Awards
- Winner of SAHR Templer Medal Book Prize 2016
Overview
** Includes a New Postcript 'The Chilcot Report-Early Thoughts on Military Matters'** From 2001 Britain supported the United States in wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. 'Victory' in such conflicts is always hard to gauge and domestic political backing for them was never robust. For this, the governments of Tony Blair and Gordon Brown were held responsible, and paid the price, but the role played by the High Command in the Ministry of Defence also bears examination. Critics have noted that the armed services were riven by internal rivalry and their leadership was dysfunctional, but the truth is more complicated. In his book Elliott explores the circumstances that led to these wars and how the Ministry of Defence coped with the challenges presented. He reveals how the Service Chiefs were set at odds by the system, almost as rivals in the making, with responsibility diffuse and authority ambiguous. The MoD concentrated on making things work, rather than questioning whether what they were being asked to do was practicable.
Full Product Details
Author: Christopher L. Elliott
Publisher: C Hurst & Co Publishers Ltd
Imprint: C Hurst & Co Publishers Ltd
Edition: 2nd Revised edition
Volume: 3
ISBN: 9781849048132
ISBN 10: 1849048134
Pages: 320
Publication Date: 31 May 2017
Audience:
General/trade
,
General
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active
Availability: In Print
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Reviews
'Britain will lose more wars unless military chiefs stop agreeing to impossible missions after a decade of errors in Iraq and Afghanistan, a new book warns... High Command, based on interviews with many of those at the helm of the military and the Ministry of Defence from the turn of the century, also identifies fundamental flaws inside the ministry that set the conditions for failure... Offering a rare insight into the turmoil within the armed forces during one of the most critical decisions of the two wars - the deployment of British forces to Helmand in 2006 when they were still fighting in southern Iraq.' - Deborah Haynes, Defence Editor, The Times; 'Long overdue, High Command is a study of what's wrong at the MoD, and an excellent primer for the Chilcot report. ... Elliott sets out an agenda for reform as well as a narrative. He does so in terms that Evelyn Waugh could not have bettered.'- The Spectator; 'Combines an insider's perspective with shrewdness, wit and strategic insight.' - Sir Hew Strachan, University of Oxford
Author Information
Christopher L. Elliott retired from the British Army as a Major General in 2002. This book was written over two years while Elliott was a research fellow at the universities of Oxford and Reading.
