Waging Modern War

Ugly, shocking, frightening, war came to Europe once more in March 1999. The world watched in dismay as Yugoslavia's military machine attacked its own citizens in the province of Kosovo. Pictures of refugees fleeing and stories of murder and rape flashed to the top of the news. But this time, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization intervened. Using an innovative, high-technology air operation, NATO brought modern military power to bear against Serb forces in the field and the machinery of repression that backed them up. It was modern war - limited in scope, measured in effect, extraordinarily complex in execution. The American commanders who oversaw this massive military effort and managed the often incompatible demands of NATO's 19 governments was General Wesley K. Clark. In "Waging Modern War", Clark recounts not only the events that led to armed conflict, but also the context within which he made the key strategic decisions. He also describes, for the first time, the personal conflict he felt as he walked the tightrope of high diplomacy and military strategy. His conflict with his British counterpart was arguably the most serious Anglo-American military difference since Montgomery and Eisenhower in World War II. Laying out the new realities of war-fighting and war-planning, Clark reveals how the military infrastruture will have to adapt if it is to meet new threats. This is the story of war today, and as it will be fought tomorrow.