Chris Van Aller demonstrates that a better understanding of the complicated civil-military relationship in the United States is prerequisite to reforming the expensive and often inefficient military establishment maintained since World War II. Arguing that reduced defense expenditures and adequate national security are both possible, this book illustrates how American political culture remains deeply ambivalent about national security. Though significant budget cuts have been implemented over the past five years, Van Aller takes a closer look at the fact that no true reorganization or reconceptualization has taken place. For policy makers, historians of American military history and anyone who cares about this complex topic, The Culture of Defense will be indispensable reading.
