The work of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in military construction in the Mediterranean Basin and the Middle East created the infrastructure that made the U.S. policies of deterrence and containment possible. This work included not only construction in support of the U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force in these areas but also work executed on behalf of Middle East allies paid for with funds they provided. This book traces the activities of American military engineers from the reconstruction that began in Greece after World War II through the construction of air bases in North Africa, the massive...

Building for Peace traces the U.S. Army's engineering construction activities in Europe, beginning immediately after World War II in 1945 and ending with the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. In their fine organizational account that details the twists and turns of the Cold War's history, Robert P. Grathwol and Donita M. Moorhus describe the often less glamorous but nonetheless critical missions of conscientious Army engineers-military officers, civilians, and local-national employees and contractors-who worked tirelessly to prepare the physical infrastructure in Europe, the...