Command

Command is described by the Guardian as 'the history of our time,' offering a timely exploration into the interplay between politics and military operations.

Throughout history, the concept of command—both as a way to achieve objectives and as an assertion of authority—has been essential to military action and leadership. However, as Sir Lawrence Freedman illustrates, it is also deeply political.

Military command has been reconstructed and revolutionised since the Second World War by factors such as nuclear warfare, small-scale guerrilla land operations, and cyber interference. Freedman takes a global perspective, systematically analysing its practice and politics since 1945. He explores a wide range of conflicts, including the French Colonial Wars, the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Bangladesh Liberation War, North Vietnam's Easter Offensive of 1972, the Falklands War, the Iraq War, and Russia's wars in Chechnya and Ukraine.

By highlighting the political nature of strategy, Freedman illustrates that military decision-making cannot be disentangled from civilian priorities. Commanders must now possess the sensibility to navigate both politics and warfare.