Understanding the U.S. Military

<p>This book offers an accessible introduction to the U.S. military as an institution and provides insights into the military’s structure and norms. </p><p>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<em> </em>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. </p><p>This book will be of much interest to students of the U.S. military civil-military relations U.S. politics and public policy.</p>