U.S. Military Power
Steven L. Rys

Bison Books 1983. Hård pärm A4 format. 224 sidor. Rikligt illustrerad.
ISBN 0861241290

For many years the United States has been the strongest nation on earth and this position has been maintained in part by military power. However, the increasing complexity of US commitments all around the world and the ever-escalating costs of weaponry are calling into question America’s willingness and ability to maintain its pre-eminent position in the face of the Soviets’ relentless expansionist policies and massive arms build-up.

US military strength is founded firstly on the strategic deterrent but this now appears increasingly fragile and uncertain. The silos of the Minuteman missiles are vulnerable to Soviet attack; the basic design of the B-52 bomber is 30 years old and the cruise missiles which the B-52s carry may be ineffective against new Soviet radar and missile defenses. The US nuclear submarine force has the new Ohio Class Submarines and Trident missiles but the MX, Peacekeeper missile, and the B-1 bomber are the most controversial items in the current purchasing program.

In the realm of conventional forces the American fighting man remains the best armed and equipped in the world. The US Navy’s carrier battle groups have an unmatched ability to project American power in almost every corner of the globe. The Army has weapons like the Abrams tank with its state of the art computerized fire-control systems while the Air Force deploys the most advanced electronics and superior aerodynamic performance in aircraft like the F-15 Eagle and F-16 Fighting Falcon.

Steven Rys discusses the problems which the US Armed Forces must surmount and the strategies necessary to achieve this goal. The performance of individual weapons systems will play a vital role in this and these are carefully evaluated also. This handsomely illustrated volume provides the enthusiasts and the interested layman with an invaluable guide to US military power for the dangerous decade of the eighties.