A TLS and a Prospect Book of the Year

A revelatory, explosive new analysis of the military today.

Over the first two decades of the twenty-first century the British Army fought in Iraq and Afghanistan, at considerable financial and human cost. Yet neither war achieved its objectives. Award-winning journalist Simon Akam questions why, and provides challenging but necessary answers. Composed from assiduous documentary research, field reportage, and hundreds of interviews, this book is a strikingly rich, nuanced portrait of one of our pivotal national institutions in a time of great stress.

This is as much a book about Britain, and about the politics of failure, as it is about the military.

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‘The truth about the British Army’

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‘A blockbuster critique … with heaps of evidence.’

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‘A new book looks at the changes the British Army has undergone and roles it has played as an almost volunteer sidekick to the American military in the war on terror.’

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‘Akam is an angry young man and the book is better for it.’

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‘A passionate book.’

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‘It’s compellingly written — I got through all 500-plus pages in two sittings – and it is certainly worth the effort.’

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‘Detailed and well structured.’

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‘Impassioned … It is a valuable addition to analysing the past, present, and future of a venerated institution.’

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‘Simon Akam … has written a timely, elegant, and important book, The Changing of the Guard, about the British army’s failures in Afghanistan and Iraq.’

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‘Full of gripping reportage and compelling personal stories … the story he tells is profoundly important.’

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‘Akam makes many important points and reports in depth on officers’ recollections of specific episodes.’

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‘A “state-of-the-nation” book of resounding power, deep conviction, and far-reaching significance.’

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‘A blistering account … Akam’s research, including interviews with 260 individuals, is formidable.’

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‘Akam contends that there was as little accountability within the military hierarchy as there was outside it … The military would obviously like to avoid a close examination of this unbroken string of catastrophes, but Akam’s book is a gentle account — critical, but not unsympathetic.’

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‘The Changing of the Guard is a major book that provides the first serious analysis of the effectiveness of the modern British Army … With a particular focus on the failure of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, he gives a brunt assessment of the Army as an institution and its role in society. There is lots of interesting material here and some relevant lessons for Australia.’

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‘A scathing account of the British army in the years after 9/11 … Akam has not just done his homework, interviewing 260 people, but also shows his working in 89 pages of footnotes, full of forensic detail — and delicious gossip.’

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‘It is a review of the British Army … It does not tell a ‘pretty’ story — rather, it is a ‘warts and all’ tale … Simon Akam has written a fine book on how and why the British Army has changed, between 2001 and 2020. For those who have seen military service, it will provide a broad picture of the conditions some soldiers have faced in the early 21st Century. For those who have not, it shows clearly the true face of war, as it is fought in this day and age, and may, possibly, be fought in the near future and within current social value sets.’

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‘[In] beautifully written, evocative, and passionate prose, [Akam places] you in the boots of British soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan suddenly discovering the mission they’ve volunteered for isn’t the war they’re fighting at all … He begins asking questions at ground level, 260 interviews probing everyone from commanders, medal winners to those convicted of war crimes … This breadth of research gives Akam’s book immense power.’

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‘[A] valuable and salutary read.’

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‘The Changing of the Guard has contributed to the ongoing debate over how the British Army might change further as it enters a post-pandemic world where security challenges demand considerable flexibility of mind… Anything that provokes such self-awareness is good for institutions.’

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‘This is an unofficial oral history, created by hundreds of interviews as well as documents and personal observations by the author … This is a well written, organised and researched book … It reads well and is dynamic keeping the reader engaged … I commend Simon Akam for creating an accurate book that could be used as a Leadership discussion case study for the British Army as well as other militaries … It should become required reading at Sandhurst and the UK Joint Services Command and Staff College as well as the Defence Academy of the UK.’