Affording Defense
Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press, 1989. Presumed First Edition, First printing. Hardcover. [12], 417, [3] pages. Figures. Tables. Notes. Bibliography. Index. Inscribed on fep, signed "Jack". Some yellow highlighting noted. Slightly cocked. Jacques S. Gansler, former Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics,was the third ranking civilian at the Pentagon from 1997 to 2001. Gansler was responsible for all research and development, acquisition reform, logistics, advanced technology, environmental security, defense industry, and numerous other security programs. Perviously, Dr. Gansler held a variety of positions in government and the private sector, including Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense (Material Acquisition), Assistant Director of Defense Research and Engineering (Electronics), Vice President of ITT, and engineering and management positions with Singer and Raytheon Corporations. Throughout his career, Dr. Gansler has written, published and taught on subjects related to his work. He is the author of Defense Conversion: Transforming the Arsenal of Democracy; Affording Defense, , The Defense Industry, and Ballistic Missile Defense: Past and Future. He has published numerous articles in Foreign Affairs, Harvard Business Review, International Security, Public Affairs, and other journals as well as newspapers and frequent Congressional testimonies. He is a member of the National Academy of Engineering and a Fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration.
Gansler points the way towards a national security policy that will enable the United States to proceed, safely and prosperously, towards the 21st century. The author offers sensible proposals for reform and revitalization. From the Publisher: With Affording Defense, Gansler again points the way toward a national-security policy that will enable the United States to proceed, safely and prosperously, into the 21st century. In large part, American national-security policy dates back to the 1950’s, when the United States was dominant militarily, politically, and economically. The country’s position has changed since then, but the policy has not. Gansler warns in this practical and far-reaching book that the old ways of thinking are no longer applicable. Gansler’s sensible proposals for reform and revitalization are based on extensive research and on his broad experience in private industry and in the Department of Defense. He identifies locales where future conflicts may break out, considers the development of a defense strategy and the hard choices to be faced in carrying out that strategy, examines the provision of weapons and personnel for the armed services, compares the United States’ approach with those of other Western countries and the Soviet Union, and addresses the challenges of terrorism and national radicalism. Affording Defense focuses on three major problem areas, leading off with strategy and budgeting. Gansler asserts that the United States has simply not been selecting and developing the most cost-effective weapons for various missions. This problem is complicated by the potential for revolutionary shifts in the composition of the military forces brought on by advanced technology. Furthermore, shortcomings in the weapons acquisition process lead to the production of too few weapons, and too late, for the United States to maintain its technological advantage over its potential adversaries. Finally, the defense industry has not been producing weapons of adequate quality at acceptable costs in quantities sufficient to meet the nation’s defense commitments. Condition: Good / Good.
Keywords: Defense Spending, Military Equipment, Military Technology, Research & Development, Industrial Base, Acquisition Management, Competition, Cost Overruns, Defense Budget, Arms Control, Cost Growth, Defense Industry, Deterrence, Industrial Preparedne
ISBN: 0262071177
[Book #73389]
Price: $50.00