1st Edition
Understanding the U.S. Military
This book offers an accessible introduction to the U.S. military as an institution and provides insights into the military’s structure and norms.
Designed for undergraduate students, the book offers an interdisciplinary overview of America’s armed forces through three critical lenses. First, it introduces the military’s constitutional and historical context. Second, it presents concise factual information chosen for its relevance to the military’s structures, procedures, norms, and varied activities. Finally, it intersperses these facts with debates, theories, and questions to spark student interest, class discussion, and further research. The text is written for the beginner but covers complex topics such as force structure and the defense budget. With contributions informed by both scholarly approaches and long military careers, the book will prepare students for further studies in international relations, civil-military relations, or U.S. foreign policy. It also encourages critical thinking, elucidating an institution that undergraduates and other civilians too often perceive as both baffling and above reproach.
This book will be of much interest to students of the U.S. military, civil-military relations, U.S. politics, and public policy.
Introduction
Section One: The U.S. Military’s Context
1. The U.S. Military in the Constitution
Thomas Sheppard
2. Civil-Military Relations
Damon Coletta
Section Two: The Branches of Service and Reserve Component
3. The United States Army
Michael Meese
4. The United States Navy
Doyle Hodges
5. The United States Air Force
Heather Venable
6. The United States Marine Corps
Jim Seaton
7. The United States Space Force
David Arnold
8. The National Guard and Reserves
Miranda Summers Lowe
Section Three: Structural and Normative Constraints
9. Command Relationships
Francis J.H. Park
10. The Joint Force
Cynthia A. Watson
11. Strategy
Katherine Carroll and William B. Hickman
12. The U.S. Defense Budget
Todd Harrison
13. Military Justice
Michael A. Newton and Dru Brenner-Beck
14. Military Medicine
Robert B. Hulette
15. Recruiting and Strength Management
Bruce R. Orvis
16. Tactics
B.A. Friedman
17. Training and Education
Richard A. Lacquement Jr.
18. The Profession of Arms
Nathan K. Finney
Biography
Katherine Carroll is a non-tenure track associate professor at Vanderbilt University where she teaches courses on the U.S. military, the Iraq War, and the Middle East in the Department of Political Science. She is also the associate director of Vanderbilt’s Program in Public Policy Studies.
William B. Hickman is a retired Major General in the U.S. Army, with extensive experience supporting our European Allies, deployments in support of operations in Iraq, Afghanistan, and the Middle East, and strategic and operational assignments focused on U.S. national security.
"Understanding the U.S. Military is by far the best primer in existence on the history and organization of the U.S. Department of Defense and military services, their role in American society, and the challenges they confront today. The authors have accomplished the near impossible – making comprehensible to the lay reader the myriad complex organizations and operations of the U.S. defense establishment. Highly recommended for course adoption at the undergraduate and graduate levels for education and training in national security and citizenship."
Peter R. Mansoor, Colonel, USA (Ret.), Ohio State University, USA, Author of Surge: My Journey with General David Petraeus and the Remaking of the Iraq War
"Understanding the U.S. Military has arrived just in time. American citizens are increasingly disconnected from those who serve and fight in their name. If the American people do not understand the requirements of national defense or the warrior ethos that is foundational to military effectiveness, our ability to deter conflict and, if necessary, to fight and win wars will be greatly diminished. That is why it is important to read and discuss this book.''
H.R. McMaster, Lieut. Gen, (U.S. Army, ret.), Author of Battlegrounds and Dereliction of Duty
"Service members often complain that citizens don't understand the military, but there has been no single place for people to learn about the armed forces, their relationship with society, and their role in national security decision-making. Katherine Carroll and William B. Hickman have provided this vital volume so citizens can better understand the military and hold officials accountable."
Retired US Army Colonel Christopher D. Kolenda, Strategic Leaders Academy, USA, Author of Zero-Sum Victory: What We're Getting Wrong About War
''A superbly conceived and wonderfully presented primer that will do an excellent job in helping readers gain an understanding of one of America’s most respected institutions, the United States military.''
General David Petraeus, US Army (Ret.), former Commander of the Surge in Iraq, US Central Command, and the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan, and former Director of the CIA
