Rejecting much of the conventional wisdom to what makes up a modern Army, William F. Owen massacres fields of sacred cows to challenge many of the mainstream ideas about the future of land warfare and how it should be conducted. Based on his experience working with the British Army and industry, Owen draws the reader back to basics based on limited budgets, limited resources and an overall reduction in cost, weight and complexity to comprehensively understand how armies might or should equip, train and organise for any unknowable future. Stripped of traditional academic or journalistic approaches and well-worn familiar narratives, “Euclid’s Army” reformulates how soldiers, civil servants and politicians should think about land warfare, thus war in general.
"Owen's monumental effort delivers a pragmatic, insightful guide to modern military preparedness for Western armies facing similar dilemmas. It offers practical, budget-conscious strategies for equipping, training, and organizing ground forces, emphasizing adaptability and operational utility over speculative future scenarios".
Major General (Ret.) Bengo Yacov Ph.D, Commander of the IDF's Northern Corps and the Multi-Domain Joint Maneuver Array in the Ground Forces
"A searing and authentic account of amongst other things the realities of warfare in the third decade of the 21st Century and the fractured relationship between Military Thought and Military Science. It is testing reading in places and the author is fearless in his challenge of conventional military thinking. It is for these reasons that it should be essential reading for those charged with preparing for war".
Lt Gen Mike Elviss CB MBE, Commander Field Army
“Amid so much breathless commentary on military tech, Wilf Owen yet again cuts through the din with clear-eyed, practical, and resilient recommendations. His analysis is rooted in hard realities and timeless conceptions. A book for soldiers, written by a soldier. Read it and be reminded of the rules that decide wars, not wargames”.
Major General Alex Turner, Director Futures, British Army
236 pages
Publication 10th January 2025
9781912440641 paperback
9781922440658 hardback
9781912440665 EPUB
Euclid's Army: Preparing Land Forces for Warfare Today
Introduction
1. To Prepare an Army for War
2. War Without Tanks
3. Concepts, Doctrine, Information and Command
4. Training Approach
5. Infantry
6. Cavalry
7. Fires
8. Air Defence and Air Support
9. Engineers
10. Combat Service Support
11. Deploy March Sustain
12. The Defence
13. The Offence
14. Climates and Terrains
15. Urban Operations
16. Air and Littoral
17. Security and Counter-Terrorist Operations
Conclusions