"In view of Iraq, Afghanistan, and the ongoing war against terrorism, the importance of land warfare seems certain to grow. This timely book, by Major General Robert H. Scales Jr., draws upon his long and distinguished military career and wars dating back to Korea for lessons for America's future land wars. He looks at Afghanistan today, the prospect of Iraq tomorrow, and ahead to a wargame scenario of "Kosovo, 2020" to develop a picture of the American style of war. High-tech, firepower-driven, and risk-averse, the American precision land war machine must ever guard against complacency and adaptive enemies. Despite superiority on almost every front, the U.S. armed forces have been effectively challenged on battlefields near and far. War remains as much art as science, and General Scales shows us what to expect if we substitute science and technology wholesale for the understanding of history and humanity."--Jacket.

Preface: "yellow smoke" -- The emergence of an American style of war -- Technology and the cycles of land warfare -- Land warfare at the strategic level: balancing time and risk -- Balancing firepower and maneuver: lessons from Vietnam to the Falklands -- Getting it closer to right: from Panama to Afghanistan -- Tactics and the human dimension: balancing ends and means in the close fight -- The new American style of war -- "Kosovo, 2020": a wargame -- Strengthening U.S. land forces: ten principles for the future -- A cautionary conclusion.