What We Need: Extravagance and Shortages in America's Military (Hardcover)

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Editorial Reviews

Product Description

In early 2006 the Army chief of staff reported about $440 billion in expenditures. A dollar bill is a smidgen over six inches long. If 440 billion greenbacks are placed end to end, they would extend 220 billion feet, or 41,600,000 miles. That is 1,664 times around the equator. If the greenbacks had Andy Jacksons picture instead of George Washingtons, that line still would run well over 2,000,000 miles. That is about four trips to the moon and back. So, then.....

On $440 billion, how is it possible that soldiers still lack sufficient body armor, training facilities and ammunition, and high-tech bandages? 

On $440 billion, how is it possible that there is not enough money for vehicle maintenance and repair? 

On $440 billion, how is it possible that GIs still write home asking folks to send socks and sheets and batteries?

What We Need addresses The Great American Dichotomy: we allocate vast sums for our military, yet inevitably we spend most of that treasure on technical marvels that we do not use. And if we do not use them, we are entitled to ask how much we need them.

Book Description

Despite the longest period in American history without a major war, the U.S. military continues obtaining extremely expensive weapon systems that it seldom, if ever, uses: advanced fighters, stealth bombers, “boomer” submarines, and ballistic missiles, to name a few. Why, then, do American soldiers continue to carry an often unreliable, small-caliber rifle more than forty years old? Why are they without body armor, and their tanks without protection? This book examines the fakery and intellectual dishonesty that characterize the defense establishment in its supposed efforts to outfit our forces. And, at a critical moment in our military history, it suggests some remedies.

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Product Details Hardcover: 256 pages Publisher: Zenith Press; 1st edition (September 15, 2007) Language: English ISBN-10: 0760328692 ISBN-13: 978-0760328699 Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.9 inches Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies) Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews) Amazon.com Sales Rank: #685,643 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

