Weapons and equipment Books

Book SynopsisThis book explores in practical detail many of the ways, old and new, in which people can shoot bullets by their own force, without the aid of explosives.

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Book SynopsisAirpower is credited with success in Afghanistan, Desert Storm, and Serbia, but in Vietnam all of America's aerial might could not defeat a vastly outnumbered Third World force on bicycles. With a panoramic sweep and shocking frankness unrivaled in the current literature, Ken Werrell, one of today's most experienced airpower historians, reveals the true extent of the technological evolution that fueled this transformation. Chasing the Silver Bullet traces in unprecedented detail the evolution of the Air Force's entire inventory since the Korean War, from the ill-fated F-105 fighter-bomber to the F-117 stealth fighter, but one of its chief contributions is its analysis of the strategies and doctrine that fashioned the hardware.Werrell's exhaustive research and sage analysis challenge the Air Force's mantra that precision-guided munitions delivered from long-range, stealthy aircraft are America's true war heroes. Desert Storm gave us the wrong impression about airpower technology and Werrell corrects that mistake with this landmark study, rendering superficial all other books about Desert Storm and current capabilities.Objective, even-handed, and unimpressed with the bells and whistles of new technology, Werrell understands how airpower works.

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Book SynopsisSand, Planes and Submarines: How Leighton Buzzard shortened the First World War

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Book SynopsisDuring the 1930s the popular press were carrying stories of a death ray that could disable aircraft, and it became such a popular notion that an investigation was carried out by a government scientist, Robert Watson-Watt. His discovery was that it was not that electro-magnetic waves could interfere with aircraft, but that aircraft could interfere with radio transmissions. The strategic importance of this was appreciated and a secret establishment was set up to develop a means of using radio transmissions to detect the approach of enemy aircraft the birth of radar. As World War II broke out Ian Goult joined this elite group of scientists aged only sixteen as a lab assistant, working on GEE, a navigational aid allowing accurate location of targets. Its success allowed Bomber command to effectively navigate as far as the Ruhr.In Secret Location, Goult describes taking part in work on radar and microwave techniques that gave Britain supremacy in the air, and greatly improved submarine detection during the Battle of the Atlantic, saving thousands of tons of materiel and many lives. Told in an engaging style, this book offers a unique insight in those men whose achievements during the war have been underappreciated, but whose efforts were a key factor in the Allied victory. Postwar, Ian Goult was closely involved in the development of ground proximity warning systems and and the very first ATOL.

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Book SynopsisHow much can you really find out about the Weapons of the First World War in five minutes? This handy little history book will surpass all your expectations and leave you well versed on all you wish to know, and maybe even a little bit more…What was the deadliest weapon?

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Book SynopsisBattlefield Forensics for Persian Gulf States provides an illustrative reference of various weapons, toolmarks, headstamps, and other traits in order to identify the origins of a variety of guns, casings, and ammunition that can be found in the Middle East. Various conflicts in the region have led to innumerable weapons being used throughout the years. The lead author, Don Mikko, has investigated and examined firearms related items of evidence in countless crime scenes throughout the world. As the Chief of the Firearms Branch at the United States Army Criminal Investigation Laboratory (USACIL), Fort Gillem, Georgia, he recruited, trained, and competency tested military contractors deploying to various combat related areas of the world, those providing forensic firearm and toolmark identification support to local commanders. What was learned was that various foreign weapons and ammunition were being utilized in conflicts and by opposing forces. This book educates readers on the technical data for different types of firearms, ammunition, countries of origin, proof marks, penetrator information and the typical firearm markings imparted on fired cartridge cases, such as breech-face, firing pin, ejector, and extractor markings. Forensics and biometrics within the Persian Gulf have been leveraged since the early 1990s and many of the firearms and types of ammunition covered in this handbook are addressed in an effort to assist those on the ground who are required to be able to identify such items in various scenarios. The information contained within the book has proven to be effective on the battlefield and has helped shape combat operations. This handbook will serve as a useful reference not only to assist military and contractor personnel within the various combat locations but will also prove to be beneficial for law-enforcement, crime laboratory personnel, forensic firearm and toolmark examiners, crime scene investigators, students, practitioners, and civilian personnel throughout the world. Table of Contents1. Opposing Forces Weapons Persian Gulf/Middle East 2. Foreign and U.S. Weapons Review 3. Weapons Proofmarks, Selector Marks 4. Armor-Piercing Penetrators in Persian Gulf/Middle East 5. Headstamps

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Book SynopsisThe violent use of armed, unmanned aircraft ('drones') is increasing worldwide, but uncertainty persists about the moral status of remote-control killing and why it should be restrained.

