Lessons of Modern War Vol. 4

In this new volume of the acclaimed "Lessons of Modern War” series, military analysts Cordesman and Wagner have produced what must be considered the definitive study of the Gulf War. The authors draw careful conclusions based on extensive research from a wide variety of sources, including newly declassified documents; official military reports, interviews; field research in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and southern Iraq; and Anthony Cordesman’s own firsthand observations of the unfolding battle.The book examines in unprecedented detail the efforts of all the members of the coalition, not just the United States. The authors are careful to distinguish between the general lessons about warfare that can be drawn from the Gulf War and those that are unique to this conflict. The many lessons presented in this book cover the whole range of political, strategic, tactical, technical, and human elements of this conflict. The authors’ analysis is based on the dynamic interaction of all of these factors. The central lesson is that this highly complex web of human and technological developments has resulted in a new "military revolution” of profound significance for the history of modern war. The Gulf War explodes many myths and is essential reading for anyone concerned about the new, but still dangerous, world in which we live.