Watch That Terrain

The fast pace of the US ground operations have to be related to the military capability of the adversaries and the war terrain. Iraq had no air power; it also lacked well-organised ground forces that could offer resistance to mechanised forces. In fact, given the formidable river obstacles and the comparative strength of the adversaries, India’s operation in Bangladesh was much swifter in achieving its targets. The objectives in Iraq, on the other hand, are yet to be fully achieved. Mehta should have given more space to the upsurge in guerrilla warfare and US reaction.

But Mehta’s chapter on lessons of war is instructive. The need for forging a politico-military strategy, devising a joint air-land doctrine, bold, unconventional thinking are lessons we’re yet to imbibe. As Mehta observes, "The abiding lesson of the Iraq war was that while it is easy to start a war, it is extremely difficult to end it on the initiator’s terms." A significant addition to our corpus of military literature.