The publication of this book coincides with the second anniversary of the armed conflict between Russia and Georgia on August 8-12, 2008, now dubbed the Five Day War. The conflict was triggered by Georgia's ambitious and nationalistic president, Mikhail Saakashvili, who attempted a "blitzkrieg" to conquer the former Georgian autonomy of South Ossetia, which had proclaimed independence. That attempt led to a military intervention by Russia, which acted as the guarantor of peace in the region, and the first "official war" between Russia and one of the former Soviet republics. This work contains six essays, from a primarily Russian perspective, which provide an in-depth analysis of the political, social, economic, and military context for and causes of the war, the nature of wartime military operations, the human and material costs of the brief struggle, and the war's likely implications for the future.

In this monograph, the authors state that Russia planned the war against Georgia in August 2008 aiming for the annexation of Abkhazia, weakening the Saakashvili regime, and prevention of NATO enlargement. According to them, while Russia won the campaign, it also exposed its own military as badly needing reform. The war also demonstrated weaknesses of the NATO and the European Union security systems.

Volume I covers in detail the background, strategic regrouping, and strategic planning and conduct of the offensive.

In the seventy years that have passed since the tank first appeared, antitank combat has presented one of the greatest challenges in land warfare. Dramatic improvements in tank technology and doctrine over the years have precipitated equally innovative developments in the antitank field. One cycle in this ongoing arms race occurred during the early years of World War II when the U.S. Army sought desperately to find an antidote to the vaunted German blitzkrieg. This Leavenworth Paper analyzes the origins of the tank destroyer concept, evaluates the doctrine and equipment with which tank destroyer units fought, and assesses the effectiveness of the tank destroyer in battle.