A Brief History of Modern Warfare

Since Vietnam, both the way we fight and our reasons for going to war have become much more complex.

The importance of a conflict is determined not by its size or by the numbers of combatants involved but by its ripple effects and its influence upon future events. In a series of thrilling recreations of eight of the most significant encounters of the last three decades, military historian Richard Connaughton presents a fascinating insight into modern warfare, including interviews with some of the major figures.
The conflicts include Goose Green in the Falklands, the invasion of Grenada, Operation Desert Storm - the first Iraq War, Operations in Mogadishu as immortalized in the book and film Blackhawk Down, the Siege of Gorazde and Operation Barras in Sierra Leone, as well as more recent events at Fallujah, Iraq, and in Helmand Province, Afghanistan. Richard Connaughton has interviewed most of the major figures involved in each of the conflicts and offers powerful insights into why battles either work or don’t. This book will tell you what warfare means in the contemporary world and how it can affect tomorrow.

"Excellently written." - British Army Review

"Colonel Connaughton's account of the wars of the last quarter of a century is enjoyable, stimulating, sharp, and not least, thought-provoking. The result is a cracker of a book; more than that, let us hope that this powerful and well argued work assists in the disposal of so much casual complacency about how successful military operations are conducted in our distracted and violent world." - Professor Brian Reid, Dept of War Studies, Kings, London

"This book should be read by all political and military chiefs before committing their countries to war." - General Sir Michael Rose

"An accessible study that identifies those constants of warfare which, if followed, hopefully can avoid future fiascos. This is wise advice with contemporary relevance." - Thomas-Durrell Young, Editor, Small Wars & Insurgencies