Nations in Arms

Nations in Arms is described as "an engrossing study" by the Times Literary Supplement, recognised as one of its Books of the Year 2025.

This critical study analyses five historical armies, offering solutions for how contemporary forces need to change to tackle modern threats. The most important task of any government remains the defence of its state and citizens. Traditionally, governments have relied on armed forces to fulfil this duty. However, world events and the comparative peace in Europe since 1989 have caused many European governments to lose their focus on defence. Recent events have demonstrated that war remains as nasty, violent, destructive, and prevalent as ever, necessitating a fundamental rethinking of the relationship between governments, armies, and soldiers.

History provides several examples of states that have successfully reconstructed their armies, both on the battlefield and in terms of their relationship with the state they are duty-bound to protect. Nations in Arms explores five such armies: the 4th-century Roman army of Constantine the Great, the 15th-century Ottoman army of Sultan Mehmet II, Cromwell’s New Model Army during the English Civil War, the Prussian Army of the Napoleonic Wars, and the US Army of the Second World War.

Authored by former senior military officer and renowned military historian Barney White-Spunner, the book draws on the experiences of these armies to establish long-standing principles that remain relevant today. This is a book about armies, their loyalties, their organisation, and their very souls.