Why do the combat capabilities of individual soldiers vary so much? This book seeks to provide an answer to this and other questions about variability in combat performance. Some soldiers flee quickly from the battlefield, while others endure all hardships until the bitter end. Some combat units can perform numerous types of missions, while others cannot keep themselves organized during peacetime. Some militaries armed with obsolete weapons have out fought enemies with the latest weapons, just as some massively outnumbered armies have beaten back much larger opponents. In this first social scientific study of the effectiveness of combat troops, Newsome evaluates competing explanations for the varying combat capabilities and performances.

Chapter 1Domestic Politics -- 10 -- Chapter 2 Combat Personnel Management -- 17 -- Chapter 3 Force Employment, Command, Leadership, and Decision-Making -- 54 -- Chapter 4 Combat Stress and Cohesion -- 85 -- Chapter 5 Combat Motivation -- 107 -- Chapter 6 Athleticism and Special Operations -- 134.