgency operations, and these became the norm between 1945 and 1969. During the height of the Cold War, in 1982, the Army was deployed to the Falklands. Since 1990 the dominant tasks of the Army have been peace support operations. This is an excellent resource for all students and scholars of military history, politics and international relations and British history.