Military power : explaining victory and defeat in modern battle / Stephen Biddle.

Originally published: 2004.

"Fifth printing, and first paperback printing 2006"--T.p. verso.

Includes bibliographical references (pages [240]-324) and index.

Ch. 1. Introduction -- Ch. 2. A literature built on weak foundations -- Ch. 3. The modern system -- Ch. 4. The modern system, preponderance, and changing technology -- Ch. 5. Operation Michael - the second battle of the Somme, March 21-April 9, 1918 -- Ch. 6. Operation Goodwood - July 18-20, 1944 -- Ch. 7. Operation Desert Storm - January 17-February 28, 1991 -- Ch. 8. Statistical tests -- Ch. 10. Conclusion -- App. A formal model of capability.

"This book provides a systematic account of how force employment interacts with materiel to produce real combat outcomes. Stephen Biddle argues that force employment is central to modern war, becoming increasingly important since 1900 as the key to surviving ever more lethal weaponry. Technological change produces opposite effects depending on how forces are employed; to focus only on material is thus to risk major error - with serious consequences for both policy and scholarship." "Biddle provides a systematic account of force employment's role and shows how this account holds up under rigorous, multimethod testing. The results challenge a wide variety of standard views, from current expectations for a revolution in military affairs to mainstream scholarship in international relations and orthodox interpretations of modern military history. Military Power will have a resounding impact both on scholarship in the field and on policy debates over the future of warfare, the size of the military, and the makeup of the defense budget."--BOOK JACKET.