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Book SynopsisThis book explores the origins, development, combat use and lasting influence of Nazi Germany’s automatic rifles, focusing on the Gew 41(W), Gew 43/Kar 43, FG 42 and MP 43/StG 44. The Blitzkrieg campaigns of 1939–40 convinced many observers that most infantry combat took place at closer ranges than the 750–1,000m. From 1941 Germany’s arms designers took note and produced a new series of infantry firearms. This study not only provides a detailed technical description of each weapon, but also explores how the firearms performed on the battlefields of World War II. The combat takes us from the FG 42 in the hands of Fallschirmjäger at Monte Cassino through to StG 44s being used by Waffen-SS soldiers on both the Eastern and Western Fronts. Postwar service is also studied, such as the Gew 43’s adoption by the Czech Army and the StG 44’s use by the Viet Cong in the Vietnam War. Setting each firearm in its tactical and historical context, and employing striking photographs and full-colour artwork, firearms expert Chris McNab sets out the absorbing story of this distinctive and influential series of weapons.Table of ContentsIntroduction /Development /Use /Impact /Select Bibliography /Index

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Book SynopsisWarrior Geeks examines how technology is transforming the way we think about and fight war, taking three major changes that are driving this process: cybernetic technologies that are folding soldiers into a cybernetic system that will allow the military to read their thoughts and emotions and mould them accordingly; the coexistence of men and robots in the battle-spaces of tomorrow; and the extent to which we may be able to re-engineer warriors through pharmacological manipulation. By referring back to the Greeks who defined the contours of war for us, Coker shows how we are in danger of losing touch with our humanity - the name we give not only to a species but the virtues we deem it to embody. The journey from Greeks to Geeks may be a painful one. War can only be rendered more humane if we stay in touch with the ancestors, yet unfortunately we are planning to subcontract our ethical choices to machines. In revaluing technology, are we devaluing our humanity, or the post-human condition, changing our subjectivity and thus the existential dimension of war by changing our relationship with technology both functionally and performatively?Trade Review'A fascinating historical and philosophical tour of modern warfare. - The chief concern outlined by Coker is that the ingenuity driving military science is spiralling out of control. The 'geeks' are creating technologies - designer drugs, robotics and neural devices - that, ultimately, he feels, will dehumanize us.' * Nature *'This book offers a good exercise for readers who wish to be challenged on their thinking about the nature of warfare - yesterday, today and tomorrow.' * ARMY *'This is a brilliant book about a rather nightmarish topic, i.e., how technology now enables us to become post-humans ... It is not only a very important book but also a deeply disconcerting one.' * The US Army War College Quarterly *'To describe a Coker book as an intellectual tour de force is perhaps the most anodyne observation a reviewer can make; of course it would be, and of course this one is, too. This latest offering is a rich synthesis of ideas and intellectual trajectories drawn from the annals of literature, philosophy, history, and science, and transmitted in a language that speaks as much to pop culture sensibilities as it does to the more esoteric and often impenetrable nooks and crannies of academe.' * Michael Innes, Current Intelligence *'The Age of Martial Robotics is upon us and no one has captured the impending revolution in warfare with its accompanying moral dilemmas more incisively or eloquently than Christopher Coker. Warrior Geeks, his latest work on the subject of posthuman warfare, brilliantly exposes the divide between traditional Western military ethos and the inevitable rise of machine-based combat. An exceptional book.' * Everett Dolman, Professor of Military Strategy, USAF School of Advanced Air and Space Studies *'There are few writers who can do what Christopher Coker has accomplished in Warrior Geeks, which takes the reader on a journey that connects everything from Socrates to Oliver Stone movies to the latest in warfare and digital technologies. His work is always substantive, and sometimes even lyrical.' * Peter Singer, Senior Fellow and Director, 21st Century Defense Initiative, The Brookings Institution, and author of Wired for War: The Robotics Revolution and Conflict in the 21st Century *

