Military Model Scene

Title: Boots on the Ground
Author: Leigh Neville
Publisher: Osprey
ISBN: 978-1-4728-4684-6

Modern Land Warfare from Iraq to Ukraine, a new one from Osprey Publishing. A 288-page hard-cover book, though electronic versions are also available for those who like them.
The opening Introduction gives a fine start to this one, looking at the basics of Current and Future Land Warfare, and its' changing faces over recent conflicts. The bulk of the book is then split across 8 chapters, each dealing with a separate aspect of modern warfare. It begins with Main Battle Tanks, which are once again being considered obsolete thanks to the array of modern anti-tank weaponry. Some interesting thoughts, and some equally interesting questions about their future. Then it moves on to Armoured Fighting Vehicles, especially the IFV (Infantry Fighting Vehicle), or troop carrier, and the pros and cons of wheeled versus tracked machines. Then Ground-based Air Defence and Close Air Support, leading on to Indirect Fire, or artillery. Chapter 5 considers one of the major changes to modern warfare, Uncrewed Platforms and Electronic War, which gets us round to the question of the use drones in particular. The next topic is the Infantry itself, and how the men are equipped to look after themselves in the new conditions, where small, cheap and plentiful drones can hunt down individuals on the battlefield. That leaves the last 2 chapters to cover Special Operations Forces and finally some consideration about what Future War might look like. Very well illustrated throughout with modern colour photographs. Among them, I will draw attention to the back cover of the book, featuring a destroyed and rusting Russian tank wreck near Kiev, with reactive armour blocks still intact but turret displaced and the whole thing burnt out and rusting. Modellers will love this as a colour reference by itself.
In simple terms, I found this really interesting reading. There have been many changes in warfare in recent years, and a lot more variables have been introduced. For many years the focus was on major power against major power, the widespread fear of the Cold War. What we have actually seen though is a growth in a largely different sort of warfare. Smaller states, or insurgent groups, fighting their own governments, or against a large external military force. Iraq and Afghanistan are examples, and more recently the large super power (Russia) invading the smaller country (Ukraine). Lots of modern acronyms which the military seem to love so much, including a few I hadn't come across before. It draws a number of conclusions about what the future may hold, some of which are likely to come about, and others which will not. Things change on a regular basis, an example of which has been the acceptance of the M10 Booker by the US Army, except that in just recent weeks the new US administration has cancelled it quite suddenly, but clearly after this book had been completed.
Thanks to Osprey for the review copy.

Robin