4 Reviews 5 star:  (2) 4 star:  (2) 3 star:    (0) 2 star:    (0) 1 star:    (0)           Average Customer Review 4.5 out of 5 stars (4 customer reviews)		Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews 12 of 12 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars Disturbing but Essential Reading, September 11, 2007 By  Check Six (USA) - See all my reviews Barrett Tillman is best known as an historian (Clash of the Carriers and LeMay) but in What We Need he proves a keen if acerbic commentator on current events. In analyzing military procurement, Tillman arrives at a fundamental conclusion: the US defense community spends vastly more on politically popular programs rather than what the troops in contact with the enemy actually need. He observes that for the cost of one stealth fighter canopy, we could purchase far more useful items including radios, batteries, and body armor--items often lacking in the front lines. Perhaps the most disappointing revelation is that the armed forces (especially the Army) continue sending poorly trained troops to combat zones. Based on personal observation, Tillman describes soldiers who literally cannot shoot to save their lives. The fact that such lapses ever occurred is bad enough: the fact that they continue six years into the global war on terror is unforgivable. The Army is jealous of the numerous multi-billion dollar Air Force & Navy programs. The outlook is bleak. The services all want to spend on big ticket items that advance program managers' careers & set them up with cushy double dip jobs once out of uniform. The DoD doesn't do its job in restraining these impulses & enforcing a rational acquisition strategy based on our real defense needs (although to Rumsfeld's credit, he did kill the Army's desired new howitzer under transformation rationale). Finally, Congress always has its own agendas that usually no more than accidentally coincide with what's in our national best interest. Pick up What We Need at your own risk. It is not happy reading, but it's an important message that should be widely disseminated. 6 of 7 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars Provocotive- and a fun read, August 30, 2007 By  R. J. Morgan (St Louis MO) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)    What was Tillman thinking!?! Well, find out- this book is pretty much a stream of consciousness effort- of noted military author Barrett Tillman, and covers what he thinks is wrong with the military and its many issues- including training, supply and choice of weapons, among many items. You may not agree with the author- but he's done his homework and tapped an amazing number of contacts to provide some delicious food for thought. 4.0 out of 5 stars Critical Commentary of Military Needs, April 24, 2009 By  K. Miller "Kenm_1262" (Mo) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)    Barrett Tillman provides a critical commentary of the military's needs in his book, What We Need Extravagance and Shortages in America's Military, Zenith Press 2007. Tillman is best known for his works regarding military aviation, but in this book he attempts to answer the question of what is war in the global age of terrorism and what does the military require to fight this war. Tillman's fundamental claim is the tax payer pays and the congress allocates vast sums of money to the military for personnel, equipment, and training, yet most of what is spent is spent on technical marvels that do little if anything to assist the military fight the current war on terror and future conflicts. Tillman is very critical of the military for insisting on funding stealth technology and the next generation of submarines which have little to no value in this current conflict. Tillman rationalizes that wars have become far to expensive to support the massive force structures that were seen during World War II. As a result the U.S. can not, for example, buy enough aircraft or ships to sustain a war based on the World War II model of attrition warfare. Instead the military will increasingly find itself engaged in conflicts of "flesh, faith and cities, " (Pg 11.) where traditional American strengths of air supremacy, sea control, firepower and logistics are largely negated by our enemies. A second theme throughout the book is Tillman's assertion that after six years of fighting the war on terror the pentagon is still conducting business as usual, which in his mind is a losing strategy. For example, the services continue to program big ticket items that cost billions of dollars with little regard to what is really needed to fight current or future wars, fighter aircraft over cargo aircraft, more bombers over air refuelers, more modern submarines versus fast sea lift ships and maintaining the current inventory of small arms that are not adequate for the current fight in lieu of procuring more modern and lethal small arms. Tillman is not shy about pointing out the fact DOD does not restrain itself from wanting to procure many of these items and Congress is more than happy to allocate resources to their acquisition especially if their district benefits in the manufacturing of the hardware. Tillman argues that the military needs personnel, training, logistics and individual gear, specifically small arms to meet the threats poised in the future. Tillman points out the obvious shortcomings of the all volunteer force, which he calls the all recruited force, and points out the problems inherent in a draft. Ultimately, he calls for a limited draft, but offers no specifics on how to do this or even if it is politically possible. Tillman makes a much better argument for more people, but not just in numbers. Instead he argues we need specialist, special forces operators, more infantrymen, civilians and to retain more senior officers and NCO's for many of the tasks that we will face in the war on terror. Tillman is especially critical of the training our military members receive especially in the areas of marksmanship and basic combat skills. Tillman goes as far as to suggest that if you want to learn marksmanship then go to a civilian course because you won't learn it in the military. Additionally, Tillman opines that the military requires more ranges, ammunition, and facilities to ensure our soldiers receive the best training possible before we send them into harms way. Chapter 5 is titled We Need Guns and Gear and Tillman allocates 28 pages of the book to discussing the shortfalls of the M16/M4 and the 9 MM pistol. Tillman does a good job of laying out his argument, but what is missing in this chapter and throughout the book are any footnotes to clarify or prove the statistics he is using. Although many of his claims and numbers appear to be accurate, the reader is not sure where the data comes from and is thus open to doubt. The final 10 pages of the chapter focus on protective gear, life saving equipment and basic services such as food and maintenance equipment. Tillman makes some good points, but he could have expanded these points further to make his case more convincing. What We Need Extravagance and Shortages in America's Military is a relevant book to the military establishment and makes many good points that our current leaders should address. Footnotes to solidify his data would have made the book much more empirical, but as it is written it is an excellent commentary on the state of the military and what the military requires in order to succeed in the future.		Ad feedback   Most Recent Customer Reviews 4.0 out of 5 stars What we need This book was verygood but kind of hard for me to understand in some of the way he expressed hiself. Read more Published 11 months ago by David E. Hood Search Customer Reviews Only search this product's reviews

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Zenith Press; 1st edition (September 15, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0760328692
• ISBN-13: 978-0760328699
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #685,643 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Disturbing but Essential Reading, September 11, 2007

By	Check Six (USA) - See all my reviews

Barrett Tillman is best known as an historian (Clash of the Carriers and LeMay) but in What We Need he proves a keen if acerbic commentator on current events.

In analyzing military procurement, Tillman arrives at a fundamental conclusion: the US defense community spends vastly more on politically popular programs rather than what the troops in contact with the enemy actually need. He observes that for the cost of one stealth fighter canopy, we could purchase far more useful items including radios, batteries, and body armor--items often lacking in the front lines.

Perhaps the most disappointing revelation is that the armed forces (especially the Army) continue sending poorly trained troops to combat zones. Based on personal observation, Tillman describes soldiers who literally cannot shoot to save their lives. The fact that such lapses ever occurred is bad enough: the fact that they continue six years into the global war on terror is unforgivable. The Army is jealous of the numerous multi-billion dollar Air Force & Navy programs.

