WILLIAM E. SIMONS was commissioned in the U.S. Air Force, rising to Colonel rank. After teaching history at the USAF Academy, service at the Pentagon, and two years in the Office of Assistant Secretary of Defense, he retired and joined the RAND Corporation where he conducted research on regional security and defense issues. His most recent books include his collaboration on The Limits of Coercive Diplomacy, 2nd ed. (1994) and Soldiers for Peace (1996).