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Book SynopsisThis book examines Western military technological innovation through the lens of developments in small arms during the twentieth century. These weapons have existed for centuries, appear to have matured only incrementally and might seem unlikely technologies for investigating the trajectory of military-technical change. Their relative simplicity, however, makes it easy to use them to map patterns of innovation within the military- industrial complex. Advanced technologies may have captured the military imagination, offering the possibility of clean and decisive outcomes, but it is the low technologies of the infantryman that can help us develop an appreciation for the dynamics of military-technical change. Tracing the path of innovation from battlefield to back office, and from industry to alliance partner, Ford develops insights into the way that small arms are socially constructed. He thereby exposes the mechanics of power across the military- industrial complex. This in turn reveals that shifting power relations between soldiers and scientists, bureaucrats and engineers, have allowed the private sector to exploit infantry status anxiety and shape soldier weapon preferences. Ford's analysis allows us to draw wider conclusions about how military innovation works and what social factorsTrade Review'Ford demonstrates an impressive ability to bring together the engineering of small arms with the meanings attached to guns and with the competitive marketing efforts of the makers to explain how and why countries develop particular weapons. This melding of disciplines not only provides keen insights into the evolution of small arms but makes a major contribution to our understanding of the dynamics of military innovation. Altogether, it makes for a fascinating book.' * Stephen Saideman, Paterson Chair in International Affairs, Norman Paterson School of International Affairs, Carleton University *'Matthew Ford makes the case for placing small arms at the centre of how we think about contemporary security challenges. He rightly argues that "Guns aren't just weapons; they are also status symbols." By looking at small arms development in this way, Ford opens up a much broader analysis of power relations within the military and with its industrial partners. He sheds new light on NATO's emerging defence industrial policy, the relationship between battlefield tactics and bureaucratic politics, and the impact of commercial factors on civil-military relations. Weapon of Choice is an essential addition to the literature on technology and war.' * Huw Bennett, Reader in International Relations, Cardiff University *'A deep yet accessible critical analysis of the byzantine world of military procurement and the real driving forces behind it. Readers will no doubt be surprised to discover, despite the billions spent on solicitation, trial, evaluation and issue, just how much politics, individual preference, and even prevailing fashions influence the weapons that actually end up in the hands of soldiers.' * Jonathan Ferguson, Curator of Firearms, Royal Armouries Museum *'A wide-ranging, ground-breaking book that brilliantly fuses discussion of small arms technology with the history of culture and ideas.' * Daniel Todman, Senior Lecturer, Department of History, Queen Mary University of London *'Getting away from primitive monocausal explanations and simplistic models, Matthew Ford draws on multiple theoretical explanations to explain the complex and interactive process of military innovation and defence procurement which shifts over time and space. Compellingly written and persuasively argued, this book will be a central point of reference.' * Beatrice Heuser, Chair of International Relations, University of Reading *'In Weapon of Choice, Matthew Ford deftly shows us the multiplicity of perspectives, choices and influences that have shaped the historical development of small arms. His work makes an important contribution to the exciting, and growing, intersection of critical security studies and science and technology studies.' * Brian Balmer, Professor in Science Policy Studies, University College London *'A lucidly written story of how powerful organisational and industrial interests, shaping and sometimes twisting analysis for their own purposes, prevailed in fielding military rifles ill-suited to the needs of modern combat. Ford's cautionary tale should make us sceptical of the strident claims of effectiveness attached to weapons much more complex and expensive than small-arms.' * Thomas L. McNaugher, Senior Visiting Professor, Georgetown University, and author of New Weapons Old Politics *Matthew Ford is a lecturer in Inter--national Relations at the University of Sussex. He has a PhD in War Studies from King's College London and is an Honorary Historical Consultant to the Royal Armouries, a former West Point fellow and a founding editor of the British Journal for Military History.