The outlook is bleak. The services all want to spend on big ticket items that advance program managers' careers & set them up with cushy double dip jobs once out of uniform. The DoD doesn't do its job in restraining these impulses & enforcing a rational acquisition strategy based on our real defense needs (although to Rumsfeld's credit, he did kill the Army's desired new howitzer under transformation rationale). Finally, Congress always has its own agendas that usually no more than accidentally coincide with what's in our national best interest.

Pick up What We Need at your own risk. It is not happy reading, but it's an important message that should be widely disseminated.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Provocotive- and a fun read, August 30, 2007

By	R. J. Morgan (St Louis MO) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

What was Tillman thinking!?! Well, find out- this book is pretty much a stream of consciousness effort- of noted military author Barrett Tillman, and covers what he thinks is wrong with the military and its many issues- including training, supply and choice of weapons, among many items. You may not agree with the author- but he's done his homework and tapped an amazing number of contacts to provide some delicious food for thought.

4.0 out of 5 stars Critical Commentary of Military Needs, April 24, 2009

By	K. Miller "Kenm_1262" (Mo) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Barrett Tillman provides a critical commentary of the military's needs in his book, What We Need Extravagance and Shortages in America's Military, Zenith Press 2007. Tillman is best known for his works regarding military aviation, but in this book he attempts to answer the question of what is war in the global age of terrorism and what does the military require to fight this war.

Tillman's fundamental claim is the tax payer pays and the congress allocates vast sums of money to the military for personnel, equipment, and training, yet most of what is spent is spent on technical marvels that do little if anything to assist the military fight the current war on terror and future conflicts. Tillman is very critical of the military for insisting on funding stealth technology and the next generation of submarines which have little to no value in this current conflict. Tillman rationalizes that wars have become far to expensive to support the massive force structures that were seen during World War II. As a result the U.S. can not, for example, buy enough aircraft or ships to sustain a war based on the World War II model of attrition warfare. Instead the military will increasingly find itself engaged in conflicts of "flesh, faith and cities, " (Pg 11.) where traditional American strengths of air supremacy, sea control, firepower and logistics are largely negated by our enemies.

A second theme throughout the book is Tillman's assertion that after six years of fighting the war on terror the pentagon is still conducting business as usual, which in his mind is a losing strategy. For example, the services continue to program big ticket items that cost billions of dollars with little regard to what is really needed to fight current or future wars, fighter aircraft over cargo aircraft, more bombers over air refuelers, more modern submarines versus fast sea lift ships and maintaining the current inventory of small arms that are not adequate for the current fight in lieu of procuring more modern and lethal small arms. Tillman is not shy about pointing out the fact DOD does not restrain itself from wanting to procure many of these items and Congress is more than happy to allocate resources to their acquisition especially if their district benefits in the manufacturing of the hardware.

Tillman argues that the military needs personnel, training, logistics and individual gear, specifically small arms to meet the threats poised in the future. Tillman points out the obvious shortcomings of the all volunteer force, which he calls the all recruited force, and points out the problems inherent in a draft. Ultimately, he calls for a limited draft, but offers no specifics on how to do this or even if it is politically possible. Tillman makes a much better argument for more people, but not just in numbers. Instead he argues we need specialist, special forces operators, more infantrymen, civilians and to retain more senior officers and NCO's for many of the tasks that we will face in the war on terror.

Tillman is especially critical of the training our military members receive especially in the areas of marksmanship and basic combat skills. Tillman goes as far as to suggest that if you want to learn marksmanship then go to a civilian course because you won't learn it in the military. Additionally, Tillman opines that the military requires more ranges, ammunition, and facilities to ensure our soldiers receive the best training possible before we send them into harms way.

Chapter 5 is titled We Need Guns and Gear and Tillman allocates 28 pages of the book to discussing the shortfalls of the M16/M4 and the 9 MM pistol. Tillman does a good job of laying out his argument, but what is missing in this chapter and throughout the book are any footnotes to clarify or prove the statistics he is using. Although many of his claims and numbers appear to be accurate, the reader is not sure where the data comes from and is thus open to doubt. The final 10 pages of the chapter focus on protective gear, life saving equipment and basic services such as food and maintenance equipment. Tillman makes some good points, but he could have expanded these points further to make his case more convincing.

What We Need Extravagance and Shortages in America's Military is a relevant book to the military establishment and makes many good points that our current leaders should address. Footnotes to solidify his data would have made the book much more empirical, but as it is written it is an excellent commentary on the state of the military and what the military requires in order to succeed in the future.