Publisher's Synopsis
This work is a fascinating overview of Americans' complex and occasionally uneasy relationship with military service, from World War II to the age of global terrorism.
The end of the Cold War ushered in a new kind of war that has already made conventional tactics and strategy obsolete. How has the U.S. military responded?
In U.S. Military Service: A Reference Handbook, Cynthia Watson, professor of strategy at the National War College, analyzes the major issues that are reshaping the military in the era of global terrorism-problems of recruitment, urban warfare, effective use of electronic media, and rebuilding failed states. She also examines the unprecedented policy of relinquishing military duties to the for-profit sector, which has occurred in both Afghanistan and Iraq. Through a combination of detailed analysis and broad overview, the work shows how the U.S. military is quickly transforming itself into a leaner, more agile force.
- Up-to-the-minute coverage of personalities including important figures from the war on terrorism and an extensive list of resources, including print and electronic media and blogs
- Primary documents include a speech by Bill Clinton on gays in the military and a transcript from an NPR interview with Donald Rumsfeld
