This volume examines the state of the art in modern military history, and the utility of the subject as a training, educational, and policy-relevant tool for professional armed forces. Part One explores the state of military historical writing in Britain and the United States, and on specific topics, such as air warfare, naval warfare, intelligence, low-intensity conflict, and the most recent trends in "the New Military History". Part 2 illustrates the utility of the historical method in analysing command decision, providing an "institutional memory" for a wide range of policy, command and operational problems, and its application in specific subjects such as naval strategy, and by certain countries (the US, Germany, and the Soviet Union) in the search for "lessons" and fundamental principles. The contributing authors represent a cross-section of academic and official historians recognised as leading scholars in the study of military history. This book should be of interest to the academic and the official historian (and their students) and to military professionals.