Since World War II, Japan has become not only a model producer of high-tech consumer goods, but also-despite minimal spending on defense-a leader in innovative technology with both military and civilian uses. In the United States, nearly one in every three scientists and engineers was engaged in defense-related research and development at the end of the Cold War, but the relative strength of the American economy has declined in recent years. What is the relationship between what has happened in the two countries? And where did Japan's technological excellence come from? In an economic history that will arouse controversy on both sides of the Pacific, Richard J. Samuels finds a key to Japan's success in an ideology of technological development that advances national interests. From 1868 until 1945, the Japanese economy was fired by the development of technology to enhance national security; the rallying cry "Rich Nation, Strong Army" accompanied the expanded military spending and aggressive foreign policy that led to the disasters of the War in the Pacific. Postwar economic planners reversed the assumptions that had driven Japan's industrialization, Samuels shows, promoting instead the development of commercial technology and infrastructure. By valuing process improvements as much as product innovation, the modern Japanese system has built up the national capacity to innovate while ensuring that technological advances have been diffused broadly through industries such as aerospace that have both civilian and military applications. Struggling with the uncertainties of a post-Cold War economy, the United States has important lessons to learn from the way Japan has subordinated defense production yet emerged as one of the most technologically sophisticated nations in the world. The Japanese, like the Venetians and the Dutch before them, show us that butter is just as likely as guns to make a nation strong, but that nations cannot hope to be strong without an ideology of technological development that nourishes the entire national economy.

“A must-read book that explores a vital pre-war effort [with] deep research and gripping writing.” —Washington Times In The rise of the G.I. Army, 1940–1941, Paul Dickson tells the dramatic story of how the American Army was mobilized from scattered outposts two years before Pearl Harbor into the disciplined and mobile fighting force that helped win World War II. In September 1939, when Nazi Germany invaded Poland and initiated World War II, America had strong isolationist leanings. The US Army stood at fewer than 200,000 men—unprepared to defend the country, much less carry the fight to Europe and the Far East. And yet, less than a year after Pearl Harbor, the American army led the Allied invasion of North Africa, beginning the campaign that would defeat Germany, and the Navy and Marines were fully engaged with Japan in the Pacific. Dickson chronicles this transformation from Franklin Roosevelt’s selection of George C. Marshall to be Army Chief of Staff to the remarkable peace-time draft of 1940 and the massive and unprecedented mock battles in Tennessee, Louisiana, and the Carolinas by which the skill and spirit of the Army were forged and out of which iconic leaders like Eisenhower, Bradley, and Clark emerged. The narrative unfolds against a backdrop of political and cultural isolationist resistance and racial tension at home, and the increasingly perceived threat of attack from both Germany and Japan.

"Since the publication of the first edition of Head Strong: How Psychology is Revolutionizing War in 2014, developments in military psychology have been rapid and important. So much so, that this revised edition is necessary to accurately capture the vital role that psychology continues to play in 21st century military success. The ideas contained in the first edition influenced emerging doctrine in the Army's Human Dimension, and informed military leaders around the globe of ways that psychological science and practice may be leveraged to improve combat effectiveness. Many of the predictions made in the first edition have come true, and new and exciting products of military psychology now offer novel ways of impacting military outcomes. This revised edition of Head Strong updates the 13 chapters included in the first edition with breaking news in military psychology, and adds new material to augment those chapters. Two entirely new chapters are included in this edition. The first is on character and discusses how to measure it, how to develop it, and how character plays a vital role in the performance of individual soldiers and their units. The second new chapter is based on a year-long special assignment the author spent working as a Fellow for the Army Chief of Staff's Strategic Studies Group, and captures the rapid developments in psychology, cognitive neuroscience, and other disciplines that may help the military optimize soldier and unit performance. Like the other topics in Head Strong, these two new chapters have significant applicability to non-military organizations including schools, corporations, and sports teams. Taken together, the updates and new chapters make Head Strong, Revised Edition essential reading for anyone interested in how the military, and by extension other organizations, may leverage psychology to improve performance."--

Soldier or civilian, if you’re looking to get into shape, the U.S. Army Physical Readiness Training Manual book is the sure-fire way to go! The official fitness and physical readiness guide of the U.S. Army (TC 3-22.20) helps anyone to engage in a rigorous, rewarding regime of physical training. Divided into three sections, the book incorporates the philosophy behind the Army’s training, the types of programs and planning considerations to guide the reader’s own personal training agenda, and the exercises themselves. Whether you need to be “Army Strong” or are just looking to lose that extra holiday weight, the U.S. Army Physical Readiness Training Manual is the book for you!