In the second half of the twentieth century, strategic and economic conditions compelled the U.S. government to start running budget deficits on a permanent basis. A new role of global leadership in containing communism required a robust military establishment. The federal government overwhelmingly relied for general revenue on an income tax code that also could not impede economic growth. And general revenue increasingly funded transfer payments in an expanding entitlement state. Fiscal overstretch resulted in unending deficits that continue to this day. At first the shift to deficit normality was not obvious. The Truman and Eisenhower administrations attempted to hold the line on deficits, but this commitment gradually waned in subsequent years. Arms, Revenue, and Entitlements: U.S. Deficits in the Cold War, 1945–1991 looks at the Cold War era from a budgetary perspective and how defense spending, income tax reductions, and entitlement programs all contributed to the emergence of the deficit normative state. As national debt continues to climb in the twenty-first century, Arms, Revenue, and Entitlements shows how the U.S. reached this point and how a comprehensive policy approach might again restore fiscal stability.

The U.S. Army War College (USAWC) is proud to present the 28th Edition of How the Army Runs: A Senior Leader Reference Handbook, 2011-2012. Publication of this text at this time, when the Army has been at war for almost a decade, has almost completed restructuring of its operating force, and is addressing the structure of the generating force, as well as completing formidable base closure and restationing actions, gives credence to the enduring truth that in order to be successful the Army must sustain and improve itself while it is fully committed to the Nation's bidding. The systems and processes documented and explained in this work are designed to do just that. This text was prepared under the direction of the faculty of the Department of Command, Leadership, and Management. It is intended to be used in an academic environment during the study of the systems and processes used to develop and sustain trained and ready combat forces to be used by the Combatant Commanders.