Defense
The Media Versus the Military (Part One) If the American media and military were any more different, they might have trouble coexisting within the same political culture. The media favor freedom and full disclosure. The military prefers discipline . . .
Defending and Extending Democracy In 2001, we Americans find ourselves in possession of the most productive, wealthy, free, egalitarian, powerful nation in recorded history. Our climate is temperate, harbors and inland waterways . . .
The Script of War President Bush has said that this will be a war like no other in U.S. history. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld has said it will not involve massive airstrikes and the maneuvers of armies. It will be fought in . . .
Retaliation Isn’t Enough It is now twenty years since President Ronald Reagan provoked controversy during his first year in office by proposing that the United States acquire the capacity to fight and win a nuclear war. Reagan's . . .
Key Technological Trends Since World War Two In the years after World War Two, the industrial west simultaneously experienced three technological revolutions -- a nuclear revolution, a biomedical revolution, and a computing revolution. The interaction between these three hugely. . .
Origins of the Current Technological Revolution The goal of this lecture is to provide historical context for the technological ferment we see all around us today. As I told you last week, I believe we have arrived at a pivotal moment in human history, a moment made . . .
The Military: Is Help on the Way or on the Wane? Like the San Gabriel Mountains emerging from the morning haze, the dim outlines of a Bush administration defense posture have begun to appear through the fog of bureaucratic warfare at the . . .
B1 Versus B-2: A Defining Moment for Donald Rumsfeld Shortly after the Kosovo air war ended, a senior Air Force officer called me into his office, closed the door, and said, "The B-1 bomber is a piece of shit. We ought to get rid of every one of them." He was . . .
Stormy Seas: U.S. Shipbuilders Face Big Challenges During America's long ascent to global economic dominance, many industries have been left behind. Whaling. Footwear. Transistor radios and televisions. Economists say that such industrial evolution is . . .
Aircraft Carrier (In)Vulnerability The Navy’s twelve nuclear-powered aircraft carriers are among the most potent expressions of American military power. In recent years, though, there has been growing concern that changing mission . . .