1. Enduring Questions, Changing Politics 2. America’s Security Strategy 3. Organizing for Defense 4. Managing Defense 5. Who Fights America’s Wars? 6. Service Politics 7. The Political Economy of Defense 8. The Weapons Acquisition Process 9. Congress and Special Interests 10. Presidents and the National Security Council 11. Gaining Intelligence 12. Homeland Security 13. Veterans and the Costs of War 14. Preparing for the Next War

'US Defense Politics is an insightful and versatile text for courses on defense and national security. The authors combine an accessible introduction to the issues with sophisticated arguments and overviews of important debates in national security. It is an essential resource for instructors teaching both advanced undergraduates and graduate students.'-- Risa Brooks, Marquette University, USA'This book is an outstanding primer for educating defense analysts and public policy scholars! I wish I'd had it as a student, I learned from reading it now, and I look forward to teaching from it.'-- Kori Schake, American Enterprise Institute, Washington DC, USA'A systematic and accessible treatment of a vital topic most Americans take for granted: raising, maintaining, equipping, and guiding the vast military establishment. Broad enough to be useful, but provocative enough to be interesting [...] People who critically engage this book will be better prepared as citizens to shape defense policy for the new era.' -- Peter Feaver, Duke University, USAPraise for the 3rd edition:'I commend this third edition of US Defense Politics to anyone looking to understand the major cross-currents that shape US security dynamics. Written with expert insight and drawing on a rich set of historical and contemporary examples, the book provides a one-stop shop on the issues that decision makers, elected officials, and military leaders have faced for the past seventy years, and those that will shape defense policy well into the future.' -- Kathleen H. Hicks, Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), USA