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The Achilles Trap: Saddam Hussein, the C.I.A., and the Origins of America's Invasion of Iraq
by Steve Coll&“Excellent…A more intimate picture of the dictator&’s thinking about world politics, local power and his relationship to the United States than has been seen before.&” —The New York Times"Voluminously researched and compulsively readable." —Air MailFrom bestselling and Pulitzer Prize–winning author Steve Coll, the definitive story of the decades-long relationship between the United States and Saddam Hussein, and a deeply researched and news-breaking investigation into how human error, cultural miscommunication, and hubris led to one of the costliest geopolitical conflicts of our timeWhen the United States invaded Iraq in 2003, its message was clear: Iraq, under the control of strongman Saddam Hussein, possessed weapons of mass destruction that, if left unchecked, posed grave danger to the world. But when no WMDs were found, the United States and its allies were forced to examine the political and intelligence failures that had led to the invasion and the occupation, and the civil war that followed. One integral question has remained unsolved: Why had Saddam seemingly sacrificed his long reign in power by giving the false impression that he had hidden stocks of dangerous weapons? The Achilles Trap masterfully untangles the people, ploys of power, and geopolitics that led to America&’s disastrous war with Iraq and, for the first time, details America&’s fundamental miscalculations during its decades-long relationship with Saddam Hussein. Beginning with Saddam&’s rise to power in 1979 and the birth of Iraq&’s secret nuclear weapons program, Steve Coll traces Saddam&’s motives by way of his inner circle. He brings to life the diplomats, scientists, family members, and generals who had no choice but to defer to their leader—a leader directly responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Iraqis, as well as the torture or imprisonment of hundreds of thousands more. This was a man whose reasoning was impossible to reduce to a simple explanation, and the CIA and successive presidential administrations failed to grasp critical nuances of his paranoia, resentments, and inconsistencies—even when the stakes were incredibly high.Calling on unpublished and underreported sources, interviews with surviving participants, and Saddam&’s own transcripts and audio files, Coll pulls together an incredibly comprehensive portrait of a man who was convinced the world was out to get him and acted accordingly. A work of great historical significance, The Achilles Trap is the definitive account of how corruptions of power, lies of diplomacy, and vanity—on both sides—led to avoidable errors of statecraft, ones that would enact immeasurable human suffering and forever change the political landscape as we know it.
Achtung Panzer!
by Heinz GuderianThis is one of the most significant military books of the twentieth century. By an outstanding soldier of independent mind, it pushed forward the evolution of land warfare and was directly responsible for German armoured supremacy in the early years of the Second World War. Published in 1937, the result of 15 years of careful study since his days on the German General Staff in the First World War, Achtung Panzer! argues how vital the proper use of tanks and supporting armoured vehicles would be in the conduct of a future war. When that war came, just two years later, he proved it, leading his Panzers with distinction in the Polish, French and Russian campaigns. Panzer warfare had come of age, exactly as he had forecast.This first English translation of Heinz Guderian's classic book - used as a textbook by Panzer officers in the war - has an introduction and extensive background notes by the modern English historian Paul Harris.
Achtung Panzer! (W&N Military)
by Heinz GuderianThis is one of the most significant military books of the twentieth century. By an outstanding soldier of independent mind, it pushed forward the evolution of land warfare and was directly responsible for German armoured supremacy in the early years of the Second World War. Published in 1937, the result of 15 years of careful study since his days on the German General Staff in the First World War, Achtung Panzer! argues how vital the proper use of tanks and supporting armoured vehicles would be in the conduct of a future war. When that war came, just two years later, he proved it, leading his Panzers with distinction in the Polish, French and Russian campaigns. Panzer warfare had come of age, exactly as he had forecast.This first English translation of Heinz Guderian's classic book - used as a textbook by Panzer officers in the war - has an introduction and extensive background notes by the modern English historian Paul Harris.