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Book SynopsisPresenting a conversation among leading scholars in the areas of international legal standards, counter-terrorism strategy, humanitarian law, and the ethics of force, this book takes an account of American drone campaigns and the developing legal, ethical, and strategic implications of way of warfare.Trade Review"While the peak of drone usage may have passed, we will be evaluating and reevaluating the legality, justice, and utility of the drone war for decades. Cortright, Fairhurst, and Wall provide an important contribution to the broader discussion on drone warfare. Readers with an interest in political affairs and the use of force will find this book fascinating, and those studying international relations and international law will also find much to like." (Robert M. Farley, University of Kentucky)

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Book SynopsisAn eye-opening examination of the ties between American gun culture and white male supremacy from the American Revolution to today. One-third of American adultsapproximately 86 million peopleown firearms. This is not just for protection or hunting. Although many associate gun-centric ideology with individualist and libertarian traditions in American political culture, Race, Rights, and Rifles shows that it rests on an equally old but different foundation. Instead, Alexandra Filindra shows that American gun culture can be traced back to the American Revolution when republican notions of civic duty were fused with a belief in white male supremacy and a commitment to maintaining racial and gender hierarchies. Drawing on wide-ranging historical and contemporary evidence, Race, Rights, and Rifles traces how this ideology emerged during the Revolution and became embedded in America's institutions, from state militias to the National Rifle Association (NRA).Utilizing original survey data,Trade Review"This is a deeply informed, persuasive book, offering a compelling overview of how Americans became militarized and how that militarization is increasing....An enlightening, timely study of the evolution of arguments about gun ownership." * Kirkus (starred review) *“Theoretically ambitious, empirically rich, and politically pertinent, Race, Rights and Rifles examines how guns relate to US citizenship. Reconstructing the political history of guns in the US and dissecting its ongoing impact on the present-day, Race, Rights and Rifles shows how ascriptive republicanism transforms the right to self-defense—a basic human impulse for survival—into a rallying point for political polarization and a justification for an investment in illiberal democracy.” -- Jennifer Dawn Carlson | author of "Merchants of the Right: Gun Sellers and the Crisis of American Democracy"“Why are gun killings in the United States an everyday occurrence? Race, Rights, and Rifles blends intellectual and political history, an eye-opening account of the National Rifle Association (NRA), and contemporary public opinion data to provide compelling answers. Alexandra Filindra shows that the American Revolution fused white male gun ownership with ideals of republican civic virtue in ways that the NRA has long championed. Consequentially, this has led a shocking number of Americans to believe that they have a fundamental right to engage in vigilante violence—like invading the Capitol or shooting a Black teenager who mistakenly knocks on the wrong door.” -- Rogers Smith | University of PennsylvaniaTable of ContentsList of Abbreviations Introduction Part One: Historical Foundations Chapter 1 Republican Ideology in Early America Chapter 2 An Exclusive Vision of Virtue and Citizenship Chapter 3 Militias and the Institutionalization of Ascriptive Republicanism Chapter 4 Cultural Transmission Part Two: The Origins and Worldview of the NRA Chapter 5 The Emergence of the NRA Chapter 6 An Organization of White Men Chapter 7 Political Virtue Chapter 8 Political Corruption Chapter 9 The NRA’s Theory of Democracy Part Three: Ascriptive Republicanism in Contemporary White Public Opinion Chapter 10 Ascriptive Republicanism and White Gun Attitudes Today Chapter 11 From “Stand Your Ground” to “Stand Back and Stand By” Conclusion Democratic Stability in Peril Acknowledgments Notes Index

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Trade ReviewIt is hardly going too far to say that Lincoln the president cannot be properly understood without some acquaintanceship with this aspect of his character. And it is not going in the least too far to add that Bruce has assembled his material with care, industry, and intelligence and has written a book of deep and surpassing interest and appeal." -- Civil War Book Club Review

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Book SynopsisA new edition of a classic: the first complete picture of the public-health approach to gun violenceTrade ReviewHemenway has written an accessible and compelling research brief that places the burden of proof squarely on the shoulders of those opposed to the policy reforms he discusses. . . . One does not have to endorse his interpretation of the current research literature to agree that improved surveillance of unintentional firearm injuries, suicides, and homicides would help determine whether the lives saved and injuries averted are worth the monetary and symbolic costs of stricter gun control."" - Journal of the American Medical Association "". . . a detailed, sober account of the effect of guns on society. . . . [Hemenway] compares the public health problems created by firearms with those of tobacco and alcohol . . . [and] calls for a public health approach to firearms that ‘is not about banning guns but is about creating policies that will prevent violence and injuries.'"" - John Langone, New York Times

