This new edition of Frank Ledwidge's eye-opening analysis of British involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan unpicks the causes and enormous costs of military failure. Updated throughout, and with fresh chapters assessing and enumerating the overall military performance since 2011-including Libya, ISIS, and the Chilcot findings-Ledwidge shows how lessons continue to go unlearned.

Previous edition: 2011.

'Ridiculous expectations' -- 'Defeated, pure and simple' -- 'Where's Helmand?' -- Uncashed cheques : The Helmand Endgame and Libya -- Dereliction of duty : the generals and strategy -- Cracking on and optimism bias : British military culture and doctrine -- 'Tactics without strategy?' : the counterinsurgency conundrum -- Managing violence : the question of force -- Strangers in strange lands -- Fixing intelligence -- Thinking to win.