Korb, Lawrence J.

Sullivan, Sean

Wheeler, Winslow T.

English

U.S. Naval War College Digital Commons

Naval War College ReviewVolume 63Number 4 Autumn Article 192010Military Reform: An Uneven History and anUncertain FutureSean SullivanWinslow T. WheelerLawrence J. KorbFollow this and additional works at: https://digital-commons.usnwc.edu/nwc-reviewThis Book Review is brought to you for free and open access by the Journals at U.S. Naval War College Digital Commons. It has been accepted forinclusion in Naval War College Review by an authorized editor of U.S. Naval War College Digital Commons. For more information, please contactrepository.inquiries@usnwc.edu.Recommended CitationSullivan, Sean; Wheeler, Winslow T.; and Korb, Lawrence J. (2010) "Military Reform: An Uneven History and an Uncertain Future,"Naval War College Review: Vol. 63 : No. 4 , Article 19.Available at: https://digital-commons.usnwc.edu/nwc-review/vol63/iss4/19Atlantic alliance. Early alliances seemeddesigned to be transitory. There was noneed for cooperation, integration, prep-aration, or even friendship amongBismarckian-era allies in a multipolarworld. Offensive wars were fought forterritory and treasure. However, thissituation was turned on its head whentwo superpowers developed alliancesystems in an ideological struggle wherecontesting armies had thermonuclearweapons and needed to be ready tofight for national survival on a mo-ment’s notice. Further, NATO’s mem-bers were liberal democracies empow-ered to take positions independent ofthe United States on any number of is-sues and were willing to air these differ-ences in public.The author’s well-informed encapsula-tion of the six “fatal” crises that NATOhas weathered over the years providesscholars and interested general readersinsight, perspective, and juicy anec-dotes. The author’s technique of layingout the problem in each case and fol-lowing with “what actually happened”makes for a series of intriguing and illu-minating vignettes in diplomatic his-tory. Watching them unfold in realtime, without the benefit of opened ar-chives and clear hindsight, was notnearly as satisfying or rewarding.A second cavil with the book’s title(and the more important one) is that itis conclusive only in the past tense. Thebook is certainly a persuasive explana-tion as to why NATO endured. It offersa plausible countertheory for the cre-ation of successful and enduring alli-ances. However, only one of the crisesaddresses the post–Cold War world inwhich we find ourselves today. Indeed,many of the circumstances thatattended NATO’s creation and suste-nance have either vanished or are erod-ing. Its bête noire (Russia) has ceased tobe NATO’s enemy for two decades, andthe anxieties created by imminent de-struction have been replaced by lesserthreats, such as transnational terrorismand crime. It remains to be seen if the“self-healing tendencies” of democra-cies are sufficient to enable NATO toendure in an entirely different kind ofworld. The reader will benefit fromThies’s well argued discussion of thispoint.THOMAS FEDYSZYNNaval War CollegeWheeler, Winslow T., and Lawrence J. Korb. Mil-itary Reform: An Uneven History and an UncertainFuture. Palo Alto, Calif.: Stanford Univ. Press,2009. 256pp. $24.95In Military Reform, two national secu-rity experts reflect on initiatives in-tended to reform defense planningacross the entire enterprise. For decadesWinslow Wheeler and Lawrence Korbhave observed, studied, and partici-pated in defense reform, gaining aweathered perspective on the ideas,events, and actions taken by nationalsecurity organizations within govern-ment. This work describes the condi-tions necessary or common in thenational security environment in caseswhere individuals or institutions haveexhibited interest in reform.Wheeler and Korb review the issues thatunderpinned defense reform initiativesover several decades. They describe theactions of key individuals who champi-oned reform ideas and the issues andstakes of those who opposed or resisted.B O O K R E V I E W S 1 5 5NWCR_Autumn2010-BR.pSC:\Documents and Settings\john.lanzieri.ctr\Desktop\NavalWarCollege\NWC_Review_Autumn2010\NWCR_Autumn2010.vpThursday, August 19, 2010 1:29:12 PMColor profile: Generic CMYK printer profileComposite  Default screen1Sullivan et al.: Military Reform: An Uneven History and an Uncertain FuturePublished by U.S. Naval War College Digital Commons, 2010Each reform movement that the au-thors study is recounted in a style likethat of a novel. Wheeler and Korb takethe time to develop reformers like char-acters in stories. The value of this ap-proach is that the reader gains addedinsight into the people involved in theseideas and decisions and into the impactthat their experiences, knowledge, andpersonalities had on the period ofreform.Military Reform conveys the complexityof interests and institutions that com-pete in national defense. Defense plan-ning is a collaborative process thatincludes the armed services and agen-cies of the Department of Defense andCongress. Through the use of case stud-ies of past reform initiatives, the au-thors capture the impact of the actionsof these organizations from the per-spectives of organizational behavior,process, and competing interests.For example, chapters 2 and 3 assess theactions and influence of key membersin Congress and the Congressional Mil-itary Reform Caucus, as well as of thesenior leadership within the Depart-ment of Defense in the early 1980s. Theauthors’ assessment details the actionstaken to control rising acquisition costsin several defense programs. This casestudy illustrates the impact that politicshas on defense reform, the need for areform leader or champion, and the im-pact that the news media can have inamplifying reform issues.Ultimately, the authors conclude thatthe realities of the political environ-ment can trump the actions of reform-ers, because members of Congress arepoliticians and so tend to view reformissues as political challenges or oppor-tunities for compromise or politicalgain. Members of Congress andcongressional committees have legisla-tive processes and oversight authoritythat can significantly impact the objec-tives and mitigate the effects of reform.Further, though the media can amplifyissues, their tendency to focus on the“newsworthiness” of reform issues re-sults in a lack of “staying power.”Defense reform is not only impacted byCongress and the media, however.Chapters 4 and 5 discuss the impact ofprevious defense reviews conducted bythe Department of Defense, blue-ribbon panels commissioned by theexecutive branch, and thematic trendssuch as “transformation” or the “revo-lution in military affairs.”The organizations within the Pentagonpossess a remarkable ability to resistchange. Senior Pentagon officials arebureaucrats, tending to view issues andproblems either as threats to establishedprograms and funding sources or as op-portunities for increases in funding.The bureaucratic management necessi-ties of the Department of Defense andcompetition for budget and missionlead to perceptions that reform is athreat to the organization.The book concludes with a descriptionof what defense reform is and is not, interms of budget, technology, and orga-nizational behavior. This work takes apragmatic approach in the study of de-fense reform, assessing the complex andcompetitive nature of the reform en-deavor within government. It is alsotimely: the 2010 Quadrennial DefenseReview report, released by the DefenseDepartment in February, and the cur-rent national security environmentboth reflect several of the qualities ana-lyzed in the book.SEAN SULLIVANNaval War College1 5 6 N A V A L W A R C O L L E G E R E V I E WNWCR_Autumn2010-BR.pSC:\Documents and Settings\john.lanzieri.ctr\Desktop\NavalWarCollege\NWC_Review_Autumn2010\NWCR_Autumn2010.vpThursday, August 19, 2010 1:29:12 PMColor profile: Generic CMYK printer profileComposite  Default screen2Naval War College Review, Vol. 63 [2010], No. 4, Art. 19https://digital-commons.usnwc.edu/nwc-review/vol63/iss4/19

Military Reform: An Uneven History and an Uncertain Future

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Military Reform: An Uneven History and an Uncertain Future

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