Popular Science: 21st Century Soldier: The Weaponry, Gear, and Technology in the New Century

While General Forrest's tactics have been a wise approach for many years;they need to be modified for modern times.Having the best training,motivated personnel and most advanced weapon systems are also mandatory for success. At first glance,it may appear that this is a light weight or superficial book of modern weaponry and state of art gizmos.Even the title tends to sell this book short. The authors,Frank Vizard and Phil Scott have done an excellent job of summarizing how and where the military got to where they are today,what are the newest weapon systems being introduced today,and what can be expected in the future. We see where weapon systems have progressed at a continually accalerating pace since WWII;and as the saying goes; "You ain't seen nothing yet!" What this book does especially well is its treatment of the people who will be using these weapons.Now ,and in the future,the "soldier" will be far better trained,motivated,protected,equipped and fewer in number than ever seen in the past. The book not only covers the soldier but also the weapon systems of all branches of the military;the Army,Marines, Air Force and Army and personnel.We see the latest and projected Aircraft,Armor,Ships,Weaponry,Gear and Tactics supported with clear and concise text and photographs. I have been attending Air Shows and following military documentaries for a number of years.However;the huge advancement in weaponry was never brought home more to me than this summer when I witnessed a display of the new F-22 Raptor.It showed capabilities that were simply breathtaking;and many of its capabilities are still being kept secret.This new plane clearly shows that this plane,its pilot,support systems,weapons,and stealth proclaim;it's a new era in war planes. This book is going to be a very invaluable aid when following present and future conflicts. If you want to know what's going on militarily,don't by-pass this book.

If there is a single book that captures exactly what is going on right now in DoD, this is THE book. Not only do the authors survey all of the major air, land and sea weapons systems under development, they write from a context framed by the past. This makes this work exceptional in contrast to most books that gush over future gadgetry while ignoring the physical world we live in which requires platforms that are robust, durable and mobile.The book details how real transformation in land combat requires splicing new technologies like hybrid-electric drives, band tracks and advanced armor and weaponry to combat proven tracked M113A3 Gavin type vehicles not expensive lav3stryker rubber-tired armored cars. The authors explain how 5 combat effective 10.5 ton tracked M113A3 Gavins can fly in a single C-17 and easily in smaller C-130 aircraft while the overweight 19-ton wheeled lav3strykers can only fly 2-3 at a time in a C-17 and stripped down of fuel/ammo inside a C-130. The authors dilligently point out that spending billions on inferior equipment and losing capabilities is not transformation---gaining capabilities by upgrading M113 Gavins into Brigade Combat Teams is the way to victory. Another excellent segment of the book is its depiction of efforts to lighten the individual Soldier's load and give him greater mobility (4-25 mph) by means like folding all-terrain bikes (ATBs) and carts. This book is a fascinating look into the future of U.S. warfare and should be a must-read by every Soldier, Sailor, Airmen or marine.