The Pentagon Labyrinth

by Mike Kimel

Cross posted at the Presimetrics blog.

I just came upon The Pentagon Labyrinth Its a very readable, very informative collection of essays about national defense in the United States.  The essays are written by ex-defense personnel (some of whom were very influential) and journalists who cover the military, and to top it off, its free!!!!

From the book’s blurbage:

The Pentagon Labyrinth aims to help both newcomers and seasoned observers learn how to grapple with the problems of national defense. Intended for readers who are frustrated with the superficial nature of the debate on national security, this handbook takes advantage of the insights of ten unique professionals, each with decades of experience in the armed services, the Pentagon bureaucracy, Congress, the intelligence community, military history, journalism and other disciplines. The short but provocative essays will help you to:

-identify the decay—moral, mental and physical—in America’s defenses,

-understand the various “tribes” that run bureaucratic life in the Pentagon,

-appreciate what too many defense journalists are not doing, but should,

-conduct first rate national security oversight instead of second rate theater,

-separate careerists from ethical professionals in senior military and civilian ranks,

-learn to critique strategies, distinguishing the useful from the agenda-driven,

-recognize the pervasive influence of money in defense decision-making,

-unravel the budget games the Pentagon and Congress love to play,

-understand how to sort good weapons from bad—and avoid high cost failures, and reform the failed defense procurement system without changing a single law.

The handbook ends with lists of contacts, readings and Web sites carefully selected to facilitate further understanding of the above, and more.

This new publication from the Center for Defense Information (CDI) is being made available for download through our Web site at the following links below. Included are the full e-book, and all individual sections and essays in PDF format.

Its a quick read (vital for me right now!!), and frankly, there isn’t much in here that’s controversial though its clear several of the writers relish being gadflies.  The book is chock full of facts, and it provides a lot of great food for thought about military issues.