* Instruction on the best ways to command a counterinsurgency operation, presented in the form of a parable in which a fictional commander participates in virtual reality simulations of various fictional combat situations that include elements of the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan

* Explores the likely consequences of a range of command decisions based on lessons learned in current wars

* Emphasises the need for a new approach to counterinsurgency operations, one not based on the standards of conventional warfare

Foreword by: Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal