1.

Introduction: A Primer on the US Military Machine

Today's Global Security Environment

A Quick Historical Sketch of the American Military

The Secretary, the Joint Chiefs, the Services, and the Commands

The People and Personnel Policies of the Military

Domestic Bases and Places

The US Military's Global Reach

Conclusion: The American Military Juggernaut

2.

Defense Budgeting and Resource Allocation

The Big Picture: Broad Definitions and Budget Processes

Breakdowns of the US Department of Defense Budget

The Acquisition Budget

The Wars and the Wartime Supplementals

Budgeting by Overseas Region

The Economics of Overseas Basing

Military Readiness

The Main Show: Costs of Individual Combat Units

Conclusion: Defense Budgeting and Grand Strategy

3.

Gaming and Modeling Combat

Wargaming

Micromodeling

The Lanchester's Equations

Modeling Air-Ground Combat

Modeling Naval Combat

Artillery Barrages against Population Centers

Nuclear Exchange Calculations

Assessing Counterinsurgency and Stabilization Missions

Conclusion: Subconscious versus Conscious Modeling

4.

Technological Change and Military Innovation

Sensors

Computers, Communications, and Robotics

Projectiles, Propulsion, and Platforms

Other Technologies

Conclusion: Might a Revolution in Military Affairs Be in the Offing?

5.

Space, Missile Defense, and Nuclear Weapons: Three Case Studies in the Science of War

The Military Uses of Space

(Ballistic) Missile Defense

Nuclear Weapons, Nuclear Testing, and Nuclear Proliferation

Conclusion: Security Dilemmas, Wars of Choice, Uncertainty, and the Science of War