Military engineering Books
C Hurst & Co Publishers Ltd Deciphering Sun Tzu: How to Read the Art of War
Book SynopsisAs the People's Republic's seemingly inexorable rise to economic and military power con-tinues, never has the need for a better grasp of Chinese strategic thought by the West been more acute. In Deciphering Sun Tzu, Derek Yuen seeks to reclaim for the reader the hidden contours and lost Chinese and Taoist con- texts of Sun Tzu's renowned treatise The Art of War, a literary classic and arguably one of the most influential books ever written. He also explains its historical, philosophical, strategic, and cross-cultural significance. His comprehensive analysis of Sun Tzu, based on close reading of the Chinese sources, also reconstructs the philosophy, Taoist methodology and worldview that effectively form the cornerstones of Chinese strategic thinking, which are arguably as relevant today as at any moment in history. Yuen's innovative reading and analysis of Sun Tzu within and from a Chinese context is a new way of approaching the strategic mas- ter's main concepts, which he compares with those of Clausewitz, Liddell-Hart and other Western strategists.Deciphering Sun Tzu offers illuminating analysis and contextualisation of The Art of War in a manner that has long been sought by Western readers and opens new means of getting to grips with Chinese strategic thought.Trade Review'Deciphering Sun Tzu is by far the best book on the subject in years. ... Yuen argues that the only way to read Sun Tzu is to understand the philosophical, historical, and cultural context behind The Art of War. ... Yuen's work reveals that Sun Tzu's treatise needs to be seen in the context of statecraft as a broader cultural artifact rather than in the narrower context of war or strategy'. -- Rob Johnson, Director of the Changing Character of War Programme, Oxford University, in The American Interest'Yuen puts Sun Tzu in context, identifying his debts to Chinese philosophy (particularly Taoism), providing historical background, guiding the reader through the key themes in his work, explaining common interpretations of it, and detailing its reception in the West. Yuen presents Sun Tzu's view of strategic thought as holistic and nonlinear. This is not a book for the faint-hearted or for those skeptical about Sun Tzu's approach to strategy. But anyone who wishes to understand Sun Tzu should not ignore it.' -- Lawrence Freedman, Foreign Affairs'Taking the oldest and most enigmatic of military texts Derek Yuen boldly confronts questions of philosophy and strategic culture as no other contemporary interpreter of Sun Tzu has done before. In a quite extraordinary work of erudition he demonstrates both the continuing significance of The Art of War in Chinese thinking and why our continuing misreading of the text is proving so damaging to our understanding of Chinese thinking.' -- Christopher Coker, Professor of International Relations, London School of Economics and Political Science, and author of The Improbable War: China, the US and the Logic of Great Power Conflict'Derek Yuen has produced a fascinating re-interpretation of Sun Tzu. He casts a wide philosophical-cultural net in his quest to capture the essence of this timeless Chinese classic of strategy.' -- Andrew Scobell, Senior Political Scientist, RAND Corporation and author of China's Use of Military Force: Beyond the Great Wall and the Long March'Derek Yuen's exciting new book takes Sun Tzu studies to a new level. It goes beyond the existing translations of and commentaries on this canonical text to deploy its underlying, unique logic as it evolved through Daoist philosophy to serve as a foundation for developing a more comprehensive theory of strategic thought. It is a bold and profoundly philosophical attempt to rise above the familiar rationalisations of this antique text to register its seminal contribution to the holistic nature of Chinese thinking in its broadest sense.' -- Roger T. Ames, Professor of Philosophy, Center for Chinese Studies, University of Hawaii'Reading Deciphering Sun Tzu: How to Read the Art of War by Derek Yuen is very much a light bulb moment for commentators on Western strategic thought.' -- LSE Review of Books
£27.00
C Hurst & Co Publishers Ltd Conceptualising Modern War
