The masks of war
Subtitle: American military styles in strategy and analysis
By: Carl H. Builder ; foreword by Sam Nunn.
Series: A Rand Corporation research study
Publisher: Johns Hopkins University Press
Published: 1989
Place of publication: Baltimore
Language: eng
Number of pages: 240
Subjects: Military planning -- United States.; Strategy.; United States -- Military policy.; United States -- Armed Forces.
Description: Why was the Navy ready to clear the skies over the Persian Gulf, yet surprised by the mines laid under it? Why is it that the Army is always prepared for war in Europe, but was caught off guard in Korea and Vietnam? And why is the Air Force indifferent to "Star Wars"? In The Masks of War Carl H. Builder asks what motives lie behind the puzzling and often contradictory behavior of America's military forces. The answer, he finds, has little to do with what party controls the White House or who writes the budget. Far more powerful -- and glacially resistant to change -- are the entrenched institutions and distinct "personalities" of the three armed services themselves. ON THE US ARMY CHIEFS OF STAFF PROFESSIONAL READING LIST 2012.
Notes: Bibliography: p. 231-234.
Includes index.