The Iraq war : a military history

An In-depth Analysis Of The Coalition Invasion Of Iraq, Up To The 2003 Fall Of Baghdad. Drawing On Their Extensive Expertise As Military Historians, The Authors Assess The Opposing Aims Of The Coalition Forces And The Iraqi Regime And Explain The Day-to-day Tactical And Logistical Decisions Of Infantry And Air Command, As British And American Troops Moved Into Basra And Baghdad. They Simultaneously Step Back To Examine Long-running Debates Within The U.s. Defense Department About The Proper Uses Of Military Power And Probe The Strategic Implications Of Those Debates For America's Buildup To This War. Surveying The Immense Changes That Have Occurred In America's Armed Forces Between The Gulf Conflicts Of 1991 And 2003 -- Changes In Doctrine As Well As Weapons -- This Volume Reveals Critical Meanings And Lessons About The New American Way Of War As It Has Unfolded In Iraq. Prologue: The Gulf War, 1991 -- The Origins Of War -- The Opposing Sides -- The Ground Campaign In Southern Iraq -- The British War In The South -- The Air War -- The End Of The Campaign -- Military And Political Implications. Williamson Murray, Robert H. Scales, Jr. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [294]-297) And Index. "The Iraq War puts the recent conflict into context. Drawing on their extensive military expertise, the authors assess the opposing aims of the Coalition forces and the Iraqi regime and explain the day-to-day tactical and logistical decisions of infantry and air command, as British and American troops moved into Basra and Baghdad. They simultaneously step back to examine long-running debates within the U.S. Defense Department about the proper uses of military power and probe the strategic implications of those debates for America's buildup to this war. Surveying the immense changes that have occurred in America's armed forces between the Gulf conflicts of 1991 and 2003 - changes in doctrine as well as weapons - this volume reveals critical meanings and lessons about the new "American way of war" as it has unfolded in Iraq."--Jacket