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The Masks Of War » (1st Edition)

Book cover image of The Masks Of War by Carl H. Builder

Authors: Carl H. Builder, Sam Nunn
ISBN-13: 9780801837760, ISBN-10: 0801837766
Format: Paperback
Publisher: Johns Hopkins University Press
Date Published: October 1989
Edition: 1st Edition

Author Biography: Carl H. Builder

Book Synopsis

Why was the Navy ready to clear the skies over the Persian Gulf, yet surprised by the mines laid under it? Why is it that the Army is always prepared for war in Europe, but was caught off guard in Korea and Vietnam? And why is the Air Force indifferent to "Star Wars"?

In The Masks of War Carl H. Builder asks what motives lie behind the puzzling and often contradictory behavior of America's military forces. The answer, he finds, has little to do with what party controls the White House or who writes the budget. Far more powerful -- and glacially resistant to change -- are the entrenched institutions and distinct "personalities" of the three armed services themselves.

Booknews

A senior analyst at RAND is distressed, sometimes nearly hysterical, to discover that each branch of the US military pursues its own interests rather than the nation's, but insists that reform can only come from within. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

	Foreword	ix
	Preface	xi
Part I	Personalities	1
1	The Masks of War	3
2	Five Faces of the Service Personalities	17
3	The Service Identities and Behavior	31
Part II	Strategy	45
4	What Is Strategy?	47
5	Service Strategies	57
6	The Air Strategy	67
7	The Navy and Strategy	74
8	The Army and Strategy	86
Part III	Analysis	93
9	What Is Analysis?	95
10	Service Styles toward Analysis	104
11	Images of Conflict	115
Part IV	Implications	125
12	The Service Concepts of War	127
13	Military Commitments to Combat	143
14	Implications for Military Planning	154
15	Implications for Regional Security	168
Part V	Prospects	183
16	The Army's Identity Crisis	185
17	Implications for the Future	194
	Notes	207
	Bibliography	231
	Index	235