ABSTRACT. The war in Iraq has spanned the full spectrum of military operations: intense combat, stability‐and‐support operations, and peacetime activities. Regardless of their nature and relative intensity, military operations are shaped by the characteristics of the military operating environment. Consequently, the scale, tempo, and complexity of any type of military endeavor are linked to the physical and cultural landscapes of the region in which it is conducted. Military geographers use geographical information, tools, and techniques to examine those links. Iraq's operating environment is studied to identify the relevant components of its physical and human geography. This military geographical examination of Iraq tells us a great deal about how the physical and cultural environment have influenced the war, as well as how the complexity of its human landscape continues to affect the postwar rebuilding of the country.
Modern Military Geography is a new text that explores the relationship between geography and military conflict. As such, it covers many different scenarios and operational theatres and brings perspective to the link between local topography, hydrographical settings, climate, coastal conditions and military operations. The text goes further by examining the influence of secondary factors, which include, biological, health and environmental issues on military operations. The unique interaction between physical conditions and the geopolitical realities of different geographical settings are well illustrated. This book is therefore an excellent addition to the fields of military geography and military history, as well as other related military disciplines.Modern Military Geography consists of twenty-three chapters, written by fourteen authors from mainly the United States. All the authors are or have been professional military officers with extensive military operational experience and interests. The editors of the text, Lieutenant Colonel ret. Francis Galgano (associate professor) and Colonel Eugene Palka (professor), are both seasoned and internationally acclaimed researchers in the subject matter of the text. This is evident in the manner in which the text is organised to form a central theme throughout, as opposed to a number of loose essays.Modern Military Geography is divided into three parts, namely the nature of military geography, case studies from history and the application of military geography. The first part, consisting of seven chapters, provides the background for the reader who might be new to the fields of geography and military geography, and explains the relationship between environmental issues and regional security or insecurity. This is followed by an analytical approach to the historical background, traditional subject matter, methodology and
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