In Defense 101, a concise primer for understanding the United States' $700+ billion defense budget and rapidly changing military technologies, Michael O'Hanlon provides a deeply informed yet accessible analysis of American military power.

After an introduction in which O'Hanlon surveys today's international security environment, provides a brief sketch of the history of the US military, its command structure, the organization of its three million personnel, and a review of its domestic basing and global reach, Defense 101 provides in-depth coverage of four critical areas in military affairs:

. Defense Budgeting and Resource Allocation: detailed budget and cost breakdowns, wartime spending allocations, economics of overseas basing, military readiness, and defense budgeting versus US grand strategy
. Gaming and Modeling Combat: wargaming, micro modeling, nuclear exchange calculations, China scenarios, and assessments of counterinsurgency missions
. Technological Change and Military Innovation: use of computers, communications, and robotics, cutting-edge developments in projectiles and propulsion systems
. The Science of War, military uses of space, missile defense, and nuclear weapons, testing, and proliferation

For policy makers and experts, military professionals, students, and citizens alike, Defense 101 helps make sense of the US Department of Defense, the basics of war and the future of armed conflict, and the most important characteristics of the American military.

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

Michael E. O'Hanlon is Senior Fellow and Director of Research in Foreign Policy at the Brookings Institution. He is author of numerous books, including The Senkaku Paradox, Beyond NATO, and The Future of Land Warfare.