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This collection of essays explores how fighting in the rugged, hostile lands of Afghanistan is no easy task. Afghanistan has long been considered the graveyard of empires. Throughout their history, Afghans have endured the ravages of foreign invaders, from marauding hordes and imperial armies to global superpowers, while demonstrating a fierce independence and strong resistance to outside occupiers. Those who have ventured into Afghanistan with notions of controlling its people have soon discovered that fighting in that rugged, hostile land is no easy task. Afghans have proven to be tenacious and unrelenting foes. No Easy Task examines this legacy of conflict, particularly from a Canadian perspective. What emerges is the difficulty faced by foreign forces attempting to impose their will over Afghans who, for their part, have consistently adapted tactics and strategies to stymie and defeat those they perceive as invaders and interlopers. It is within this complexity and challenge that the difficult counter-insurgency must be fought.
In the simplest of terms, leadership is about influencing people to achieve an objective that is important to the leader, the group, and the organization. It is the human element – leading, motivating, and inspiring, particularly during times of crisis, chaos, and complexity when directives, policy statements, and communiques have little effect on cold, exhausted, and stressed followers. Strong leadership encourages subordinates to go beyond the obligation to obey and commit to the mission in a way that maximizes their potential. The Military Leadership Handbook is a concise and complete manual that identifies, describes, and explains all those concepts, components, and ideas that deal with, or directly relate to, military leadership. The book is a comprehensive compendium that focuses on, among other subjects, cohesion, command, cultural intelligence, discipline, fear, and trust. this applied manual provides invaluable assistance to anyone who wishes to acquire a better understanding of both the theory and application of military leadership
This is the story of 1 Canadian Parachute Battalion, established as the "tip of the spear" of Allied attacks in the Second World War.
No Lack of Courage is the story of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's first battle. It is a revealing account of Operation Medusa, the largely Canadian action from 1 to 17 September 2006, to dislodge a heavily entrenched Taliban force in the Pashmul district of Afghanistan's Kandahar Province. At stake, according to senior Afghan politicians and NATO military commanders, was nothing less than the very existence of the reconstituted state of Afghanistan, as well as the NATO alliance itself. In a bitterly fought conflict that lasted more than two weeks, Canadian, Afghan, and Coalition troops defeated the dug-in enemy forces and chased them from the Pashmul area. In the end, the brunt of the fighting fell on the Canadians, and the operation that saved Afghanistan exacted a great cost. However, the battle also demonstrated that Canada had shed its peacekeeping mythology and was once more ready to commit troops deliberately to combat. Moreover, it revealed yet again that Canadian soldiers have no lack of courage.
No Ordinary Men peels back the cloak of secrecy and reveals four untold special operations that Joint Task Force 2, an elite counterterrorist unit, conducted in 2005–06 in which their courage, tenacity, and impressive capabilities meant the difference between life and death.
Tells the story of how the Canadian Forces weathered the perfect storm of scandals and budget slashing in the 1990s, and emerged by reshaping its culture from the top down. The "decade of darkness" tool a heavy toll, particularly on the Canadian Forces Officers Corps. Forced to Change tells the story of the long path to reform.
Take a trip back in time to the chaos and destruction of the greatest invasion in military history, viewed through the lens of Canadian paratroopers. Men of Steel is the exciting story of some of Canada’s toughest and most daring soldiers in the Second World War. In the dead of night, on 5/6 June 1944, hundreds of elite Canadian paratroopers hurled themselves from aircraft behind enemy lines. That daring act set the stage for the eventual success of the Allied invasion fleet. From aircraft formations striking out from England on a turbulent flight across the English Channel to the tumultuous drop over Occupied Europe and deadly close combat in the Normandy countryside, Men of Steel is a detailed account of Canadian paratroopers and their instrumental role in D-Day.
Created by Winston Churchill to sabotage and subvert the enemy in WWII, the Special Operations Executive (SOE) was an innovative and at times infamous group, a band fanatically devoted to the Allied cause and willing to do whatever it took to advance it and hamper the Axis — even operating within North America.
Many Canadians see the role their country's military plays in Afghanistan as an anomaly. However, this assumption is far from the truth. As U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has commented, "Canadians are fierce fighters." Fortune Favours the Brave certainly proves this point in a collection of essays that showcases the fighting spirit and courage of Canada's military. Daring actions featured in the book include the intrepid assault on the Fortress of Louisbourg and the cat-and-mouse struggle between Canadian partisans and Rogers's Rangers in the Seven Years' War in the 1750s; the seesaw battle for the Niagara frontier in the War of 1812; an innovative trench raid in the First World War; the valiant parachute assault to penetrate the Third Reich in the Second World War; the infamous battle at Kap'yong in the Korean War; covert submarine operations during the Cold War; the Medak Pocket clash in Croatia in the early 1990s; and Operation Medusa in Afghanistan.
This book is the first substantial attempt to chronicle the entire airborne experience, spanning over fifty-six years. Although often viewed as outcasts and pariahs, Canada's intrepid paratroopers have always represented the best combat soldiers this country has been able to offer. Renowned for their courage, initiative, physical prowess, and indomitable spirit, the nation's paratroopers have always represented the proficiency of the Canadian army.Aided by 400-plus dramatic photographs and a meticulously researched text, it opens the history and operational contribution of Canada's airborne forces to the public eye. From its beginnings as 1 Canadian Parachute Battalion in 1942 through the disbandment of the Canadian Airborne Regiment in 1995 and its aftermath it affirms the necessity of parachute capability. It is a tribute to their professionalism and tenacity.