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Book SynopsisBased on original and previously unavailable documents, Yuri Kostenko’s account of the negotiations surrounding the Budapest Memorandum agreement between Ukraine, Russia, and the US reveals for the first time the internal debates of the Ukrainian government, as well as the pressure exerted upon it by its international partners.Trade ReviewA really, really interesting story, almost unknown in the West…Nuclear weapons were Ukraine’s security, and they gave it up because the US and Russia were working together…What has happened to Ukraine since it was disarmed has and will have a negative impact on the global story of denuclearization. Countries are going to think twice next time someone comes along proposing to give them a piece of paper in exchange for their nuclear weapons. -- Serhii Plokhy * Five Books *An interesting and timely document that will be of great interest not only to Ukraine scholars but also to the scholars of national security and global nuclear politics. -- Eglė Rindzevičiūtė * Slavic Review *An absorbing read, providing historical insights on the demise of the Soviet Union, the emergence of independent Ukraine, the management of its relations with Moscow and the West, and challenges and pitfalls of diplomacy from a position of weakness. It contains important lessons for the management of today’s proliferation challenges in North East Asia and the Middle East. -- John Tilemann * Australian Outlook *A story of David (new-born Ukraine) versus Goliath (Russia), with a fierce domestic debate in the political sphere in Ukraine—less so in the societal sphere—between actors with different beliefs and interests…Crucial in light of the current happenings, already at the beginning of the 1990s one could discern indications that it was extremely important to Russia that Ukraine would remain within its sphere of influence. -- Tom Sauer * Canadian Slavonic Papers *Revealing…Drawing on the parliamentary and executive government portfolios that Kostenko held during the 1990s, the book lays out a picture of the intense domestic and international political struggles that prompted Kiev to give up the bomb that some Ukrainians today wistfully believe could have deterred Russia from gobbling up Crimea while fomenting separatism in the country’s east. -- Bennett Ramberg * Political Science Quarterly *Yuri Kostenko has written a superb book explaining why Ukraine gave up its nuclear weapons in the mid-1990s, leaving itself without a deterrent against Russia. He shows in fascinating detail that pressure from Moscow and Washington left Ukraine with little choice but to surrender its nuclear arsenal. Kostenko directly ties that fateful decision to the war that broke out between Russia and Ukraine in 2014, in which Ukraine was largely defenseless and the United States, which had promised to defend Ukraine’s sovereignty, sat on the sidelines. The implicit message of Ukraine’s Nuclear Disarmament is clear: there is no substitute for a nuclear deterrent when you live in a dangerous neighborhood. -- John J. Mearsheimer, R. Wendell Harrison Distinguished Service Professor of Political Science, University of Chicago, and author of Great Delusion: Liberal Dreams and International RealitiesYuri Kostenko’s rich, cogent, and well-sourced insider account of Ukraine giving up the world’s third largest nuclear arsenal in the 1990s shows how power asymmetries and state-building affect international political outcomes in nontrivial and counterintuitive ways—with the security dilemma engendering hasty unilateral disarmament; costly commitments demanded from weaker rather than stronger states; and democratic peace falling short of its promises even with the endorsement of the world’s most powerful democracies. A must-read for students of international politics, the book explains how authoritarian adversaries can leverage America’s security concerns of the day to subvert fledgling democracies and why support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and integration with the West is in America’s vital long-term national interest. -- Mikhail Alexseev, Professor in the Department of Political Science, San Diego State University, and author of Without Warning: Threat Assessment, Intelligence, and Global StruggleUkraine’s Nuclear Disarmament is the definitive account of the fateful decision to unilaterally dismantle the world’s third largest nuclear arsenal. Yuri Kostenko was the consummate insider, with privileged access to the actors and arguments that led to a decision whose legacy continues to haunt Ukraine’s future. Not only does he produce a wealth of new material, some previously classified; he disposes of the myth that the opponents of this decision wished to maintain Ukraine’s nuclear status. Until now, the straw man of ‘nuclear-armed Ukraine’ has impeded critical thought about whether more could have been done to ensure ‘effective disarmament.’ Kostenko’s detailed and engrossing account will enlighten and disquiet in equal measure. -- James Sherr, Senior Fellow, Estonian Foreign Policy Institute at the International Centre for Defence and Security, and Associate Fellow, Chatham House Russia and Eurasia ProgrammeEven readers who believe that Ukraine never had a realistic chance—technically or politically—of emerging as a full-fledged nuclear weapons state in the 1990s will find Yuri Kostenko’s book extremely illuminating. Having served as Ukraine’s minister of environmental protection and a member of the Ukrainian parliament during the protracted debates on the nuclear issue, Kostenko provides a richly detailed insider’s account that underscores the importance of political divisions within Ukraine in shaping the outcome. These divisions, he contends, gave greater leverage to external actors and prevented Ukraine from pursuing the kind of deal he favored: a deal that would have given Ukraine more robust security guarantees and greater financial compensation in exchange for relinquishing all the nuclear missiles left on its territory after the demise of the Soviet Union. -- Mark Kramer, Director of Cold War Studies, Harvard University