Achtung Panzer! (W&N Military)
by Heinz GuderianThis is one of the most significant military books of the twentieth century. By an outstanding soldier of independent mind, it pushed forward the evolution of land warfare and was directly responsible for German armoured supremacy in the early years of the Second World War. Published in 1937, the result of 15 years of careful study since his days on the German General Staff in the First World War, Achtung Panzer! argues how vital the proper use of tanks and supporting armoured vehicles would be in the conduct of a future war. When that war came, just two years later, he proved it, leading his Panzers with distinction in the Polish, French and Russian campaigns. Panzer warfare had come of age, exactly as he had forecast.This first English translation of Heinz Guderian's classic book - used as a textbook by Panzer officers in the war - has an introduction and extensive background notes by the modern English historian Paul Harris.
Acid Test: How a Daring Group of Psychonauts Rediscovered the Power of LSD, MDMA, and Other Psychedelic Drugs to Heal Addiction, Depression, Anxiety, and Trauma
by Tom ShroderIt's no secret that psychedelic drugs have the ability to cast light on the miraculous reality hidden within our psyche. Almost immediately after the discovery of LSD less than a hundred years ago, psychedelics began to play a crucial role in the quest to understand the link between mind and matter. With an uncanny ability to reveal the mind's remote frontiers and the unmapped areas of human consciousness, LSD and MDMA (better known as Ecstasy) have proven extraordinarily effective in treating anxiety disorders such as PTSD--yet the drugs remain illegal for millions of people who might benefit from them. Anchoring Tom Shroder's Acid Test are the stories of Rick Doblin, the founder and executive director of the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS), who has been fighting government prohibition of psychedelics for more than thirty years; Michael Mithoefer, a former emergency room physician, now a psychiatrist at the forefront of psychedelic therapy research; and his patient Nicholas Blackston, a former Marine who has suffered unfathomable mental anguish from the effects of brutal combat experiences in Iraq. All three men are passionate, relatable people; each flawed, each resilient, and each eccentric, yet very familiar and very human. Acid Test covers the first heady years of experimentation in the fifties and sixties, through the backlash of the seventies and eighties, when the drug subculture exploded and uncontrolled use of street psychedelics led to a PR nightmare that created the drug stereotypes of the present day. Meticulously researched and astoundingly informative, this is at once a personal story of intertwining lives against an epic backdrop, and a compelling argument for the unprecedented healing properties of drugs that have for decades been characterized as dangerous, illicit substances.
Aço Vermelho: Tanques Soviéticos e Veículos de Combate da Guerra Fria
by Michel Pinheiro Russell PhillipsA Guerra Fria nunca se aqueceu, mas se tivesse, a União Soviética estaria pronta. Este trabalho referência detalha 73 grandes máquinas de guerra soviéticas, da 2P26 "Baby Carriage" - veícuo enganosamente leve, estilo jipe com quatro mísseis anti-tanque - ao tanque de batalha principal T-80U com sua blindagem avançada e contra-medidas eletrônicas. Sessenta e uma fotografias e desenhos ilustram este trabalho, e acesso a uma galeria web com ainda mais ilustrações está incluído na compra.
Across The Border: The Successes And Failures Of Operation Rockcrusher
by Major Donald V. PhillipsThis study examines the planning, execution, and results of US military involvement in the 1970 Cambodian incursions. Named Operation Rockcrusher, the attacks targeted North Vietnamese sanctuaries in officially neutral Cambodia. Strategic guidance for the operation reflected the Nixon administration's desire to proceed with troop reductions and quickly "Vietnamize" the war in Southeast Asia. Efforts to set conditions for a U.S. withdrawal from Vietnam, including a covert bombing campaign of Cambodia, failed. These factors, along with a deteriorating political situation within Cambodia, led to approval of the assaults.The thesis describes the operational and tactical objectives that were derived from the strategic situation. Then, by discussing key portions of the campaign, the study examines how well the US Army accomplished these objectives. Reviewed within the context of selected battlefield operating systems, the operation reveals a decided "mixed bag" of success and failure.The study highlights lessons that may be appropriate to today's lower intensity conflict environment and force structures. It also promotes the need to synchronize goals and objectives throughout the levels of war. It concludes that attritional warfare, a dubious legacy from Vietnam, remains a danger to the Army today.
