HALLORAN : To arm a nation (fülszöveg)
In this superb, groundbreaking book, Richard Halloran, a military correspondent for The New York Times, takes a long overdue look at the current state of America's military power. And the frightening reality Halloran presents is that the ability of the United States armed forces to keep the peace is in grave danger.
The root of this danger is called "the legacy of Vietnam," and in a careful examination of the consequences of Vietnam, Halloran makes clear the agonizing impact the war in Southeast Asia had on our military power structure. For the first time, the military found itself with little support from its citizens. The historically tenuous relationship between the armed forces and the American people had been shattered. And, today, the country is still reeling from the shock.
The effect of Vietnam on the military has led to an army that is not ready for sustained combat. The military can no longer fulfill the global commitments pledged by our national leaders. Today America is unprepared for a conflict more challenging than the invasion of Grenada.
Halloran also points out that our allies and friendly nations are not carrying a proportional share of the military and economic burden for the collective defense. He argues that the defense industry is motivated more by profit than by patriotism, and is permeated with incompetence, inferior workmanship, waste, and outright fraud.
Halloran does, however, see the military's strengths, which lie in the quality and commitment of the enlisted personnel. There is also strength in the nuclear arena, although the only real certainty about nuclear warfare is that no one really knows much about it. The Strategic Defense Initiative—"Star Wars"—is feasible, but as Halloran contends, President Reagan has couched his proposal in a moralistic plea for nuclear arms reduction, thereby leaving the American people with both misconceptions and fears.
To Arm a Nation challenges our military power structure to a sweeping overhaul, and to that end prescribes a ten-point plan for its rejuvenation. It calls for streamlining the Department of Defense, freezing the defense budget, and revising nuclear doctrine. It calls for the most drastic reforms in the history of the American military, reforms that go to the very root of the problem.
Those who serve, those who vote, those who pay taxes deserve the best from the political leaders and military commanders. It is our due. What is more, without it, America is in peril.
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| KATALÓGUS | TARTALOM |
