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

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Goodspeed, Michael.

Series:

Studies in military history and international affairs.

Studies in military history and international affairs

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

United States. Army--History--Vietnam War, 1961-1975.

United States.

Israel. Tseva haganah le-Yiśraʼel--History--Arab-Israeli conflict.

Israel.

Great Britain. Army--History--20th century.

Great Britain.

Military art and science--History--20th century.

Military art and science.

Vietnam War, 1961-1975.

Arab-Israeli conflict.

Northern Ireland--History--1968-1998.

Northern Ireland.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (226 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Distribution:

London : Bloomsbury Publishing, 2024

Place of Publication:

Westport, Conn. : Praeger, 2002.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

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.

Contents:

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

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

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.

Notes:

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

Includes bibliographical references (p. [203]-210) and index.

ISBN:

9798216034971

9780313070082

0313070083

OCLC:

179157154