Whose Mission, Whose Orders?: British Civil-Military Command and Control in Northern Ireland, 1968-1974

by David A. Charters

Overview

The 1998 Good Friday Agreement that ended the conflict in Northern Ireland left intriguing questions unanswered: who made the crucial decisions about the use of the British Army during the Troubles - the politicians or the generals? And how did these decisions shape the army’s operations on the ground? In Whose Mission, Whose Orders?, David Charters pulls back the curtain on secret debates between British politicians and generals, as each struggled to assert their control over army operations. Consulting original sources, Charters examines the roles played by politicians, generals, and senior civil servants in the initial deployment of troops in 1969, the internment operation, the removal of the “no-go” areas, and the Ulster Workers' Council general strike. The case studies highlight the army’s dualistic character as both a professional force and a skilled political player. Despite its political function, Charters argues, politicians did not always listen to the army’s military advice, leading to unsound decisions that aggravated and prolonged the unrest. Illustrating the complex and dynamic balance of civil and military objectives that informed security policy and operations during the conflict in Northern Ireland, Whose Mission, Whose Orders? offers new perspectives on command and control in unconventional warfare.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780773549265
Publisher:	McGill-Queens University Press
Publication date:	05/22/2017
Pages:	328
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 1.20(d)

About the Author

David A. Charters is a retired professor of military history at the University of New Brunswick.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments ix

Abbreviations xi

Illustrations xiii

Introduction 3

1 The Machinery of Civil-Military Command and Control 24

2 Planning for Aid to the Civil Power, 1968-1969 40

3 Troops on the Streets, 1969 59

4 Operation Demetrius: Internment, 1971 89

5 Bloody Sunday, 1972 118

6 The Army and Direct Rule, 1972 138

7 Operation Motorman, 1972 155

8 The Army and the Ulster Workers' Council Strike, 1974 179

Conclusion 206

Glossary 221

Notes 223

Bibliography 271

Index 283

Editorial Reviews

Whose Mission, Whose Orders? provides great insight into the decision-making process during a key time in Northern Ireland history.” Tony Novosel, University of Pittsburgh

From the Publisher