This is the second edition of a superb report on convoy ambushes in the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars. Following the terrorist attack on September 11, 2001, the US Army found itself fighting two wars without any established front lines again turning logistics convoys into combat operations. A new generation of young men and women, with little formal training in or preparation for these operations, battled daily with the enemy to get their cargo through. In doing so the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan saw the rebirth of gun trucks and convoy security doctrine that went beyond the lessons of the Vietnam War. Against an enemy that used the desert and mountains to their tactical advantage, convoy tactics, techniques and procedures quickly evolved to counter the most violent opposition encountered by US forces. Each ambush recounts in vivid detail incredible acts of heroism by both military and civilian truck drivers as they struggled to survive under harrowing conditions and knowing they would go back out on the road again the next day. The last chapter sums up lessons that have remained consistent through three wars and reveals valuable insights from units that either managed to avoid ambushes or defeated their ambushers. The study of both volumes will arm the reader for future conflicts and teach how to conduct convoy security in multiple combat environments. From the book: "Another problem that hindered development of any convoy security doctrine was that Americans saw the insurgency of the Vietnam War as an anomaly in history and incorrectly assumed that its wars would continue be broad front wars like World War II. Oddly, the broad front concept of war that began during World War I and ended with Desert Storm was the anomaly, and armies advancing into enemy territory bypassing enemy resistance had been the norm before and would be again in Iraq. Even the convoy ambushes during military operations in Somalia did not inspire anyone to develop convoy security doctrine. In fact support troops only fired the minimum 40 rounds per year on weapons qualification with no cross training in other weapons. They were not seen as needing any additional weapons training as a cost cutting measure. The death of four MPs due to a mine explosion did result in the development of the up-armored HMMWV M1114, but it was initially just issued to MPs and Cavalry units, or-not transportation units for convoy security. Surprisingly, the ambush of the 507th Maintenance Company in An Nasiriyah still did not inspire any changes. The last element of a 600-vehicle column, the 507th had missed its turn and drove into a town controlled by militia as the 3rd Infantry Division advanced to Baghdad. The ambush unfortunately was interpreted as an accident and not a precursor of things to come."

When the enemy adopts a policy to attack convoys, truck drivers become front line troops. Convoy commanders must then become tacticians. How to study war? The student of tactics studies previous fights and mentally places himself in the position of the participants. Knowing what they knew, how would he have reacted? In hind sight, what was the best course of action, remembering that there is no one perfect solution? Any number of actions would have succeeded. The tactician must learn what would have worked best for him. For this reason, I have pulled together all the examples of convoy ambushes. The 20th century, Vietnam War, and current war in Iraq provide a wealth of examples of convoy ambushes from which to study. Unfortunately, the US Army did not record many good accounts of ambushes during the Vietnam War. Much of what is presented in this text is based upon oral interviews of the participants, sometimes backed by official record, citations or reports. For this reason, some of the ambush case studies present only the perspective of a crew member of a gun truck or the convoy commander. Since this academic study works best when one mentally takes the place of one of the participants, this view of the ambush serves a useful purpose. After my own review of the ambushes, I have drawn my own conclusion as to what principles apply to convoy ambushes.

Case studies include lethal and nonlethal missions performed by soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan. The events chronicled span the spectrum of participants from officers to noncommissioned officers, and from combat units to support personnel, all in contact with a vicious and unforgiving enemy.

In this book US Army Transportation Corps Historian, Richard E. Killblane, utitlizes the expertise of professionals with lived experience of synchronizing military transportation from end to end to uniquely explore how military transportation logistics have evolved during the last half of the 20th Century and beyond towards greater efficiency.

Since its release in 1994, Killing Zone: A Professional's Guide to Preparing and Preventing Ambushes has been hailed by military professionals for its clarity and depth of understanding of ambushes. Now, this classicbook has been retitled and thoroughly revised and updated for today's evolving battlefield. Ambush! contains much of the original material drawn from author Gary Stubblefield's experiences in Vietnam and beyond as a U.S. Navy SEAL and counterinsurgency expert Mark Monday's decades of research and analysis. Now the book has been reorganized and expanded based on the battlefield knowledge of U.S. Army Special Forces Lt. Col. Joshua Potter, a decorated combat veteran of Iraq who used, refined, and updated the original edition. Ambush! incorporates the expertise of combat veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan, security contractors, and Special Operations professionals who have set up ambushes in war-torn Central and South America, Africa, and the Philippines. It includes: A revised look at the anatomy, operational cycle, and warning signs of an ambush Lessons learned from conducting, preventing, and countering ambushes in Afghanistan and Iraq Procedures for dealing with ambushes involving IEDs Counterambush and antiambush tactics, techniques, and procedures utilizing current technology, as well aslow-tech and improvised solutions Special considerations for NGOs operating in contested areas Ambush! is much more than a book of ambush case studies – it is a practical survival guide to some of the most treacherous regions of the world.