England’S Military Heartland

'In this revealing, important and timely study, the authors open a window on to a neglected world, part of Britain dominated by the military at the expense of civil society. It is Army country, a “super garrison” on Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire, an area historically rich in rare habitats but where soldiers train for armed conflict. It is also where the families of those preparing to fight for their country are often deprived of basic facilities, living in homes that are in an appalling state. The authors provide a clear picture of life in the “khaki economy” and of a Ministry of Defence “dismissive of independent scrutiny”. They leave the reader with extremely valuable insights and understanding of the Army’s problems, including its recruitment crisis.' Richard Norton-Taylor, author of The State of Secrecy 'I love this book. To comprehend the depth of the British Army's grip on the lives of ordinary people in south-west England, these energetically curious authors have spent years observing and listening to school teachers, their young students, town councillors, farmers, women and men married to soldiers, nature conservers and would-be home buyers. That's just the start. Rejecting the falsely comforting binaries between ""civilian"" and ""military"" and between ""peace"" and ""war,"" England's military heartland exposes the remarkable extent to which militarisation is shaping not only the lives of humans, but the character and quality of the land on which they and other creatures live.' Cynthia Enloe, author of Twelve Feminist Lessons of War 'While the British military's activities overseas are reported in the media -- especially when things go awry-- we know much less about their presence among us in these British isles. This beautifully written and thoughtfully researched book tells us about the British military's ‘super garrison' in the ecologically sensitive environs of Salisbury Plain. The stories here, about local residents wary of the secretive goings on amidst them, heated arguments over land rights, right of way and environmental damage, and contestations over memorials, heritage and the housing of asylum-seekers, are urgent, important, and poignantly recounted.' Laleh Khalili, author of Sinews of War and Trade -- .