1.

Record Nr.

UNINA9910814662603321

Titolo

Drawdown : the American way of postwar / / editor, Jason W. Warren

Pubbl/distr/stampa

New York : , : New York University Press, , [2016]

©[2016]

ISBN

1-4798-4314-8

Descrizione fisica

1 online resource (325 pages)

Collana

Warfare and culture series

Disciplina

355.2/90973

Soggetti

Armed Forces - Reorganization

Armed Forces - Demobilization

Military history

History

Case studies.

United States

United States History, Military Case studies

United States Armed Forces Demobilization

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Note generali

Includes index.

Nota di contenuto

Introduction : The American way of postwar : the liberty dilemma / Michael E. Lynch -- The art of war : early Anglo-American translation, 1607-1643 / Kevin McBride with Ashley Bissonnette -- Liberty paradox : the failure of the military system in mid-seventeenth-century New England / Jason W. Warren -- Surprisingly professional : trajectories in Army Officer Corps drawdowns, 1783-1848 / Samuel Watson -- Challenged competency : U. S. cavalry before, during, and after the U.S. Civil War / John A. Bonin -- The elusive lesson : U.S. Army unpreparedness from 1898 to 1938 / Edward A. Gutierrez with Michael S. Neiberg -- When the smoke clears : the interwar years as an unlikely success story / Michael R. Matheny -- Searching for the Greatest Generation's army in 1950 / Scott Bertinetti and John A. Bonin -- The post-Korean War drawdown under the Eisenhower administration / Raymond Millen -- Once again with the high and mighty : "new look" austerity, "flexible response" buildup, and the U.S. Army in Vietnam,



1954-1970 / Martin G. Clemis -- Post-Vietnam drawdown : the myth of the Abrams Doctrine / Conrad C. Crane -- The "good" drawdown : the post-Vietnam alignment of resources / Antulio J. Echevarria II -- Preaching after the devil's death : U.S. post-Cold War drawdown / Richard A. Lacquement Jr.

Sommario/riassunto

While traditionally, Americans view expensive military structure as a poor investment and a threat to liberty, they also require the employment of armed forces as a guarantee of that very freedom. Beginning with the wars of the English colonies, Americans typically increased their military capabilities at the beginning of conflicts only to decrease them at the apparent conclusion of hostilities. In [this book], a stellar team of military historians argue that the United States sometimes managed effective drawdowns, sowing the seeds of future victory. Yet at other times, the drawing down of military capabilities undermined our readiness and flexibility, leading to more costly wars and perhaps defeat. The political choice to reduce military capabilities is influenced by Anglo-American pecuniary deicions and traditional fears of government oppression, and it has been haphazard throughout American history. These two factors form the basic American "liberty dilemma," the vexed relationship between the nation and its military apparatuses from the founding of the first colonies through to present times. With the termination of large-scale operations in Iraq and the winnowing of forces in Afghanistan, the United states military once again faces a significant drawdown in standing force structure and capabilities. The political and military debate around how best to affect this force reduction lacks a proper historical perspective. This volume aspires to inform this dialogue. Not a traditional military history, Drawdown analyzes cultural attitudes, political decisions, and institutions surrounding the maintenance of armed forces. -- Back cover.