America's Military Today: The Challenge of Militarism

In the face of seemingly unending resistance in Iraq and growing difficulty with recruitment at home, the U.S. armed forces are under increasing scrutiny from Congress, the media, the public, and even from within. This monograph provides an eye-opening survey of the way the modern U.S. military enlists, trains, and deploys its all-volunteer force. Long-standing soldiers' rights attorney Tod Ensign brings together a range of expert commentators to examine hot-button issues, including the techniques used by the Pentagon to recruit and train a required 200,000 volunteers each year; the controversial arguments being advanced for a return to the draft; the military's reputation as an exemplar in the promotion of racial minorities; the ongoing challenge of gender discrimination, sexual assaults, and bias against gays and lesbians; the appropriate role of the armed forces in policing post-9/11 America; and the future of war fighting, with an emphasis on the continued relevance of the ordinary foot soldier. The book also includes first-person accounts from soldiers on active duty in Iraq, providing a harrowing and poignant picture of life at the sharp end of combat duty today.