Book SynopsisSince the end of the Cold War, scholars, military historians and analysts have struggled to agree a workable definition of contemporary warfare with reference to the conflicts that have erupted since 1989, whether in the former Yugoslavia, Iraq or Afghanistan, to name only a few. Among the many attempts to hit the right conceptual note are asymmetrical war, 'Fourth' Generation War' and, perhaps the most influential of all, 'New Wars'. In addition to these attempts to define war, the West's military establishments, with the Pentagon in the vanguard, have worked hard to map out new strategic and tactical concepts in order to try to win these wars. Two of the more influential from recent years are Network-Centric Warfare (NCW) and Effects-Based Operations (EBO). The contributors contend that very few of these terms and concepts are particularly useful when it comes to defining war or to creating a winning strategy. On that basis it is easy to ridicule every one of these terms and concepts, but the aim of the contributors to this book -- who include Hew Strachan, David Kilcullen, Steven Metz, Helen Dexter and Ian Beckett -- is instead to search for meaning where meaning can be found. Can these terms and concepts tell us something about the development of war and how wars can be won?Trade Review'I recommend this book to professional and student alike. The collection of essays gives an excellent description and explanation of the many terms used to categorize our recent military endeavours. In doing so the concepts behind the choice of categories are exposed, which reveals much about our approach to warfare.' * General Sir Rupert Smith, KCB DSO OBE QGM, author, The Utility of Force: The Art of War in the Modern World *'War, Clausewitz's chameleon, constantly changes its colours or outward manifestation, while retaining its essence. We are witnessing a colour shift, as this volume shows brilliantly, but it is more subtle and complex than commonly alleged. With trenchant critiques of key concepts like asymmetry and generations of warfare, this carefully researched collection weeds out much of the nonsense and half-digested ideas found elsewhere. The well-judged summary critiques of recently fashionable concepts such as Effects-Based Operations, Network-Centric Warfare, and Transformation should be set texts for students. An outstanding and timely evaluation of strategy debates since the end of the Cold War.' * Beatrice Heuser, Professor of International Relations, University of Reading, author of The Evolution of Strategy and of The Strategy Makers - from Machiavelli to Clausewitz *
£31.50
C Hurst & Co Publishers Ltd A Great Perhaps?: Colombia: Conflict and Convergence
Book SynopsisNo country has managed as rapid and positive a turnaround in governance and security conditions this century than Colombia. In 1999, rebels of the FARC and ELN were, literally, at the gates of Bogota, Colombian known more for rapacious corruption, weak government, drug smuggling and criminality, a country synonymous with the antics of Pablo Escobar. Fifteen years later the guerrillas and the government are at the peace table in Havana, the economy has been a top performer in Latin America, and drugs are no longer the pervasive scourge they once were. To date, however, there has been no comprehensive examination of the different elements employed by government to combat the guerrillas, to win local and international political and military support, extend government authority to the 75 percent of the countryside where it was seldom felt, and to turn the Colombian economy into a success resembling the high-growth examples of Southeast Asia. How the Colombians did all of this is the subject of this book by four international specialists with untrammelled policy and practical expertise in counter-insurgency campaigns in Colombia and elsewhere, bringing a unique comparative perspective. Based on field-work in Colombia's regions, the study provides a history to the conflict, compares it to other historical and contemporary case-studies, examines the war from the perspective of the government and the guerrilla, delves into the development of special Colombian capabilities notably in intelligence and the use of airpower and special forces, and explains the economic dimension in terms both of historical exclusion and ongoing attempts at growth and inclusion. Finally, it concludes with an assessment on the country's prospects: can the combination of improved security, a flourishing economy and the peace process offer an opportunity to finally translate Colombia from, in Gabriel Garcia Marquez's words, 'a great perhaps' into something more permanent?Trade ReviewThis book not only explains the steps the Colombian government has taken in its search for peace and prosperity, but highlights the areas where international co-operation can extend this model and its success. ... I recommend it to all engaged in what I see as the responsibility of my generation: ending conflict, ensuring stability and promoting development. -- Olusegun Obasanjo, former President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria'A Great Perhaps?' explains the drivers behind the success of Colombia's recent transformation: better governance and improved security. By illustrating the importance of local ownership of both the problem and the solution, and the role to be played by foreign partners, this volume is a handbook for those countries intent on dealing with problems of insecurity and violence. -- General Richard Myers (rtd), former Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of StaffColombia is a valuable analogue for those African and other countries engaged in the struggle to extend governance while meeting the often linked threats of criminality and political insurgency. 