Has the ‘Western’ way of war been as successful as the rhetoric would have us believe? Is it fit for future conflicts, against future adversaries, adaptable enough for the information and data age? How should it adapt? Over 75 episodes of the world-renowned podcast challenged leaders from the military, politics and industry – as well as world leading scholars – with the question: “What does the Western Way of War mean to you?”
The answers were as surprising as they were illuminating. If there was broad recognition that the West had been losing military engagements at a frightening rate, there was not a common cause identified by discussants. With his inimitable style of interview, Professor Peter Roberts draws out the key aspects of the Western Way of War seeking answers to the key questions for failure and advice on necessary adaptation to reverse the record of Western military performance since the end of the Cold War. The podcast became required listening at staff colleges around the world; the book enables a new generation of military students in the profession of arms to test their own thinking against the challenges laid clear by host and guests alike.
“A deeply thoughtful compilation of interviews and reflections from some of the best strategic minds of our day. The western way of war, dominant for centuries, is today contested by global adversaries who seek to change the character of war. These essays explore why this is happening – and what the West can do to retain its warfighting edge.”
Dr. Peter Mansoor, Col.(Ret.), U.S. Army Senior Fellow, Mershon Center for International Security Studies, Ohio State University
"Westminster will soon have a major influx of new MP’s who will be faced with critical decisions about the long-term defence and security of the UK. To grasp the range and complexity of the questions they must ask, and the problems they must grapple with, they must avoid lazy assumptions about warfare. This book will make an excellent primer for those new parliamentarians.”
Madeleine Moon, former UK Member of Parliament and Chair of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly
"Western Way of War is thus an important source for both academics and practitioners seeking to better understand how Europe and its former colonies have approached warfare and may be struggling to evolve against new threats and changing environments."
Small Wars Journal
186 pages I Size: 234 x 156mm
Publication date: 30th June 2024
ISBN: 978 1912440 504 pbk / 978 1912440 511 hbk / 978 1912440 627 EPUB
The Western Way of War
Foreword, by General Sir Graeme Lamb KBE, CMG, DSO
Introduction
1 Reality Is a Terrible Adversary
with General James Mattis
2 Operation Tethered Goat
with William F. Owen
3 People as the Decisive Edge
with Professor William Scott-Jackson
4 Nuclear Weapons
with Dr Matthew Harries
5 Politics Is Everything
with Rory Stewart
6 Hybrid Warfare
with Ewan Lawson
7 The Media and War
with Lucy Fisher
8 Military Procurement
with Professor John Louth
9 Military Education
with Dr Heather Venable
10 First Order Questions
with Dr Eliot Cohen
The Western Way of War: Can We Draw Conclusions?
Bibliography