This paper focuses on the formulation of doctrine since World War II. In no comparable period in history have the dimensions of the battlefield been so altered by rapid technological changes. The need for the tactical doctrines of the Army to remain correspondingly abreast of these changes is thus more pressing than ever before. Future conflicts are not likely to develop in the leisurely fashions of the past where tactical doctrines could be refined on the battlefield itself. It is, therefore, imperative that we apprehend future problems with as much accuracy as possible. One means of doing so is to pay particular attention to the business of how the Army's doctrine has developed historically, with a view to improving methods of future development.

Japan’s decision to attack the United States in 1941 is widely regarded as irrational to the point of suicidal. How could Japan hope to survive a war with, much less defeat, an enemy possessing an invulnerable homeland and an industrial base 10 times that of Japan? The Pacific War was one that Japan was always going to lose, so how does one explain Tokyo’s decision? Did the Japanese recognize the odds against them? Did they have a concept of victory, or at least of avoiding defeat? Or did the Japanese prefer a lost war to an unacceptable peace? Dr. Jeffrey Record takes a fresh look at Japan’s decision for war, and concludes that it was dictated by Japanese pride and the threatened economic destruction of Japan by the United States. He believes that Japanese aggression in East Asia was the root cause of the Pacific War, but argues that the road to war in 1941 was built on American as well as Japanese miscalculations and that both sides suffered from cultural ignorance and racial arrogance. Record finds that the Americans underestimated the role of fear and honor in Japanese calculations and overestimated the effectiveness of economic sanctions as a deterrent to war, whereas the Japanese underestimated the cohesion and resolve of an aroused American society and overestimated their own martial prowess as a means of defeating U.S. material superiority. He believes that the failure of deterrence was mutual, and that the descent of the United States and Japan into war contains lessons of great and continuing relevance to American foreign policy and defense decision-makers.

A narrative history and assessment of the early years of Robert McNamara's tenure as Secretary of Defense, including McNamara's relationship with Presidents Kennedy and Johnson, the transformation of the Department of Defense as a part of Kennedy's New Frontier, and the Pentagon's handling of the Cuban Missile Crisis, Bay of Pigs episode, and onset of the Vietnam War along with other major national security events and developments during a turbulent and momentous period of the Cold War. (Fuller description is on the dust jacket flaps.)

Author Edward Keefer chronicles and analyses the tenure of Secretary of Defense Harold Brown, who worked to counter the Soviet Union's growing military strength during the administration of President Jimmy Carter. Flush with cash from oil and gas development, the Soviets came closest to matching the United States in strategic power than at any other point in the Cold War, threatening to make the U.S. land-based missile force vulnerable to a first strike. By most reckonings the Kremlin also surpassed the West in conventional arms and forces in Central Europe, creating a direct threat to NATO. In response, Brown, a nuclear physicist, advocated for the development of more technologically advanced weapon systems to offset the Soviet military advantage, but faced Carter's efforts to reign in the defense budget. Eventually the secretary, backed by the JCS, the national security adviser, and key members of Congress, persuaded a reluctant Carter to increase defense spending for the last two years of his term. As a result weapons development such as stealth technology, precision-guided bombs, and cruise missiles went forward. These initiatives and more provided a head start for the acclaimed Ronald Reagan revolution in defense. As the author points out, there was more continuity than contrast in defense policy between Carter and Reagan. The book also highlights Brown's policymaking efforts and his influence on Carter as the administration responded to international events such as the Middle East peace process, the Iran revolution and hostage crisis, the rise of radical Islam, negotiations with the Soviets over arms limitations, the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, and the creation of a new security framework in the Persian Gulf region. Other topics cover policy toward Latin America Africa, China, and Southeast Asia. The book is also a history of the Defense Department, including the continual development of the All-Volunteer Force and the organizational changes that saw improved policy formulation and acquisition decisions. Political strategists, political scientists, international relations scholars, foreign policy advocates, historians, and political economists may be interested in this comprehensive historical reference for United States defense and foreign policy under the James (Jimmy) Carter administration. High school students pursuing research for essays and term papers for Government, Modern World History, and United States History may be interested in this resource. Additionally, undergraduate and graduate level students may be interested in this authoritative resource for research relating to international relations, public administration, military science, public policy economics, and introduction to political theory courses. Related products: Presidential History resources collection is available here: https: //bookstore.gpo.gov/catalog/presidential-history Other resources relating to the President James (Jimmy) Carter administration can be found here: https: //bookstore.gpo.gov/catalog/39-jimmy-carter Foreign Relations of the United States (FRUS) series resources can be found here: https: //bookstore.gpo.gov/catalog/foreign-relations-united-states-series-frus Other published works by the US Department of Defense, Office of the Secretary of Defense can be found here: https: //bookstore.gpo.gov/agency/office-secretary-defense