This book is primarily of historical interest and consists of articles written by Jeffrey St. Clair between 2001 and 2005. It is an enjoyable read because St. Clair is a very facile writer. Yet it is also a terminally superficial book that provides polemics rather than a reasoned examination of the U.S. Defense Department (DOD) and its acquisition process.
St. Clair makes some quite serious accusations against President George W. Bush and his national security establishment. These are controversial and the jury is still out concerning whether these accusations have merit or not. Certainly his arguments seem persuasive, but this may be because so many senior members of that establishment such as Vice President Cheney and SecDef Donald Rumsfeld are apparently naturally secretive and unpleasant folks. Indeed President Bush himself often appeared to be indifferent or incompetent in dealing with the many challenges that occurred during his eight year administration. History will have to judge all of this.
The main theme of the book is the wholesale looting of the DOD by unscrupulous contactors; well this is a complicated issue. There is ample evidence that the DOD wastes millions if not billions of dollars on ill-conceived, badly managed programs. There is also ample evidence that large and small contractors representing the private sector made substantial amounts of money on even failed programs. The question which St. Clair should have asked, but didn't was why this was so. He seems to believe it was caused by collusion between greedy contractors and stupid or venal generals or high level DOD officials. There is of course some truth in this as there is in that much of the waste is due to corrupt or incompetent members of congress.
Yet the issue is more complicated than this. Not all general officers in the U.S. Military are corrupt, venal or stupid. Most are quite patriotic and more than a few are highly intelligent. The same can be said for contractors who of course are driven by the bottom line, but who are also genuinely interested in providing for the defense of the U.S. and supporting its military. The villains that St. Clair finds throughout both DOD and the defense industries are largely phantoms. Yet the tales of waste and inefficiency are true.
So what is the problem? Some (this reader included) would argue that the problem is with the DOD requirements and procurement systems both of which are badly designed and poorly executed. The senior DOD officials can be faulted for an utter failure in leadership while the U.S. Officer Corps can be faulted for being unable to come to grips with the DOD requirement and procurement cycles. At the same time private contractors should be more proactive in guiding the cycles towards realistic goals in the form of practical weapons platforms and other programs.
This book nibbles at the surface but fails to take a real bite of this issue.
Loading your book clubs
There was a problem loading your book clubs. Please try again.
Not in a club?
Learn more
Join or create book clubs
Choose books together
Track your books
Bring your club to Amazon Book Clubs, start a new book club and invite your friends to join, or find a club that’s right for you for free.
Flip to back
Flip to front
Follow the Author
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.
Enter your mobile number or email address below and we'll send you a link to download the free Kindle App. Then you can start reading Kindle books on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.
-
Apple
-
Android
-
Windows Phone
-
Android
To get the free app, enter your mobile phone number.
Customer reviews
Top reviews from the United States
There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.
Reviewed in the United States on December 9, 2019
Verified Purchase
Reviewed in the United States on April 16, 2010
Verified Purchase
Reviewed in the United States on September 13, 2007
Verified Purchase