'A Great Perhaps?' makes a unique contribution to explaining this hitherto relatively unknown campaign. It should be read widely, not least since it shows what is possible with dollops of leadership, application, vision, organisation and energy. -- President Uhuru Kenyatta, KenyaColombia's dramatic improvement reminds one of the time, commitment and understanding required to fight insurgencies successfully--all things so many failed to understand properly in the case of Iraq and Afghanistan. 'A Great Perhaps?' highlights how such a turnaround has been achieved. It represents a serious contribution to the study of complex insurgencies and deserves to be widely read. -- Lord David Richards of Herstmonceux, former UK Chief of Defence StaffAs we tackle development challenges in Africa there is much to learn from the experience of other regions. In explaining Colombia's progress this century, 'A Great Perhaps?' details a route for many others. We don't have to reinvent the policy wheel; we should read this book. -- Donald Kaberuka, President: African Development BankTo understand how centuries-old grievances can burst into violence, and the ways to resolve violent conflict while preserving the ethical foundation of democracy, I encourage everyone interested in guerrilla warfare in the modern world to read and savour this book, and to ponder its implications. -- Ambassador Juan-Carlos Pinzon, former Minister of Defence, ColombiaCombining organised crime, the drugs industry, and an ideologically driven insurgency, Colombia provides an important window into the future of armed conflict. This volume provides a fascinating account of this war and explains how the government have brought the guerrillas to peace talks. An essential read. -- Professor Theo Farrell, Head of the Department of War Studies: King's College LondonFifteen years ago, revolutionary guerrillas threatened at the gates of Bogota. Today they are at the peace table. 'A Great Perhaps?' explains the path of war and the route to peace. It should be read by all those interested in understanding and undoing complex insurgencies. -- General Ved Malik (rtd), former Chief of Army Staff, IndiaThis timely book clearly explains how with the right resources and strategies, a country can turn its security problems around. As set out in this insightful study, Colombia's experience provides useful lessons for those nations faced with insurgencies: a country that in the late 1990s was on the verge of a failed state was able to change for the better. -- Dr Anthony Bergin, Deputy Director: Australian Strategic Policy InstituteFrom my own experience, Colombia's simultaneous transitions from war to peace and poverty to prosperity contain many good lessons for others. One especially important conclusion is that if Africa wants to successfully fight terrorism, it needs strong states and a shared commitment among national institutions to do so. 'A Great Perhaps?' captures perfectly the strategic lessons and tactical insights of this unsung though exceptionally noteworthy campaign. -- Pierre Buyoya, former president of Burundi; African Union special envoy to MaliLike Kenya, Colombia has faced a complex insurgency, fuelled by a combination of criminality, weak governance, social and economic exclusion, and porous borders. Colombia has managed these threats through strong leadership, international partnerships, buoyant economic growth, sound intelligence, and effective security forces. But more than anything, 'A Great Perhaps?' shows, refreshingly, that the difference between success and failure is down to local leadership. In this regard, for Kenya, the devolution of power and resources is key. -- Raila Odinga, leader of the opposition and former prime minister, KenyaColombia shows, among many valuable lessons, how to have a good crisis. Africans, and others, should learn from this stand-out book in applying leadership and better policy to solve fundamental problems. -- Branko Brkic, Editor * The Daily Maverick *
£36.00
C Hurst & Co Publishers Ltd Rebooting Clausewitz: 'On War' in the
Book SynopsisRebooting Clausewitz offers an entirely new take on the work of history's greatest theorist of war. Written for an undergraduate readership that often struggles with Clausewitz's master work On War--a book that is often considered too philosophical and impenetrably dense--it seeks to unpack some of Clausewitz's key insights on theory and strategy. In three fictional interludes Clausewitz attends a seminar at West Point; debates the War on Terror at a Washington think tank; and visits a Robotics Institute in Santa Fe where he discusses how scientists are reshaping the future of war. Three separate essays situate Clausewitz in the context of his times, discuss his understanding of the culture of war, and the extent to which two other giants--Thucydides and Sun