Across A Deadly Field - Regimental Rules for Civil War Battles
by John HillManassas, Shiloh, Gettysburg, Atlanta, and Petersburg are just a few of the many large scale Civil War battles that gamers enjoy simulating on the tabletop. Up until now, CW (Civil War) games have either taken a regimental approach for a more tactical game or a brigade-level view for a more grand tactical game - and gamers have plenty of both regimental or brigade level CW rule sets to choose from. However, both approaches have drawbacks. The pure regimental approach - such as in Johnny Reb - can make it difficult to fight a very large battle, while the brigade approach often fails to capture the unique feel of the CW where the actions of one regiment - such as the 20th Maine at Little Round Top - could turn a battle. Across A Deadly Field offers a game system that enables gamers to fight large battles in a relatively compact space, yet maintains the regimental focus and flavor appropriate to the conflict. Across A Deadly Field uses a scale that can be described as a "telescoped" version of Johnny Reb III - with twice the ground and figure scale, and has individual regiments and batteries as the base element of maneuver:- Ground Scale: 1" = 100 yards- Time Scale: 1 turn = 20 minutes- Regiment Scale: Two stands/bases per regiment- Figure Scale: 1 figure = 60 men- Gun scale: 1 gun = 1 batteryThe big advantage of this approach is that the gamer is not required to rebase any figures from his existing Johnny Reb army, allowing for much easier conversion from the older game to Across A Deadly Field. The existing four-stand regiments become two different regiments of two stands each - his miniature army has, for gaming purposes, just doubled. This will hold an appeal for many gamers - they can either recreate smaller engagements in half the space that would once have been needed, or can game huge battles on a table that would once have only accommodated a small skirmish. In essence, Across A Deadly Field offers two games with a single, consistent basing system.
Across A Deadly Field - The War in the East
by John Hill Mark StaceyThis supplement for Across A Deadly Field includes a number of scenarios of differing size and complexity, intended to give players a wide variety of options for their American Civil War games. The scenarios cover a number of the most famous battles of the Eastern Theater, including 1st Bull Run, Antietam, Chancellorsville, Brandy Station and Gettysburg, and offer both modestly sized and larger battles to the player. The smaller scenarios focus not only on smaller battles, but also on engagements within a larger encounter, while the larger scenarios present a wider view of a battle. For example, Antietam offers the three distinct corps-level actions in the north, center and the south at Burnside's Bridge, as well as the full battle. This offers Across A Deadly Field players a versatility that can accommodate their preferences and collections without sacrificing either playability of historical accuracy.
Across A Deadly Field - The War in the West
by Mark Stacey John HillThe War in the West, the new supplement for Across A Deadly Field brings to the tabletop the bitter struggles of the Western Theatre of the American Civil War. The special rules and scenarios included in this volume give players everything they need to recreate the battles, both great and small, of this theatre of the war. Battles such as Shiloh, Stone River, Vicksburg, Chickamauga, Chattanooga and Atlanta are presented in great detail, offering players of Across a Deadly Field not only a range of scenario options, but the ability to play through a full campaign.
Across the Blocs: Exploring Comparative Cold War Cultural and Social History (Cold War History)
by Rana Mitter Patrick MajorThis book asks the reader to reassess the Cold War not just as superpower conflict and high diplomacy, but as social and cultural history. It makes cross-cultural comparisons of the socio cultural aspects of the Cold War across the East/West block divide, dealing with issues including broadcasting, public opinion, and the production and consumption of popular culture.
