KEYNOTE: A practical guide to modern warfare, particularly relevant to today's fight against terrorism The War on Terror has embroiled the United States across the globe in asymmetric warfare environments. Soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines graduating today from basic training are in many ways fighting their fathers' war in Vietnam: booby traps in the form of improvised explosive devices (IEDs), inhospitable terrain, difficult and dangerous re-supply issues, and an enemy who attacks and disappears into the indigenous population. In order to counter these threats, every new and inexperienced soldier, be they cooks, truck drivers, mechanics, or infantrymen, must be prepared to engage the enemy in close combat whenever or however he attacks. After Basic Training: The New Soldier's Guide to Combat on the Modern Battlefield explains and teaches key tactics and information today's men and women must know to survive and thrive on today's battlefields. One of the main principles of asymmetric warfare is to attack the enemy at his weakest points. The forces of terror have proven adept at this tactic. It is the responsibility of every soldier to make sure he has mastered the basic combat skills needed to fight and destroy the enemy. Unit training only goes so far. Adherence to the Soldier's Creed, the Soldier's Code, and the Army Values, plus careful study and practice of all the basic combat skills required to fight and win on the modern battlefield, are some of the soldier's most basic tasks. Loaded with photos, charts, graphs, tables, and the insight gained through personal combat experience, former Army Captain Nicholas Maniatis's After Basic Training is exactly what today's warriors need to be better trained and prepared to accomplish their mission. This book should be required reading for everyone?before and after basic training and regardless of the branch of service. AUTHOR: Nicholas Maniatis is a fourteen-year veteran of the U.S. Army and a former Acting Deputy-Assistant Federal Security Director with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. As an officer in the U.S. Army, Captain Maniatis has actively served in the War on Terror, including a tour in Iraq. He is a graduate of Valley Forge Military Academy and College and Towson University. photographs ncharts