Tzu--complement his work. Some years ago the philosopher W.B. Gallie argued that Clausewitz needed to be 'saved from the Clausewitzians'. Clausewitz doesn't need saving and his commentators have contributed a great deal to our understanding of On War's seminal status as a text. But too often they tend to conduct a conversation between themselves. This book is an attempt to let a wider audience into the conversation.Trade Review'Christopher Coker answers the question of Clausewitz's relevance to the twenty-first Century by imagining the great master justifying his theories to modern audiences. His approach is engaging, illuminating and a bit mischievous. * Sir Lawrence Freedman, Emeritus Professor of War Studies, King's College London, author of Strategy: A History *'Is Clausewitz still relevant for the twenty first century? In this bravura and scintillatingly written study, Christopher Coker argues for a powerful yes. Mixing acute analysis and thought provoking imagined dialogues and fictional recreations of Clausewitz's discussion with his friends, Coker has produced a gem of a book, illuminating brilliantly for the twenty first century the originality and genius of both Clausewitz and On War.' * Nicholas Rengger, Professor of Political Theory and International Relations, University of St Andrews *'An evocative and entertaining excursion that reveals not only what Coker thinks about Clausewitz, but also what he thinks about several of the leading institutions that help shape strategic thinking in the US and UK today.' * Antulio J. Echevarria II, Elihu Root Chair of Military Studies, US Army War College *'Arguing about Clausewitz remains a vital exercise in thinking about conflict. Coker's study will help students grasp his main concepts, and to argue afresh over the Prussian's ideas, life and legacy, and the conflicting ways to interpret his work. Clausewitz's mind was restless and argumentative, and Coker imagines him intervening in the debates of our time. Coker, like Bassford, Herberg-Rothe, Paret and Strachan helps bring Clausewitz back from stale doctrinal arguments, as a source of wisdom in times of war.' * Patrick Porter, Professor of Strategic Studies, University of Exeter, and author of The Global Village Myth: Distance, War and the Limits of Power *
£18.99
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC The Press Gang: Naval Impressment and its opponents in Georgian Britain
Book SynopsisNicholas Rogers' book gives the reader a detailed and illuminating insight into the world and ways of the press gang. The press gang, and its forcible recruitment of sailors to man the Royal Navy in times of war, acquired notoriety for depriving men of their liberty and carrying them away to a harsh life at sea, sometimes for years at a time. Nicholas Rogers explains exactly how the press gang worked, whom it was aimed at and how successful it was in achieving its ends. He also shows the limits to its operations and the press gang's need for cooperation from local authorities, who were by no means prepared to support it. Written by an expert in the social history of eighteenth-century Britain, it is both well-researched and highly readable.Trade Review"The Press Gang was a pleasure to read. Rogers has done his research, consulting a variety of primary sources including Admiralty records, numerous newspapers of the period and pamphlets. He places the press gang and community resistance to their activities in a new light, and challenges the prevailing historiography of British naval history by bringing this story to light. By examining the violent practices of the Navy, and the British government's support of them, Rogers has transcended the prevailing heroic interpretation of naval history." -Donald H. Parkerson, Nautical Research Journal, Vol. 54, June 2009"Detailed and illuminating insight into the world and ways of the press gang" Bookseller Buyers GuideMention -Book News, February 2009"The great strength of this book is Roger's ability to link impressment, which only a small demographic can define and discuss, to larger social issues...Rogers has done much to illuminate the ways in which human agency constrained the expansion of coercive, government-sponsored military conscription throughout much of the British Atlantic World. He is to be applauded for refusing to yield the human spirit to ubiquitous structural forces associated with legal, political, and military institutions such as impressment." -Christopher P. Magra, The Northern Mariner/Le Marin du Nord, 2009"[Rogers] should be commended for his efforts. This volume reads easily and makes a major contribution to the literature on civil-naval relations." -Keith Mercer, International Journal of Maritime History, Vol. 21, 2009Table of ContentsIntroduction; Impressment and the Law; Resisting the Press gang: Trends, Patterns, Dynamics; Spotlight on Two Ports: Bristol and Liverpool; Manning the Navy in the Mid-century Atlantic; The Navy and the Nation, 1793-1820; Epilogue.
