When reason fails : portraits of armies at war : America, Britain, Israel, and the future / / Michael Goodspeed

• Autore: Goodspeed Michael
• Pubblicazione: Westport, Conn. : , : Praeger, , 2002; London : , : Bloomsbury Publishing, , 2024
• Edizione: 1st ed.
• Descrizione fisica: 1 online resource (226 p.)
• Disciplina: 355/.009/04
• Soggetto topico: Military art and science - History - 20th century; Vietnam War, 1961-1975; Arab-Israeli conflict
• Soggetto geografico: Northern Ireland History 1969-1994
• Note generali: Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph
• Nota di bibliografia: Includes bibliographical references (p. [203]-210) and index.
• Nota di contenuto: Intro -- Acknowledgments and Dedication -- Introduction -- Chapter 1-The American Army in Vietnam -- The American Phase of the Vietnam War -- Strategic Factors -- Geographic Factors -- The Communist Soldier -- The American Soldier -- The Nature of Military Service in Vietnam -- The Reserves and National Will -- The NCO Corps -- The Officer Corps -- Drugs -- A War With No Front Line -- The Media -- Firepower -- Tactics -- Big Battles -- The American Army and Its Vietnamese Allies -- Conclusion -- Chapter 2-The British Army in Northern Ireland -- Background to the Troubles -- The Characters of the Combatants -- The British Army in Ulster -- The Republicans -- The Loyalists -- Chapter 3-The Israeli Army in the Middle East -- People, Geography and Background -- The Origins of Conflict -- The First War and the Emergence of the Israeli Army -- Traditional Israeli Strategic Considerations -- Geography -- Population -- Time and Space -- Civil Military Integration -- The War in 1956 -- The Six-Day War -- Israeli Morale -- Israeli Equipment -- The Arab Armies in 1967 -- Israeli Attitudes to the IDF and the Arabs 1967-1973 -- Israeli Leadership -- Israeli Discipline -- The Israeli Reserve System -- Women in the Israeli Army -- The IDF's Personnel System -- The October War -- Israeli Intelligence -- The Invasion of Lebanon -- The Intifadah -- Conclusion -- Chapter 4-The Future of Armies -- Leadership-The Human Dimension -- Political Leadership of Armies -- Military Leadership in Postmodern Society -- Leadership-The Officer Corps -- Professionalism, Society and the Soldier -- The Soldier, Efficiency and Traditions -- Armies and Modern Values -- Discipline, the Individual and the Group -- Technology -- Firepower -- Mobility -- Communications -- New Tactical Concepts -- Technology, Mass, Time and Space -- Technology and Training -- Organizations. ; Special Forces -- Intelligence -- Administrative Organizations -- Customization of the Administrative System -- Civil-Military Affairs -- Legalism and Warfare -- Armies and the Conflict Spectrum -- Armies and National Temperament -- Notes -- Select Bibliography -- Index -- About the Author.
• Sommario/riassunto: A nation's fighting forces are often believed to embody a country's qualities of determination, resourcefulness, and courage. This study examines the influences of these qualities from the viewpoint of the American Army in Vietnam, the British Army in Northern Ireland, and the Israeli Army throughout its struggle in the Middle East. It is a provocative look at corporate military character--operations, personalities, organizations, administrative policies, training, social factors, technology, strategy, and tactics--all elements that are woven tightly together to explain why national armies perform in the manner that they do. Goodspeed uses these historical case studies as the basis of his analysis, then explores the social, technical, and organizational issues that future armies will likely face. He assesses the future of modern warfare in technical terms in the context of mass, mobility, firepower, and communications. The Duke of Wellington once scoffed, Tell the history of a battle? One might as well describe the history of a ball. This book takes the Iron Duke's advice to heart and seeks to explain modern military victory and defeat in terms of corporate military character, a complex and fragile mosaic, one in which national temperament is only a minor feature. In so doing, it takes on a subject long veiled in myth and invention. The social, political, and technical blueprints for the conduct of wars in the 21st century are already well established. Goodspeed illustrates these patterns by showing how armies have coped in the most influential campaigns of modern times and in this light assesses the key factors driving change for future wars.
• Titolo autorizzato: When reason fails
• ISBN: 9798216034971; 9780313070082; 0313070083
• Formato: Materiale a stampa
• Livello bibliografico: Monografia
• Lingua di pubblicazione: Inglese
• Record Nr.: 9910957037003321
• Lo trovi qui: Univ. Federico II
• Serie: Studies in military history and international affairs.