Across the Dark Islands: At War in the Pacific
by Floyd W. RadikeFloyd W. Radike Brigadier General, U.S. Army (Ret.) "I remember sitting in a foxhole on Guadalcanal in the rain. The sergeant I shared the hole with shook his head and asked me: 'What in the hell are we doing on this godforsaken island? Why don't we let the Japs keep this stinking rock?' I didn't have an answer." The war in the Pacific has never been portrayed more honestly--or in prose more powerful--than in Across the Dark Islands. In this unflinching account, Brig. Gen. Floyd W. Radike remembers how he started his military career in the mud and mayhem of Guadalcanal, fighting a campaign as crucial to the war's outcome as it was chaotic and cruel. Here is no whitewashed view of that war or the men who waged it. Here instead is the sobering story of a junior officer in a National Guard unit suddenly shipped off to the front lines, disdained by "regular army" elitists who served beside him, and given second-class status so that others could earn headlines and promotions. While struggling to survive amid dirt and disease, routine and monotony, Radike endured harrowing missions incompetently, arrogantly, or just impatiently planned. As no book ever has, Across the Dark Islands reveals shocking details removed from myth and sentimentality: how American commanders were intimidated by the Japanese stereotype of fearlessness, night attacks, and cries of "banzai" ... how imitations of John Wayne heroics caused immediate death ... threats of court-martial quieted accusations of Army injustice ... and panic and flight destroyed a fight for the enemy's Munda Field airstrip, an event that "disappeared from the record and appears in no official history." Emerging from the hellish conditions and military miscalculations is a tribute to common sense, courage, and respect for proper procedure, attributes that would help the author and soldiers like him to save their lives, succeed in battle, and win the war. From Guadalcanal to the Philippines to a planned invasion of Japan ended by the atom bomb, General Radike's experience spanned the entire course of the pivotal Pacific theater conflict. Candid and cautionary, his memoir is an important work whose writing rivals that of classic novels like James Jones's The Thin Red Line and Norman Mailer's The Naked and the Dead. It should be read by anyone looking to join an army or wage a war.
Across the Divide: Union Soldiers View the Northern Home Front
by Steven J RamoldUnionsoldiers left home in 1861 with expectations that the conflict would be short,the purpose of the war was clear, and public support back home was universal.As the war continued, however, Union soldiers began to perceive a greatdifference between what they expected and what was actually occurring. Theirfamily relationships were evolving, the purpose of the war was changing, andcivilians were questioning the leadership of the government and Army to thepoint of debating whether the war should continue at all.Separatedfrom Northern civilians by a series of literal and figurative divides, Unionsoldiers viewed the growing disparities between their own expectations andthose of their families at home with growing concern and alarm. Instead ofsupport for the war, an extensive and oft-violent anti-war movement emerged.Often at odds with those at home and with limited means of communication totheir homes at their disposal, soldiers used letters, newspaper editorials, andpolitical statements to influence the actions and beliefs of their homecommunities. When communication failed, soldiers sometimes took extremistpositions on the war, its conduct, and how civilian attitudes about theconflict should be shaped.In thisfirst study of the chasm between Union soldiers and northern civilians, Steven J.Ramold reveals the wide array of factors that prevented the Union Army and thecivilians on whose behalf they were fighting from becoming a united frontduring the Civil War. In Across theDivide, Ramold illustrates how the divided spheres of Civil War experiencecreated social and political conflict far removed from the better-knownbattlefields of the war.
Across the Wide Missouri
by Bernard De Voto Mae Reed Porter“Winner of the Pulitzer Prize and the Bancroft Prize, ACROSS THE WIDE MISSOURI tells the compelling story of the climax and decline of the Rocky Mountain fur trade during the 1830s. More than a history, it portrays the mountain fur trade as a way of business and a way of life, vividly illustrating how it shaped the expansion of the American West.Bernard de Voto (1897 – 1955) winner of the Pulitzer prize and the National Book Award, was a renowned scholar-historian of the American West and one of our century’s greatest men of letters.“One of the literary lions of his day.”-Stephen E. Ambrose” —Print ed.
