The US Military: A Basic Introduction

This book aims to provide a basic guide to the US military and will raise questions for further discussion by students.The US spends as much on its military as all other nations the world combined; even in a severe recession, the military budget has been sacrosanct. The US military can reach into the most remote areas of the globe and kill its enemies from long distances with impunity. It is not a citizen military, but a military of senior professionals who command young volunteers many of them attracted by rewards unavailable to them in civilian life, such as an education. Both are supported by large numbers of contractors working for profit.While political scientists study the legislature, the presidency, the courts, public opinion, voting, campaigns, state and local government, only rarely do they refer to government's defining institutions, those that exercise legitimate force, i.e., the police and more especially, the military. Prof. Michael Walzer asserts that in a democracy citizens are responsible for the kind of military they have and how and where it is used. Nevertheless, few political science students have much knowledge on the military.This book will be of much interest to students of the US military, US politics, US defense, and military studies in general.