John Keegan, whose many books, including classic histories of
the two world wars, have confirmed him as the premier miltary
historian of our time, here presents a masterly look at the value
and limitations of intelligence in the conduct of war.
Intelligence gathering is an immensely complicated and vulnerable
endeavor. And it often fails. Until the invention of the telegraph
and radio, information often traveled no faster than a horse could
ride, yet intelligence helped defeat Napoleon. In the twentieth
century, photo analysts didn’t recognize Germany’s V-2 rockets for
what they were; on the other hand, intelligence helped lead to
victory over the Japanese at Midway. In Intelligence in
War, John Keegan illustrates that only when paired with
force has military intelligence been an effective tool, as it may
one day be in besting al-Qaeda.
關於作者:
John Keegan''s books include The First World War, The Battle
for History, The Face of Battle, War and Our World, The Mask of
Command, Fields of Battle and A History of Warfare. He
is the defense editor of The Daily Telegraph
London. He lives in Wiltshire, England.