"Blue on Blue, Fratricide, Friendly Fire is a persistent and unwelcome feature in war, and has been throughout the history of warfare. In the distractions and confusion of battle, it seems inevitable that on occasions military forces will go on attacking those whom they should not attack. There are three main themes in the book. The first explores the nature and common origins of fratricide, the second the part played by humans in fratricide incidents and the third looks ahead in addressing ways of tackling the problem. Each essay has been commissioned specifically for this work from an international group of experts in the field. Considered together the book provides a cohesive understanding of fratricide in its historical context and offers important lessons to future generations. One of the strong themes from these lessons is that fratricide is very largely a human issue, and therefore all attempts to reduce it must consider the human being at the heart of the system as a very high priority. "

Author Biography

Charles Kirke is Lecturer in Military Anthropology and Human Factors at Cranfield University, UK. He has worked with Combat Identification issues in various posts since 1981, both as a military officer and scholar.