Elite Military Formations in War and Peace

From Thermopylae to Belfast, elite military formations have been deployed against conventional or irregular forces. This study offers an analysis of elites in military history. A collection of studies by distinguished scholars, it illuminates, through a combination of overview and case study, a historical subject that has profound implications for the development of specialised forces in the post-Cold War Era. The study uses a comparative approach which investigates the topic over time and across culture.