Across A War-Tossed Sea
by L.M. ElliottIt's 1943, and World War II is raging. To escape the terror of the Blitz, ten-year-old Wesley and fourteen-year-old Charles were evacuated from England to America. After a few near misses with German U-boats and a treacherous ocean crossing, the brothers arrived in Virginia. The culture shock is intense as the London boys adjust to rural farm life and have to learn new sports, customs, and spellings, plus contend with racial segregation and bullying. As time goes by, the brothers begin to adapt to their new reality and blaze their own trails, writing letters home, making new friends, and pitching in to the American war effort. But just when Wes and Charles think they are safe from the terror of the battles raging thousands of miles across the sea, they encounter the very brand of soldiers they were trying to escape: Nazis, from a POW camp right around the corner and U-boats torpedoing American ships off the nearby Atlantic coastline. Suddenly, Charles, Wesley, and their new Virginian family must face the dangers of a foreign war coming too close to home. Award-winning author L. M. Elliott brings a rarely told story of World War II on U.S. soil to light in this gripping and meticulously-researched novel, a companion to the beloved Under a War-Torn Sky.
An Act Of Courage: (The Matthew Hervey Adventures: 7): A compelling and unputdownable military adventure from bestselling author Allan Mallinson (Matthew Hervey #7)
by Allan MallinsonTHE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR Allan Mallinson brings us another compelling and deeply atmospheric adventure featuring Matthew Hervey. If you like Patrick O'Brian, Bernard Cornwell and CS Forester, you will love this! "Most impressive...Mallinson reinforces his position as a master of narrative military history" -- THE TIMES"As good on the details of the workings of a cavalry regiment in 1820 as ever Patrick O'Brian was on the workings of an 1820 warship" -- SPECTATOR"What a pleasure...concentrating on the battle of Talavera and the investment of Badajoz, both sparklingly described, he plays to his undoubted strengths" - OBSERVER"The atmosphere and authenticity continues to work its spell all the way through." -- ***** Reader review"Highly enjoyable novel. Great story. Thoroughly recommend for lovers of adventure novels." -- ***** Reader review"A truly outstanding read" -- ***** Reader review *********************************************************Badajoz: Christmas 1826Matthew Hervey of the 6th Light Dragoons is a prisoner of the Spanish, incarcerated in the infamous fortress of Badajoz.As he plans his escape, his thoughts return to the year 1812 when he was a cornet in Wellington's Peninsular Army. He and the Sixth had survived Corunna to endure three more years of brutal fighting that would culminate in one of the most vital and vicious confrontations of the campaign - the siege of Badajoz.While Hervey paces his prison cell, and re-lives the bloodshed of battles past, friends from unexpected quarters rush to his aid...An Act of Courage is the seventh book in Allan Mallinson's Matthew Hervey series. His adventures continue in Company of Spears. Have you read his previous adventures A Close Run Thing, The Nizam's Daughters, A Regimental Affair, A Call to Arms, The Sabre's Edge and Rumours of War?