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Book SynopsisFor forty years during the Cold War, Canada garrisoned troops and tanks near the Iron Curtain. In the late 1960s, Pierre Trudeau announced plans to remove these tanks and focus on home defence, but allies resisted this decision. After six years of overt and subtle pressures, Trudeau was at last convinced that Canadian tanks in Europe were necessary to support foreign policy objectives, and the Leopard tanks, purchased in 1976, symbolized an increased Canadian commitment to NATO.Drawing on interviews and records from Canada, NATO, the US, and Germany, The Price of Alliance tells the story of the purchase, balancing high politics with military requirements in the first major reappraisal of Trudeau's defence policy. Frank Maas illuminates the problem of defence policymaking in a multi-country alliance as well as the opportunities and difficulties of defence procurement. At the same time, he challenges the relevance of NATO to Canada and the influence that Canada wieldsTrade ReviewThis is a solid work based on extensive research. There is much new material presented that historians will want to access. It is also well-written for the general reader and underscores the fact that the light/heavy debate continues into the present given recent controversies over yet another Leopard tank and the associated Close Combat Vehicle -- Dr. Peter Kasurak * CDA Institue Website *Table of ContentsIntroduction1 The 1964 White Paper on Defence: Responding to a New Strategic Context2 The Traditionalists at Work: Renegotiating NATO Commitments in 19673 Trudeau Takes the Reins: The Triumph of the Revisionists4 The Summer of 1969: Consultations with Allies5 The Revisionists Assert Control: Defence in the 70s6 The Scorpion and the Centurion: The Nadir of the Civil Military Crisis7 Tanks, Trade, and Strategy: Trudeau Relents8 “From a Beetle to a Porsche”: The Purchase of the LeopardConclusionNotesBibliographyIndex

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Book SynopsisHall details the efforts of armorers across Europe as they experimented with a variety of gunpowder recipes and gunsmithing techniques, and he examines the integration of new weapons into the existing structure of European warfare.Trade ReviewHall has long been recognized as a leading authority on early modern military technology. Scholars of the period and historians in general will find this the best treatment to date of the impact of gunpowder on Western Europe during the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. History: Reviews of New Books Combines a good grasp of military history with an understanding of the history of technology... Hall manages to integrate his technical discussion into a refreshing reinterpretation of general military history in the period, and his book is an engrossing read. American Historical Review

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Book SynopsisTrust, but Verify uses trustwith its emotional and predictive aspectsto explore international relations in the second half of the Cold War, beginning with the late 1960s. The détente of the 1970s led to the development of some limited trust between the United States and the Soviet Union, which lessened international tensions and enabled advances in areas such as arms control. However, it also created uncertainty in other areas, especially on the part of smaller states that depended on their alliance leaders for protection. The contributors to this volume look at how the emotional side of the conflict affected the dynamics of various Cold War relations: between the superpowers, within the two ideological blocs, and inside individual countries on the margins of the EastWest confrontation.Trade Review"This book offers an insightful explanation for one of the great puzzles of recent history: how the Cold War, a seemingly indestructible international regime, came to an end. And it will also make waves because the essays take seriously the mission of relating the political, economic, and cultural factors to emotions history."—Frank Costigliola, University of Connecticut"In an abundance of 'trust talk' in international relations, finally a scholarly analysis of how and why trust really matters: how it facilitated cooperation, enabled risk-taking, and helped to establish confidence-building politics, under the highly unlikely auspices of the Cold War."—Ute Frevert, Max-Planck-Institute for Human Development

