Command : the twenty-first-century general / Anthony King, University of Warwick.

Author/creator King, Anthony, 1967- author.
Format Book
PublicationCambridge, United Kingdom ; New York, NY, USA : Cambridge University Press, 2019.
Copyright Date©2019
Descriptionxx, 484 pages ; 23 cm
Subjects

Variant title Command : the 21st-century general
Contents Command in the twenty-first century -- The division -- Defining command -- Twentieth-century operations -- Twentieth-century commander -- Leadership -- The counter-insurgents -- Kandahar -- The march up -- The new headquarters -- Distributing command -- The decision point -- The crisis -- The command collective.
Abstract "In the wake of the troubled campaigns in Afghanistan and Iraq, military decision-making appears to be in crisis and generals have been subjected to intense and sustained public criticism. Taking these interventions as a starting point, Anthony King examines the transformation of military command in the twenty-first century. Focusing on the army division, King argues that a phenomenon of collective command is developing. In the twentieth century, generals typically directed and led operations personally, monopolising decision-making. They commanded individualistically, even heroically. As operations have expanded in range and scope, decision-making has multiplied and diversified. As a result command is becoming increasingly professionalised and collaborative. Through interviews with many leading generals and vivid ethnographic analysis of divisional headquarters, this book provides a unique insight into the transformation of command in western armies"-- Provided by publisher.
Abstract "It would be convenient to claim that a book on command exemplified its own subject matter and that this work executed a clear, coherent research plan with military precision. The reality was quite different. Having completed The Combat Soldier in 2012 (to be published the following year), I fully intended to return to the topic of warfare and the armed forces but only after I had completed a long contemplated project on social theory and on the question of social change, in particular"-- Provided by publisher.
Bibliography noteIncludes bibliographical references and index.
Genre/formHistory.
LCCN 2018038867
ISBN9781108476409 hardcover
ISBN1108476406 hardcover
ISBN9781108700276 paperback
ISBN1108700276 paperback

Availability

Library Location Call Number Status Item Actions
Joyner General Stacks UB210 .K49 2019 ✔ Available Place Hold