From Publishers Weekly
Written by a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, this is a detailed expose of the disorderly and wasteful process that comprises U.S. defense decision-making. Kotz shows that political and economic factors are at least as important in major defense decisions as military analysis, and that the military services, members of Congress, presidential administrations and defense industries reciprocate support for each others' projects. Little of this is startling news, but Kotz provides a wealth of unknown specifics. The main focus is the nearly 30-year struggle of the Air Force for a new strategic bomber, the B-1, a struggle won during the Nixon administration and only brought to controversial fruition under Reagan. Kotz views our defense process as "spinning madly out of control." In his call for reform, he argues that military officers should be kept out of "the corrupting practices of defense politics."
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
Kotz, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, has produced a credible history of the B-1 bomber from inception of the concept nearly three decades ago to the flying machine of 1988. He interviewed several dozen military, industry, and political people, and used contemporary news accounts as sources. As his subtitle notes, he covers "money, politics, and the B-1 Bomber"; his account is reasonable, though in opposition to the Air Force position. Libraries wanting technical details on the airplane will need William Holder's B-1 Bomber (TAB, 1986), but Kotz's book is recommended for general readers. Gerald N. Sandvick, North Hennepin Community Coll., Brooklyn Park, Minn.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.