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Book SynopsisA delineation, in words and pictures, of aspects of the attire and equipment of the United States cavalry, representing the culmination of more than 20 years of research. The author analyzes the bits and pieces of gear with which the horse soldier of the period was equipped and clothed.

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Book SynopsisThe third volume of a four-volume work (volumes 1 and 2 covered the period from revolutionary days to the Indian Wars). Here, the author addresses the period of the cavalry's decisive conquest of the Indians and the securing of the western frontier, "Teddy Roosevelt's boys" and more.

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Book SynopsisBattlefield archaeologist Daniel Sivilich provides readers with the tools and techniques to unlock the stories of small shot in this book, the first definitive guide to identifying musket balls, from the oldest formed to those fired in the early nineteenth century.Trade ReviewDaniel M. Sivilich's Musket Ball and Small Shot Identification: A Guideis the result of twenty-eight years of research and collaboration. The Guide is an essential reference for any archaeologist studying eighteenth-century battlefields."" - Garry Wheeler Stone, historian (retired) for Monmouth Battlefield State Park""This well-illustrated text takes round-ball research into a new region - explanatory research - by linking shot to weaponry, military tactics, and time periods, and shows how to apply it to battlefield archaeology. Bridging the gap between seventeenth-century European round-ball research and American Civil War studies, it is an essential reference for beginning students and experienced researchers alike."" - Lawrence E. Babits, coeditor of The Archaeology of French and Indian War Frontier Forts

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Book SynopsisLethal autonomous weapons are weapon systems that can select and destroy targets without intervention by a human operator. Fighting Machines explores the relationship between lethal autonomous weapons (LAWS), the concept of human dignity, and international law. Much of this analysis speaks to three fundamental and related problems: When a LAWS takes a human life, is that killing a violation of human dignity? Can states and non-state actors use LAWS in accordance with international law? And are there certain responsibilities of human decision-making during wartime that we should not delegate to machines?In the book, Dan Saxon argues that the use of LAWS to take human life constitutes a violation of human dignity. Rather than concentrating on the victims of the use of lethal force, Saxon instead focuses on the technology and relevant legal principles and rules to advance several propositions. First, as LAWS operate at increasingly greater speeds, their use will undermine Trade ReviewLethal autonomous weapons systems – ‘killer robots’ — are no longer the stuff of science fiction. Their champions argue that taking targeting decisions out of the hands of fallible humans will save lives in wartime. In this powerful and rigorously reasoned critique, legal expert Dan Saxon warns that very soon the speed and complexity of the weapons will make it impossible to keep human decision makers in the loop. The result is a disastrous loss of responsibility – and responsibility lies at the heart of war fighters’ human dignity and capacity for empathy. This is the best book I know on the law and morality of autonomous weapons systems. * David Luban, Georgetown University Law Center *Essential reading for anyone seeking to understand the moral and legal challenges posed by the use of lethal autonomous weapons. Saxon adeptly traverses multiple bodies of law to examine how such weapons will erode moral agency, human dignity, and international law. * Sarah Knuckey, Columbia Law School *

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Book SynopsisTable of ContentsList of FiguresIllustrationsIntroductionPart I. The Cold War MIC, 1950-1991Chapter 1. Defining the ComplexChapter 2. Civil-Military RelationsChapter 3. State and IndustryChapter 4. Among Government AgenciesChapter 5. The Scientific-Technical CommunityChapter 6. Society and TechnologyChapter 7. International Arms TradePart II. Since the Cold War, 1991-2020Chapter 8. New World OrderChapter 9. War on TerrorChapter 10. A Peer RivalConclusionGlossaryNotesIndex

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