J. Kenneth Eward Livres

"The US Marine Corps has been a key part of the US presence in a host of combat zones in the first years of the 21st century, from Iraq to Afghanistan. With a front-line strength of over 200,000 active-duty personnel, the USMC is significantly larger than the entire armed forces of some countries. It fulfils a vital component of the United States' military capability, uniquely being able to deploy a combined-arms task force to almost anywhere across the globe in a matter of days. The infantry role is at the heart of USMC thinking; all Marines are trained as riflemen, and other components of the USMC, such as Marine aviation, have always been tasked first and foremost with supporting the infantry on the ground. While sharing some weapons systems with the US Army, US Navy, and US Air Force, the Marine Corps has developed its own distinctive approach to matters of dress, personal equipment and armament. Since the year 2000 the "profile" of the Western combat infantryman has changed greatly. The most important trends are a new generation of camouflage clothing, body armor, personal electronics, and night-vision equipment, which have transformed the appearance and capability of the individual rifleman. Another trend is the increased presence of women on the battlefield, which has design implications. The men and women of the USMC have been at the forefront of these developments, utilizing innovative items of dress and equipment during their extensive service in a range of challenging environments across the world." --Publisher description

The Pleiku campaign of October-November 1965 was a major event in the Vietnam War, involving the first substantial battles between the People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) and the US Army. Playing a major role in this campaign was the US 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile), a new type of formation equipped with a large fleet of helicopters. In the wake of the PAVN siege of the Special Forces camp at Plei Me, the division was tasked with pursuing the retreating Communists. The resultant clashes at landing zones X-Ray and Albany between the PAVN troops based in the Chu Pong Massif and the 1st Cavalry have become iconic, and are superbly documented here using detailed maps, specially commissioned bird's-eye-views, period photographs, and vivid battlescenes. -- Back cover

In the age of modern warfare the changing landscape of the 21st century battlefield has demanded a transformation within the US Marine Corps Special Operations. This volume offers a detailed study of the characteristics, and performance in the field, of the most modern combat gear and weapons provided for USMC specialist operators.

US Marine Corps odgrywał kluczową rolę w obecności USA w rozlicznych strefach walki. Choć niektóre systemy uzbrojenia miał takie same jak pozostałe formacje armii amerykańskiej, opracował jednak własne, odrębne podejście do kwestii umundurowania, osobistego wyposażenia oraz uzbrojenia. Najistotniejsze trendy to nowa generacja wzorów kamuflażu, ochrony osobistej oraz sprzętu noktowizyjnego, które spowodowały transformację w wyglądzie i możliwościach pojedynczego strzelca. Żołnierze płci męskiej i żeńskiej USMC znajdowali się w czołówce tych przemian wykorzystując nowatorskie elementy umundurowania i wyposażenia podczas swej służby w przeróżnego rodzaju wymagającym otoczeniu na całym świecie. Ta praca, zawierająca barwne, wykonane na specjalne zlecenie ilustracje, a także szczegółowe zdjęcia bada kluczowy wkład USMC w rozwój umundurowania żołnierza piechoty oraz jego osobistego wyposażenia w XXI wieku.