£123.50
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Kingtiger Heavy Tank 1942–45
Book SynopsisAs World War II entered its later stages and Germany was forced increasingly onto the defensive, the need for fast-moving mobile forces lessened and the Wehrmacht required better protected and more powerfully armed tanks. After debacles against the T-34, Hitler and the Panzerwaffe were determined not to be unprepared again. The result of this determination was the production of the heaviest and largest tank to see combat during World War II, the Tiger II or Konigstiger (Kingtiger). This title examines this formidable weapon, covering the problems and controversies surrounding its design and production as well as a detailed listing of every unit that was equipped with the Tiger II.Table of ContentsDesign and Development · Official Designations · Firepower · Mobility · Battlefield Survivability · Operational History
£11.69
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Tiger 1 Heavy Tank 1942–45
Book SynopsisProbably the most famous tank of the World War II, the Tiger I was originally conceived in 1941 in response to the German Army's experience in fighting British tanks and anti-tank guns in Western Europe and the North African desert. Following the invasion of Russia, the appearance of the Soviet T-34 and KW tanks lent a further impetus to the programme. The Tiger's power and performance on the battlefield is emphasised by tables of relevant performance throughout the book, which clearly show the battlefield survivability of the Tiger and its superiority to many allied tank designs. This comprehensive and extremely detailed text is accompanied by a fine selection of black and white photographs showing the tank in use.Table of ContentsIntroduction · Design and Development · Production History · Production Modifications · Firepower · Mobility · Battlefield Survivability · Operational History ·
£12.34
Books Express Publishing The Psychology of Intelligence Analysis
Book SynopsisThis volume pulls together and republishes, with some editing, updating, and additions, articles written during 1978-86 for internal use within the CIA Directorate of Intelligence. The information is relatively timeless and still relevant to the never-ending quest for better analysis.The articles are based on reviewing cognitive psychology literature concerning how people process information to make judgments on incomplete and ambiguous information. Richard Heur has selected the experiments and findings that seem most relevant to intelligence analysis and most in need of communication to intelligence analysts. He then translates the technical reports into language that intelligence analysts can understand and interpreted the relevance of these findings to the problems intelligence analysts face.
£14.73
Books Express Publishing U.S. Navy Diving Manual (Revision 6, April 2008)
£103.96
Books Express Publishing Ranger Handbook: The Official U.S. Army Ranger Handbook SH21-76, Revised August 2010
£12.79
Books Express Publishing Bridge Inspection, Maintenance, and Repair: The Official U.S. Army Technical Manual TM 5-600, U.S. Air Force Joint Pamphlet AFJAPAM 32-108
£12.95
Helion & Company A Vital Endeavour: Mlitary Engineering in the
Book Synopsis
£29.75
Shilka Publishing Weapons and Equipment of the Warsaw Pact, Volume
Book Synopsis
£37.99
Red Quill Books Destroy, Build, Secure: Readings on Pacification
Book Synopsis
£21.71
Suzeteo Enterprises The Art of War
£11.40
Periscope Film LLC TM 9-775 Landing Vehicle Tracked, LVT MK. I and MK. II Technical Manual
£22.46
£14.20
Periscope Film LLC TM 9-252 Bofors 40-mm Automatic Gun M1 (AA) and 40-mm Antiaircraft Gun Carriages: M2 and M2A1 Technical Manual
£19.71
Periscope Film LLC FM 17-74 M26 Pershing Medium Tank Crew Drill, Service of the Piece and Stowage: Field Manual
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Periscope Film LLC TM 10-396 War Dogs Technical Manual
£11.44
Periscope Film LLC 155-mm Assault Gun M53 and 8-inch Howitzer M55,
Book Synopsis
£11.00
Periscope Film LLC Tank and Tank Destroyer Gunnery Field Manual: FM 23-100
£15.20
Periscope Film LLC TM 9-785 High Speed Tractor M-4 Technical Manual
£20.06
PSI The Art of War
£11.49
Periscope Film LLC Automatic Pistol Caliber .45 M1911 and M1911A1 Field Manual: FM 23-35
£12.00
Periscope Film LLC U.S. Carbine, Caliber .30, M1 Field Manual: FM 23-7
£12.00
Periscope Film LLC Tank 90-MM Gun M48 Field Manual: FM 17-79
£11.40
Periscope Film LLC Portable Flame Thrower M2-2: TM 3-376a
£12.00
Periscope Film LLC Tanks, 76-MM Gun M41 and M41A1 Walker Bulldog: FM
Book Synopsis
£12.00
Periscope Film LLC Submachine Guns Caliber .45 M3 and M3A1: FM 23-41
£11.40
Periscope Film LLC U.S. Rifle, Caliber .30 M1917 Enfield: FM 23-6
£11.40
Periscope Film LLC Ordnance Maintenance 2 1/2 Ton 6x6 Truck Technical Manual: TM 9-1819AC and TO 19-75CAJ-4
£22.46
£11.40
RAND Alternative Paths to Korean Unification
Book Synopsis
£12.74
RAND Chinese Disinformation Efforts on Social Media
Book SynopsisGiven rising tensions between the United States and China, understanding how the People?s Liberation Army thinks about the use of disinformation campaigns on social media has emerged as an important question. The authors of this report identify key Chinese practices and the supporting infrastructure and conditions that such campaigns require to be successful, concluding that China is using Taiwan as a test bed for developing attack vectors.
