British Army, 1945-Present: BAOR, National Service, Northern Ireland, the Falklands, the Gulf, Iraq and Afghanistan

How did an army shaped by global empire become a professional force capable of fighting across continents, and then prepare once again for the defence of Europe? The answer lies in eight decades of soldiers, strategy and decisions tested under pressure.The British Army, 1945–Present traces this transformation through the institutions and campaigns that defined Britain's postwar land forces. Kian O'Sullivan connects the experiences of ordinary soldiers with the evolution of regiments, armour, doctrine, command and logistics, revealing how military capability is built and sustained.Inside, discover:National Service and the Cold War: How the end of empire, conscription and the British Army of the Rhine shaped recruitment, readiness and NATO defence.Northern Ireland and the Falklands: What decades of internal security and the 1982 South Atlantic campaign revealed about infantry, intelligence, mobility and expeditionary logistics.Armour and conventional warfare: How Chieftain, Challenger, Warrior and combined-arms doctrine evolved through NATO exercises and the 1991 Gulf War.Iraq, Afghanistan and the modern Army: How counterinsurgency, protected mobility, military reform and renewed European deterrence reshaped British land power.From the Imjin River to Helmand and the NATO training grounds of the 2020s, this volume provides a coherent understanding of how the British Army fights, adapts and prepares.A focused military history for readers who want to understand the people, equipment and institutions behind eight decades of British Army operations.