ISBN-13: 9780815709053 / Angielski / Miękka / 1995 / 338 str.
Throughout most of American history, US military forces proved unready for the wars that were thrust upon them and suffered costly reverses in early battles. During the Cold War, for the first time, US defence policy tried to maintain high readiness in peacetime. But now, with the Cold War over and defence budgets falling, what will happwn to US military forces? Will they revert to a state of unpreparedness or find their balance? Politicians and military planners alike have found this crucial issue especially difficult to deal with because they have often misunderstood what unreadiness really means. In this book, security expert, Ricahrd Betts analyzes why attempts to maximize combat readiness often have counterproductive effects, and how confusions in technical concepts cause political controversy.