Full Description

This book records some of the lessons learnt from military experience in the two great wars – and the subsequent fifty years of ‘peace’ which ended the 20th century. It also complements recent perspectives from the Unites States of America which show how in warfare military geologists irrespective of nationality have traditionally pursued five main categories of work (tactical and strategic terrain analysis, fortifications and tunnelling, resource acquisition, defence installations, and field construction and logistics). It shows how in peace-time military geologists train for wartime operations and may be involved in peace-keeping and nation-building deployments. Chapters describe how the influence of geology and geologists on military operations is more deeply rooted in history than commonly perceived; how military applications of geology were first and more quickly appreciated in Europe rather than in the United States; and how geotechnical expertise which now supports NATO – the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation – owes much to battlefield experience gained by British and more especially German military geologists during the two world wars.