£22.79
Rutgers University Press Unmanning: How Humans, Machines and Media Perform
Book SynopsisUnmanning studies the conditions that create unmanned platforms in the United States through a genealogy of experimental, pilotless planes flown between 1936 and 1992. Characteristics often attributed to the drone—including machine-like control, enmity and remoteness—are achieved by displacements between humans and machines that shape a mediated theater of war. Rather than primarily treating the drone as a result of the war on terror, this book examines contemporary targeted killing through a series of failed experiments to develop unmanned flight in the twentieth century. The human, machine and media parts of drone aircraft are organized to make an ostensibly not human framework for war that disavows its political underpinnings as technological advance. These experiments are tied to histories of global control, cybernetics, racism and colonialism. Drone crashes and failures call attention to the significance of human action in making technopolitics that comes to be opposed to “man” and the paradoxes at their basis. Trade Review"This book makes a much-needed intervention into the popular discourses that surround drone warfare today. Drawing on extensive archival research, Unmanning offers detailed histories that deconstruct the most persistent mythologies of air war in general and automated and distance weaponry in particular to offer completely new perspectives on one of the most significant technological trends in contemporary warfare." -- Caren Kaplan * author of Aerial Aftermaths: Wartime from Above *"In Unmanning, Katherine Chandler offers a compelling history of the drone that complicates and deepens our understanding of what is at stake in the performative rhetoric that fuels the automation of US military air power. This book is an invaluable resource for everyone concerned with the erasures of human agencies that enable claims for technical autonomy in contemporary warfighting." -- Lucy Suchman * author of Human-Machine Reconfigurations *"Drone theory tends to replicate the god’s eye view enjoyed by its object. Katherine Fehr Chandler bucks this trend, grounding her new theory of 'unmanned' aerial vehicles in their wayward and failure-ridden history as human–machine–media assemblages. The effacement of that history, Chandler argues, is what allowed drones to assume their current role: as sleek, agential means for disavowing both the responsibility of their wielders and the humanity of their targets. Unmanning is a timely and fascinating book." -- Paul K. Saint-Amour * author of Tense Future: Modernism, Total War, Encyclopedic Form *"As the iconographic technologies of drone warfare become history and more secretive, varied, and autonomous technologies take their place, critically examining the long history of failure that led to the unmanning of war is an urgent task that Chandler’s book meets head-on and with an accuracy and efficacy that her objects of analysis fell far short of achieving." * Cultural Studies *"While focused primarily on drone warfare, Chandler’s book – in its investigations into failure, human/machine relations, and threat production – points perhaps also to ways of thinking about how politics is denied and disavowed in other techniques of state violence like policing." * Security and Dialogue *"Unmanning makes a useful contribution by dispelling the illusion of unmanned warfare. Central to this illusion are the 'politics of disavowal.' The very term 'unmanned' is a disavowal, or an attempted negation, that separates the human, machine, and media components of drone technology. Moreover, it disconnects machine action from political accountability to create a veneer of deniability and non-attribution." * Technology and Culture *"[I]f there is a lesson to be learnt from Chandler’s brilliant book it is that the arc of the drone bends not toward justice, but failure, and contemporary experiments in drone warfare that fail do not so much crash, go haywire, or plummet into the sea. Instead, they maim, kill, and destroy, and disavow these acts as techno-mechanical progress." * Antipode Online *"Chandler’s book both invites the wider geographical deployment of this approach and reminds us that while contemporary drone development and discourse so often appear future-orientated, much can be learned from the platform’s plural histories." * Law, Culture and the Humanities *"This book makes a much-needed intervention into the popular discourses that surround drone warfare today. Drawing on extensive archival research, Unmanning offers detailed histories that deconstruct the most persistent mythologies of air war in general and automated and distance weaponry in particular to offer completely new perspectives on one of the most significant technological trends in contemporary warfare." -- Caren Kaplan * author of Aerial Aftermaths: Wartime from Above *"In Unmanning, Katherine Chandler offers a compelling history of the drone that complicates and deepens our understanding of what is at stake in the performative rhetoric that fuels the automation of US military air power. This book is an invaluable resource for everyone concerned with the erasures of human agencies that enable claims for technical autonomy in contemporary