Your unit has been airlifted into the Middle East, and now you must defend Wadi Al Sirree against the might of an advancing enemy force . The scenario is realistic and supported by maps, photos and appendices with detailed specifications of hardware and units involved. Recent events in Somalia and Bosnia have shown the profound limitations of massive firepower in limited conflicts. Yet these are precisely the kinds of wars America is most likely to encounter in the future. Now, Robert H. Scales, Jr. examines this problem by analysing the role of firepower in the wars in Indochina , the Gulf War , and elsewhere.
Scales provides the world with a fascinating study of man's recent relationship to technology.
I enjoyed the book and wrote many things in the margins. Not dry or technical, this book weaves the moral aspect of war with the effects of artillery, naval and air-delivered munitions in a manner which would be clear to both the civilian and military professional. His discussion on Iraq, for instance, opens with a dramatic story from an Iraqi artillery leader about his experience at the receiving end of American firepower . My only disappointment is that his discussion of the Iraq war focuses on the U.S. Army and Air Force and to a point that almost discredits the contributions of the U.S. Marine Corps and Navy and the Coalition. Nonetheless, a worthwhile expenditure and a fine book to keep on the shelf.