An Act of Love: A Novel
by Carol DrinkwaterHiding from Nazis in the French Alps, a teenage girl is torn between love and safety in this &“exciting, evocative&” novel by the international bestselling author (Daily Mail). Jews fleeing Poland in 1943, Sara and her family are hiding from the horrors of World War II in a house in the mountains in France. Sara is enjoying the beauty of her surroundings, the temporary respite from danger—and her blossoming romance with the villager Alain. But the Germans remain a looming and ever-present menace. When that threat becomes too close for comfort, Sara&’s parents decide it is time to move on again, hoping to reach Italy and, finally, Palestine. However, Sara wants only to remain with Alain—a harrowing choice that will mean not only parting from her mother and father but joining the fight waged by the French Resistance and risking her life for love and freedom. &“A moving story of love and friendship with a wonderful sense of place.&” —Kate Mosse, bestselling author of Labyrinth &“Carol Drinkwater&’s writing is like taking an amazing holiday in book form.&” —Jenny Colgan, New York Times–bestselling author of The House at the Edge of the Cliff
Act of Terror
by Marc CameronWarning: The next attack on American soil will come from within.From coast to coast, our nation is witnessing a new wave of terror. Suicide bombers incite blind panic and paralyzing fear. A flight attendant tries to crash an airliner. A police officer opens fire on fans in a stadium. And at CIA headquarters, a Deputy Director goes on a murderous rampage. The perpetrators appear to be American--but they are covert agents in a vast network of terror, selected and trained for one purpose only: the complete annihilation of America.Special Agent Jericho Quinn has seen the warning signs. As a classified "instrument" of the CIA reporting directly to the President, Quinn knows that these random acts of violence pose a clear and present danger. But Quinn may not be able to stop it. The search for terrorists has escalated into an all-out witch hunt. And somehow, Quinn's name is on the list. . .
Act of Terror
by Marc CameronWarning: The next attack on American soil will come from within. From coast to coast, our nation is witnessing a new wave of terror. Suicide bombers incite blind panic and paralyzing fear. A flight attendant tries to crash an airliner. A police officer opens fire on fans in a stadium. And at CIA headquarters, a Deputy Director goes on a murderous rampage. The perpetrators appear to be American--but they are covert agents in a vast network of terror, selected and trained for one purpose only: the complete annihilation of America. Special Agent Jericho Quinn has seen the warning signs. As a classified "instrument" of the CIA reporting directly to the President, Quinn knows that these random acts of violence pose a clear and present danger. But Quinn may not be able to stop it. The search for terrorists has escalated into an all-out witch hunt. And somehow, Quinn's name is on the list. . .
An Act of Treason (Sniper Series #4)
by Jack Coughlin Donald A. DavisIn this new novel from the New York Times bestselling authors, Marine sniper Kyle Swanson finds himself in the sights of a man he once idolized--his former mentor and a true American hero turned traitor. Gunnery Sergeant Kyle Swanson and his beautiful girlfriend, CIA agent Lauren Carson, are on a mission in Pakistan when their world is turned inside out. During a dangerous urban assault on two Taliban fighters in Islamabad, Kyle finds himself captured and imprisoned, suddenly alone in the hands of the enemy. Lauren, meanwhile, is accused by the CIA of being a double agent. The only person they can trust to protect them is the man who sent them on the black operation to begin with-- Jim Hall, a legendary CIA agent, Kyle's sniper mentor, and Lauren's boss and former lover. But Hall has gone rogue. He has agreed to sell America's innermost secrets to a ruthless Pakistani warlord, who is planning to mold al-Qaeda into a legitimate political party and secure a nuclear arsenal. Jim Hall, with decades as an insider in American defense and intelligence, is the linchpin in the warlord's plans. Now Hall's former protege Swanson is the final obstacle. The U.S. government's success or failure to stop al-Qaeda pivots on whether Swanson can stop his old friend, the man who trained him to be a shooter. From the streets of Washington to the Bavarian Alps, the two snipers must stalk each other in a deadly hunt that has only one possible outcome.
Act of War (Jason Richter Series #1)
by Dale BrownNear Houston, Texas, an oil refinery belonging to one of the world's largest multinational energy companies is destroyed by a "backpack" nuclear device. This is just one of many attacks being perpetrated against the company around the world by a group whose mission is to stop global corporations and government organizations from plundering the world's natural resources in the name of profit. Before this group strikes again, Jason Richter is called in with his top-secret high-tech military unit, code-named Task Force TALON, a special joint military and FBI unit set up by the national security advisor to track down and defeat terrorists around the world. Richter believes there is only one strategy in which to snare his opponents--find, pursue, engage, and kill. And the only way to do this is to play them at their own game: Be unconventional and swift, hit-and-run and brutal enough to strike fear into the heart of the most dedicated terrorist. Richter must also lead the way through a series of unexpected turns that eventually uncovers a mole high up within the government who is in pursuit of his own personal revenge. If Richter fails, it won't be just the lives of his team that are lost, but America itself.
