Warfare is hugely important. At times the fates of nations, and even continents, rests on the outcome of war and thus on how its practitioners consider war. The Human Face of War is a new exploration of military thought. It starts with the observation that much military thought is poorly developed - often incoherent, riddled with paradox and at times almost mythological. The author contends that what is missing from British and American writing on warfare is any underpinning mental approach or philosophy. Why are some tank commanders, snipers, fighter pilots or submarine commanders far more effective than others? Why are many generals sacked at the outbreak of war? Why are armoured divisions twice as large today as they were during the Second World War? The Human Face of War examines these and similar phenomena, and seeks to explain them. The author argues that military thought should be based on an approach which reflects the nature of conflict and, in particular, combat. Combat - fighting - is primarily a human phenomenon. It is dominated by human behaviour in ways which practitioners intuitively accept, but have largely failed to enunciate.
The book explores some of those human issues and their practical consequences. It uses a generally empirical but historically-based approach to consider aspects of operational analysis and the behavioural sciences. The Human Face of War calls for, and suggests, a new way of considering war and warfare.