According
to the book description of The Face of the Foe: Pitfalls and Perspectives of Military Intelligence,
“Every nation that goes to war has to create images of their enemy. Through intelligence gathering and propaganda, these
images are created and used to drive public support and keep soldiers fighting. At the same time, decision-makers must be
provided with clear and incisive information on the opposition at hand. Frequently, these aims are mutually conflicting. Carefully
balanced and used with circumspection, these images can lead to victory - but they can also drive armies to disaster and entire
nations to atrocity. In this sweeping and fascinating survey, Kjeld Hald Galster explores how intelligence is collected and
interpreted. Drawing from examples ranging from the Napoleonic Wars to the 2003 War in Iraq, he examines how military intelligence
is used to create the face of the foe - and what makes it a tremendous success...or a disastrous failure.”
According
to the book description of Danish Troops in the Williamite Army in Ireland, 1689-91: For King and Coffers,
“About 15% of the troops that fought on the Williamite side at the Battle of the Boyne were Danish. Well organized and
equipped with state of the art weapons - flintlock muskets, plug bayonets, grenade guns, and chevaux-de-frises - they were
a potent weapon in William III's armory. This book looks at the Danish contingent in William's multi-national force fighting
in Ireland in 1689-91. The book examines how the Danish king, Christian V, essentially hired out a portion of his army due
to the deplorable state of national finances, his desire to give his troops and officers some valuable combat experience,
and his support of a fellow Protestant monarch. It then follows the Danish troops through the course of their Irish campaign,
and it utilizes a wide variety of sources to illuminate the leading personalities and key events of the war, as seen particularly
from the Danish perspective.”
According
to the book description of Crucial Coalition: Anglo-Danish Military Collaboration and the Message of History,
“In the summer of 2010, a unit of Danish soldiers known as ISAF-10 deployed to Afghanistan under British command. In
Helmand Province, they tried to secure a fragile peace while dealing with the challenges of training an often apparently indifferent
Afghan police and army, ensuring a functioning collaboration with the British despite insufficient military intelligence and
divergent military cultures, and fell under frequent attack by an increasingly sophisticated and deadly Taliban. In this remarkable
book, Kjeld Hald Galster tells their story. He also looks at the wider picture, examining coalitions ranging from Ancient
Greece to the Cold War. Exploring the millennia-long history of coalition warfare, he looks at what makes them work, the lessons
they teach us, and how they reflect - and predict - the rise and downfall of the coalitions of the willing in Afghanistan
and Iraq, and those yet to come.”
|