The Allies claimed victory at the end of the Second World War, but the United States’ invention of the atomic bomb and its replication by the Soviet Union posed new dangers for all nations. This book examines what Canada’s Cold War Army did to prepare for nuclear war – and why and how it did it. Although the war never materialized, officers, scientists, engineers, and designers developed a collaborative and systematic approach to problem solving that not only transformed the organization of Canada’s army but also influenced how armies in the Western Alliance related to one another during the Cold War and beyond.

Andrew B. Godefroy's profile page

Andrew B. Godefroy is a strategic analyst and historian with the Canadian Army, editor-in-chief of the Canadian Army Journal, and the author of Defence and Discovery: Canada’s Military Space Program, 1945-74 (UBC Press, 2011).

… this is a book that matters, and it should be read widely.

Canadian Historical Review

…by stressing the evolution of Canadian Army strategic thinking and institutional development as well as what the Canadian Army did to be successful on the new conventional-nuclear battlefield during the first two decades of the Cold War, In Peace Prepared is a major addition to Canadian historiography. Written in a clear and compelling style, this work will appeal to academics and professional military personnel who wish to learn how big and complex is the task to plan, establish, build and manage a modern professional army.

Canadian Military History