Act of War: A Novel
by Dale BrownThe New York Times–bestselling author introduces a cutting-edge new hero out to stop ecological terrorists in this international techno-thriller.When a Texas oil refinery is destroyed by a “backpack” nuclear device, it’s just one of many attacks on a multinational energy company. These acts of destruction are being perpetrated across the globe by a single group determined to stop the plundering of natural resources. To stop them before the strike again, the authorities call in military tech wiz Jason Richter and his top-secret counterterrorism unit Task Force TALON.To snare his opponents, Richter knows he must beat them at their own game: unconventional hit-and-run attacks that are brutal enough to strike fear into the heart of the most dedicated terrorist. Richter must also lead the way through a series of unexpected turns that uncover a mole operating within the upper echelons of government. If Richter fails, it won’t be just the lives of his team that are lost, but America itself.
Act of War
by Don PendletonSTONY MAN. When crisis demands skill, stealth and the kind of diplomacy that comes from a mandate to strike down terror, the call to action goes to Stony Man. Under presidential directive, the crack commando teams of Phoenix Force and Able Team, backed by the most sophisticated cybernetics team in the world, bring the fight to the enemy. . . and take no prisoners. REMOTE NUKE TRIGGER. Technology capable of exploding cached nuclear arsenals around the globe has fallen into the hands of a group of unidentified terrorists. Mushroom clouds are appearing from the deserts of New Mexico to the mountains of Asia, as warhead stockpiles become radioactive fallout. Facing an untenable decision on whether to disarm or stand and fight, the Oval Office can only watch and wait as Stony Man tracks the enemy to the far-flung reaches of the Balkans, where fifteen families of organized crime will be masters of the universe--or blow it out of existence.
Act of War: A Thriller (The Scot Harvath Series #13)
by Brad ThorThe #1 New York Times and #1 Wall Street Journal bestselling author Brad Thor delivers his most frightening and pulse-pounding thriller ever!After a CIA agent mysteriously dies overseas, his top asset surfaces with a startling and terrifying claim. There&’s just one problem—no one knows if she can be trusted. But when six exchange students go missing, two airplane passengers trade places, and one political-asylum seeker is arrested, a deadly chain of events is set in motion. With the United States facing an imminent and devastating attack, America&’s new president must turn to covert counterterrorism operative Scot Harvath to help carry out two of the most dangerous operations in the country&’s history. Code-named &“Gold Dust&” and &“Blackbird,&” they are shrouded in absolute secrecy as either of them, if discovered, will constitute an act of war.
Action Action Action: The History of the Employment of Australian Artillery 1871-2021
by Paul Stevens Nicholas FloydOver one hundred and fifty years ago, on 1st August 1871, the Colony of New South Wales raised its first permanent Battery, known as the New South Wales Artillery. This battery complemented existing colonial volunteer batteries. The previous year, the last British forces had departed for England, leaving the young, dynamic colonies across Australia to uphold their own defences. This occasion marked the origins of the substantive, permanent presence of professional Australian artillery soldiers – a presence that endures to this day as the Royal Regiment of Australian Artillery. In the years that have followed, Australian Gunners have served their country in war and in peace; abroad, and in the defence of their homeland, with honour and dedication, and will continue to do so into the future. 1st August 2021 marked a century and a half of unbroken dedication in the service of our community and the Nation by Australia&’s Gunners – Volunteer, Militia, Reserve, Permanent and Regular; at home, and in far-off lands; defending assaults from the sea, in the sky, and on land; and advising, defending and supporting our comrades-in-arms through summoning and orchestrating devastating fires and effects that are accurate, responsive, dependable & joint. These are, and will remain, the tenets of the Royal Regiment of Australian Artillery in all its forms. This is the story of Australia&’s Gunners – so far.