For four decades Herlinde Koelbl has unflinchingly turned her camera to everything from the vagaries of aging flesh and the physical toll of drug withdrawal to the history of hair in artistic masterpieces. In this arresting and important book she looks at soldiers preparing for war. Visiting twenty-four countries around the world, Koelbl documented soldiers training in vast empty deserts, surrealistic underground bunkers, abandoned cottages in the German countryside, and mock cities constructed by Hollywood set designers. Accompanied by commentary by the soldiers themselves, these images illustrate the incredibly diverse and increasingly perplexing conditions confronted by military populations throughout the world. Together they provide a disturbing, insightful, and unforgettable collective portrait of modern warfare.