warfighting." -- Lucy Suchman * author of Human-Machine Reconfigurations *"Drone theory tends to replicate the god’s eye view enjoyed by its object. Katherine Fehr Chandler bucks this trend, grounding her new theory of 'unmanned' aerial vehicles in their wayward and failure-ridden history as human–machine–media assemblages. The effacement of that history, Chandler argues, is what allowed drones to assume their current role: as sleek, agential means for disavowing both the responsibility of their wielders and the humanity of their targets. Unmanning is a timely and fascinating book." -- Paul K. Saint-Amour * author of Tense Future: Modernism, Total War, Encyclopedic Form *"As the iconographic technologies of drone warfare become history and more secretive, varied, and autonomous technologies take their place, critically examining the long history of failure that led to the unmanning of war is an urgent task that Chandler’s book meets head-on and with an accuracy and efficacy that her objects of analysis fell far short of achieving." * Cultural Studies *"While focused primarily on drone warfare, Chandler’s book – in its investigations into failure, human/machine relations, and threat production – points perhaps also to ways of thinking about how politics is denied and disavowed in other techniques of state violence like policing." * Security and Dialogue *"Unmanning makes a useful contribution by dispelling the illusion of unmanned warfare. Central to this illusion are the 'politics of disavowal.' The very term 'unmanned' is a disavowal, or an attempted negation, that separates the human, machine, and media components of drone technology. Moreover, it disconnects machine action from political accountability to create a veneer of deniability and non-attribution." * Technology and Culture *"[I]f there is a lesson to be learnt from Chandler’s brilliant book it is that the arc of the drone bends not toward justice, but failure, and contemporary experiments in drone warfare that fail do not so much crash, go haywire, or plummet into the sea. Instead, they maim, kill, and destroy, and disavow these acts as techno-mechanical progress." * Antipode Online *"Chandler’s book both invites the wider geographical deployment of this approach and reminds us that while contemporary drone development and discourse so often appear future-orientated, much can be learned from the platform’s plural histories." * Law, Culture and the Humanities *Table of ContentsContents Introduction 1 DRONE 2 American Kamikaze 3 Unmanning 4 Buffalo Hunter 5 Pioneer Conclusion Nobody’s Perfect Acknowledgments Notes Bibliography Index
£32.30
Rutgers University Press Unmanning: How Humans, Machines and Media Perform
Book SynopsisUnmanning studies the conditions that create unmanned platforms in the United States through a genealogy of experimental, pilotless planes flown between 1936 and 1992. Characteristics often attributed to the drone—including machine-like control, enmity and remoteness—are achieved by displacements between humans and machines that shape a mediated theater of war. Rather than primarily treating the drone as a result of the war on terror, this book examines contemporary targeted killing through a series of failed experiments to develop unmanned flight in the twentieth century. The human, machine and media parts of drone aircraft are organized to make an ostensibly not human framework for war that disavows its political underpinnings as technological advance. These experiments are tied to histories of global control, cybernetics, racism and colonialism. Drone crashes and failures call attention to the significance of human action in making technopolitics that comes to be opposed to “man” and the paradoxes at their basis. Trade Review"This book makes a much-needed intervention into the popular discourses that surround drone warfare today. Drawing on extensive archival research, Unmanning offers detailed histories that deconstruct the most persistent mythologies of air war in general and automated and distance weaponry in particular to offer completely new perspectives on one of the most significant technological trends in contemporary warfare." -- Caren Kaplan * author of Aerial Aftermaths: Wartime from Above *"In Unmanning, Katherine Chandler offers a compelling history of the drone that complicates and deepens our understanding of what is at stake in the performative rhetoric that fuels the automation of US military air power. This book is an invaluable resource for everyone concerned with the erasures of human agencies that enable claims for technical autonomy in contemporary warfighting." -- Lucy Suchman * author of Human-Machine Reconfigurations *"Drone theory tends to replicate the god’s eye view enjoyed by its object. Katherine Fehr Chandler bucks this trend, grounding her new theory of 'unmanned' aerial vehicles in their wayward and failure-ridden history as human–machine–media assemblages. The effacement of that history, Chandler argues, is what allowed drones to assume their current role: as sleek, agential means for disavowing both the responsibility of their wielders and the humanity of their targets. Unmanning is a timely and fascinating book." -- Paul K. Saint-Amour * author of Tense Future: Modernism, Total War, Encyclopedic Form *"As the