U.S. Military Service

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.