Secdef: The Neary Impossible Job of Secretary of Defense - Couverture souple

Stevenson, Charles A.

Couverture souple

ISBN 10 : 1574887955 ISBN 13 : 9781574887952

Editeur : Potomac Books Inc, 2007

Synopsis

SECDEF offers an expert's insights into one of the most difficult jobs in Washington. Of the twenty-one men who have held the post of secretary of defense since it was created in 1947, only half served more than eighteen months. The first, James Forrestal, committed suicide soon after leaving the Pentagon. Seven of his successors were fired or allowed to resign gracefully after losing the confidence of the president. Many left frustrated and disappointed, while few retained the celebrity and esteem they held while in office. One observer has called the job "the graveyard of political ambitions."Charles A. Stevenson, who as a national security adviser to four U.S. senators has seen several defense secretaries in action, examines the unique challenges of this office to learn why the failure rate has been so high. SECDEF focuses on how the secretary performs in the broader world of national security policymaking, how he handles civil-military relations in planning strategy and wars, how he functions on the National Security Council and deals with the president and secretary of state, and how well he performs as a politician, especially in dealing with Congress. In office, Charles Stevenson finds, these men have tended to fall into one of the three general roles for executing such responsibilities: revolutionaries, firefighters, or, the most common role, team players. Stevenson analyzes each type for its defining characteristics and evaluates individual secretaries. This book will appeal to defense professionals and students alike and to readers interested in American defense and foreign policy who want to learn more about the important role often played by the person informally labeled the SECDEF.

A propos du livre

À propos de l'auteur

Dr. Charles A. Stevenson teaches courses in American foreign policy at the Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), Johns Hopkins University. Previously, he was a longtime professor at the National War College, where he directed the core course on the interagency process for national security policy. He has executive branch experience, including service on the Secretary of State's Policy Planning Staff, and served for 22 years as a Senate staffer on defense and foreign policy. He is the author of a study of the congressional role in major military operations, Congress at War; a historical survey of U.S. civil-military relations, Warriors and Politicians; and a comparative analysis of U.S. Secretaries of Defense, SecDef. He was a member of the Project on National Security Reform and headed its working group on Congress. He has an AB and PhD from Harvard.

Détails de l'édition

• Éditeur: Potomac Books Inc
• Date d'édition: 2007
• Langue: anglais
• ISBN 10: 1574887955
• ISBN 13: 9781574887952
• Reliure: Broché
• Nombre de pages: 224
• Coordonnées du fabricant: non disponible
• Personne responsable: non disponible