| This War Really Matters: Inside the Fight for Defense Dollars Revised Edition Contributor(s): Wilson, George C. (Author) |
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ISBN: 1568024606 ISBN-13: 9781568024608 Publisher: CQ Press OUR PRICE: $94.05 Product Type: Paperback Published: October 1999 Annotation: Veteran military correspondent George C. Wilson paints a realistic picture of how defense budgets are constructed and approved. His fast-paced narrative interwoven with personal stories and insights from the major players gives readers an inside look at the battle between the 105th Congress and the Pentagon as they agreed on a 250 billion dollar defense budget. Accessible in level and style, Wilson's journalistic prose demystifies the Realpolitik among highly partisan members of Congress, the individual armed forces, as well as civilian and military leaders, thus giving readers a sense of the tradeoffs involved on all sides. With a critical eye, Wilson looks ahead to the wars of the 21st century and asks tough questions: are we ready for future wars or are we prepared for the last war -- the Cold War? Does the Pentagon need more money? Can it really do its job with less? Is pork barrel politics really necessary? |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - Political Science | Security (national & International) - Technology & Engineering | Military Science - Political Science | American Government - Legislative Branch |
| Dewey: 355.622 |
| LCCN: 99-048667 |
| Physical Information: 0.52" H x 5.98" W x 8.94" (0.76 lbs) 200 pages |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: Drawing on nearly 40 years of news writing focused on military issues, George C. Wilson takes the reader through a fascinating, but little understood, process: how the Pentagon and Congress spend $500,000 a minute on guns and soldiers. Interweaving personal stories and insights from the major players throughout a fast-paced narrative, Wilson provides an inside look at how the 105th Congress and the Pentagon battled for a 250 billion dollar defense budget. Wilson demystifies the realpolitik among the individual armed forces and highly partisan members of Congress, as well as civilian and military leaders, thus giving a sense of the trade-offs involved on all sides. Exclusive interviews with major players--including Secretary of Defense William S. Cohen, Rep. David R. Obey, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Hugh H. Shelton--relate their distinctive perspectives on how Congress allocates and the Pentagon spends defense dollars. Wilson takes a look ahead--with a critical eye--to the wars of the next century and asks tough questions: Are we ready for future wars or are we still preparing for the last war, the Cold War? Does the Pentagon need more money? Or can it really do its job with less? |
Contributor Bio(s): Wilson, George C.: - George C. Wilson is the former chief defense correspondent for the Washington Post and is a columnist for Army Times, Navy Times, and Air Force Times. He is the author of the bestseller Supercarrier and numerous other books, including Flying the Edge: The Making of the Navy Test Pilots and Mud Soldiers: Life Inside the New American Army. |