iconographic technologies of drone warfare become history and more secretive, varied, and autonomous technologies take their place, critically examining the long history of failure that led to the unmanning of war is an urgent task that Chandler’s book meets head-on and with an accuracy and efficacy that her objects of analysis fell far short of achieving." * Cultural Studies *"While focused primarily on drone warfare, Chandler’s book – in its investigations into failure, human/machine relations, and threat production – points perhaps also to ways of thinking about how politics is denied and disavowed in other techniques of state violence like policing." * Security and Dialogue *"Unmanning makes a useful contribution by dispelling the illusion of unmanned warfare. Central to this illusion are the 'politics of disavowal.' The very term 'unmanned' is a disavowal, or an attempted negation, that separates the human, machine, and media components of drone technology. Moreover, it disconnects machine action from political accountability to create a veneer of deniability and non-attribution." * Technology and Culture *"[I]f there is a lesson to be learnt from Chandler’s brilliant book it is that the arc of the drone bends not toward justice, but failure, and contemporary experiments in drone warfare that fail do not so much crash, go haywire, or plummet into the sea. Instead, they maim, kill, and destroy, and disavow these acts as techno-mechanical progress." * Antipode Online *"Chandler’s book both invites the wider geographical deployment of this approach and reminds us that while contemporary drone development and discourse so often appear future-orientated, much can be learned from the platform’s plural histories." * Law, Culture and the Humanities *"This book makes a much-needed intervention into the popular discourses that surround drone warfare today. Drawing on extensive archival research, Unmanning offers detailed histories that deconstruct the most persistent mythologies of air war in general and automated and distance weaponry in particular to offer completely new perspectives on one of the most significant technological trends in contemporary warfare." -- Caren Kaplan * author of Aerial Aftermaths: Wartime from Above *"In Unmanning, Katherine Chandler offers a compelling history of the drone that complicates and deepens our understanding of what is at stake in the performative rhetoric that fuels the automation of US military air power. This book is an invaluable resource for everyone concerned with the erasures of human agencies that enable claims for technical autonomy in contemporary warfighting." -- Lucy Suchman * author of Human-Machine Reconfigurations *"Drone theory tends to replicate the god’s eye view enjoyed by its object. Katherine Fehr Chandler bucks this trend, grounding her new theory of 'unmanned' aerial vehicles in their wayward and failure-ridden history as human–machine–media assemblages. The effacement of that history, Chandler argues, is what allowed drones to assume their current role: as sleek, agential means for disavowing both the responsibility of their wielders and the humanity of their targets. Unmanning is a timely and fascinating book." -- Paul K. Saint-Amour * author of Tense Future: Modernism, Total War, Encyclopedic Form *"As the iconographic technologies of drone warfare become history and more secretive, varied, and autonomous technologies take their place, critically examining the long history of failure that led to the unmanning of war is an urgent task that Chandler’s book meets head-on and with an accuracy and efficacy that her objects of analysis fell far short of achieving." * Cultural Studies *"While focused primarily on drone warfare, Chandler’s book – in its investigations into failure, human/machine relations, and threat production – points perhaps also to ways of thinking about how politics is denied and disavowed in other techniques of state violence like policing." * Security and Dialogue *"Unmanning makes a useful contribution by dispelling the illusion of unmanned warfare. Central to this illusion are the 'politics of disavowal.' The very term 'unmanned' is a disavowal, or an attempted negation, that separates the human, machine, and media components of drone technology. Moreover, it disconnects machine action from political accountability to create a veneer of deniability and non-attribution." * Technology and Culture *"[I]f there is a lesson to be learnt from Chandler’s brilliant book it is that the arc of the drone bends not toward justice, but failure, and contemporary experiments in drone warfare that fail do not so much crash, go haywire, or plummet into the sea. Instead, they maim, kill, and destroy, and disavow these acts as techno-mechanical progress." * Antipode Online *"Chandler’s book both invites the wider geographical deployment of this approach and reminds us that while contemporary drone development and discourse so often appear future-orientated, much can be learned from the platform’s plural histories." * Law, Culture and the Humanities *Table of ContentsContents Introduction 1 DRONE 2 American Kamikaze 3 Unmanning 4 Buffalo Hunter 5 Pioneer Conclusion Nobody’s Perfect Acknowledgments Notes Bibliography Index
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