The Last of the Human Warriors

Europe now faces the possibility of war in a way it has not since 1945 .

The ongoing war in Ukraine , the growing possibility of a Chinese invasion of Taiwan , and the fighting in Gaza , the West Bank , and Lebanon , all threaten to escape the containment now sought by the US and become total war.

Such a war will need warriors, and after nearly eight decades of peaceful consumption in Western cultures, it remains to be seen if Western states are capable of providing them.

In the US , Master Sergeant (later Major ) Richard Meadows laid down the template for special forces by demonstrating extraordinary courage in freeing hostages.

In the UK , Lieutenant Colonel David Stirling created what became the Special Air Service .

These men were regarded with suspicion by their commanders and always with dread by their targets.