Battle ready - Tom Clancy

In his first three Commanders books, Tom Clancy collaborated with some of America's finest generals to provide masterful blends of history, biography, riveting narrative, insight into the practice of leadership and plain old-fashioned storytelling. Battle Ready is all of that - and it is also something more.

'Military success, in and of itself, is never the complete answer. Success will have to be measured, not in military terms, but in political terms in what is left behind. That will be the mark of what we are - what we leave behind' General Tony Zinni, speech to the Middle East Institute, 10 October, 2002

Marine General Tony Zinni was known as the 'Warrior Diplomat'. During nearly forty years of service his credentials were impeccable, leading troops in Vietnam, commanding operations in Somalia and directing strikes against Iraq and Al Qaeda as Commander in Chief of CENTCOM. As a peacemaker he conducted dangerous troubleshooting missions all over the world; serving as Secretary of State Colin Powell's special envoy to the Middle East before resigning over the 2003 Iraqi war and its probable aftermath.

Battle Ready follows the fascinating evolution of the Marine Corps and General Zinni from the cauldron of Vietnam through to a post-9/11 military with a radically different job to do. This is an eye-opening book - a front row seat to a man and an institution - a compelling account of both war and peace.