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From the late 1960s through the mid-1980s, a small band of military activists waged war against corruption in the Pentagon, challenging a system they believed squandered the public’s money and trust. The book examines the movement and its proponents and describes how the system responded to the criticisms and efforts to change accepted practices and entrenched ways of thinking.
The author, an air force colonel and part of the movement, worked in the pentagon for fourteen years. He presents a view of the Department of Defense that only an insider could offer. He exposes serious flaws in the military policy-making process, particularly in weapons development and procurement. The details he gives on the unrelenting push for high-tech weapons, despite their ineffectiveness and extraordinary cost-overruns, provide a strong case for the charge of ethical bankruptcy.
The second half of the book deals with the author’s attempts to get frontline equipment tested under combat conditions. For the first time, readers learn the nasty details of his battle with the army over line-fire testing of the Bradley Fighting Vehicle―a battle that he eventually won, leading to the personnel carrier’s redesign and the saving of many lives.
Never reluctant to name names and reveal details, James G. Burton presents a forceful case. And his revelations offer insights not found elsewhere into the motivations and actions of the people who wield power from within. Nor does he stop at the walls of the Pentagon. In his epilogue he tells what happened in the field during the final hours of the Gulf War that allowed Hussein’s elite Republican Guard to escape.
Now back in print after having inspired a feature HBO film, this explosive account of insider corruption is sure to serve policy-makers for generations to come.
- Sales Rank: #516975 in Books
- Published on: 2014-02-15
- Original language: English
- Number of items: 1
- Dimensions: 9.02" h x .76" w x 5.98" l, .98 pounds
- Binding: Paperback
- 336 pages
From Publishers Weekly
Former Air Force colonel Burton spent 14 years as a Pentagon specialist in weapons acquisition and testing before his retirement in 1986. In this angry, controversial, convincing brief, he testifies that the process of selecting and purchasing weapons for our armed forces is "ethically and morally corrupt from top to bottom," with few checks and balances. The most scathing and damning portions of the expose illustrate how Pentagon procurement officers routinely give more consideration to satisfying defense contractors than to the safety of the troops who will use a given weapon on the field. Burton recalls the fuss he raised over the Bradley Fighting Vehicle's vulnerability to anti-armor weapons, and though (reluctantly made) design changes improved the safety of the vehicle, Burton suffered both personally and professionally for his boat-rocking, as he shows here. Ultimately, he is not optimistic: the flaws in weapons procurement are probably permanent, Burton concludes, since the reforms he and others forced were only temporary. Photos.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.
About the Author
James G. Burton is a former Air Force colonel who spent 14 years as a Pentagon specialist in weapons acquisition and testing before his retirement in 1986.
Most helpful customer reviews
41 of 43 people found the following review helpful.
Right is Might!
By A Customer
I read this book after seeing the HBO black comedy film The Pentagon Wars. It is all true!! I was part of the U. S. Army Chemical Research Development Engineering Center at Edgewood Arsonal back in the late 1980's. I assisted with the testing of the xm-22, xm-21, cadnet, nbc recon. vehicle (a m-113 that got its butt kicked by the then west german fuchs vehicle) and other systems. There were times that you just had to shake your head at the way the officers and civilians conducted some of the tests. The Col is right on the money.
19 of 21 people found the following review helpful.
Good Reference
By Jon
A very interesting book that not only details certain aspects of the defense procurement culture, but also goes into the politics of some of the different services. While the focus is primarily on the Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicle, there are other great bits of information (such as the creation of the F-16) and amusing stories (any involving the "Blitzfighter" aircraft).
The DOD politics that the author experiences are fascinating, and remain relevant today. One example is the discussion of the A-10, its amazing record in the 1991 Gulf War, and how the Air Force really hates it and the close air support role it plays (today the Air Force is moving towards replacing the A-10 with higher flying, faster planes for the close air support missions).
Overall this book is an important read for anyone interested not only in defense procurement, but DOD politics and modern warfare as well. A good book to have as a reference.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful.
A must read if you have ever wondered how the military acquisition process works and how to make it better.
By Robert Brodie
I gave this book 5 stars because not only is it a gripping, true, first person account of Colonel (USAF Retired) James Burton's time in the Pentagon, but it is historically significant. Below is the review I sent to the book's publisher, The U.S. Naval Institute.
The Naval Institute answered John Boyd’s question, “to be or to do,” by doing something truly brave in re-releasing The Pentagon Wars, by Colonel (USAF Retired) James Burton in e-book format. At a Navy football game a few years back I ran into a classmate who worked in the arms industry. Having a life long fascination with military hardware I asked him what he thought of his job. He replied that once he checked his soul at the door each morning that it was interesting and recommended I watch the movie, The Pentagon Wars. Unable to find the movie at the base video store I checked the library and found the book, published in 1993. I was amazed at not only the inside story of the military hardware procurement process, but that a great American like John Boyd and a genius like Pierre Sprey lived during my lifetime and were not mentioned once during four years at the Naval Academy. The deeds of Colonels Burton and Boyd and Pierre Sprey were so important that I purchased two used books, at over $100 each when informed two years ago by the Naval Institute that there were no plans for an e-book or re-printing, so I could spread the word to anyone with an interest in aviation, procurement, warfare, the decision cycle, and how those all fit together. An original hard cover in new condition will set you back several hundred dollars!
Did you know that the F-16 is the only fighter in U.S. history that is less expensive than its predecessor while superior in performance? Have you ever wondered where the energy-maneuverability calculations originated that helped design the highest performing fighters in the world and how they can be used to judge the claims of the supposed latest and greatest? Have you ever heard of a piece of military ordnance that was estimated to cost $87 per round but ended up only costing $13 per round once production started? Do any of our Marine readers know how maneuver warfare made its way into USMC doctrine or how maneuver instead of attrition warfare was chosen for the 1991 Gulf War? There are not enough adjectives to do justice to what John Boyd and his acolytes accomplished while battling the entire military establishment.
What is most impressive though is the courage that these men and women showed by doing what they knew was right, even at the expense of their jobs and careers. Colonel Robert Dilger was rewarded for obtaining superior ammunition for the A-10 for less than 1/6th the projected price by being fired. The names John Boyd and Pierre Sprey are only spoken by a few despite bringing us the F-16 and F/A-18 that enabled us to have the volume of front line fighters we need to accomplish our missions, and the A-10 that may have done more than any other platform to win both Gulf Wars. The second half of the book will be very familiar to anyone who has seen the movie of the same name. Colonel Burton saved countless lives by succeeding in eventually getting the fuel and much of the ammunition moved from the troop compartment of the Bradley Fighting Vehicle and convincing Congress to codify live fire testing in law. The cost to him was a decade of what can only be described as a toxic work environment. His lessons learned on how to survive and be productive in an atmosphere where not only were his flag and general officer superiors literally out to get him, but many of his peers and subordinates were actively undermining his work and spying on his activities are worth the price of an original hard cover alone.
If you are wondering why Colonel Burton did not “stay in his lane” and write only about Air Force issues, the goal of this book was pentagon wide reform and he gives detailed examples that show all services suffer from similar project management/mismanagement techniques. Does anyone remember the A-12? Colonel Burton also reported to the pentagon for his initial tour as the highly successful lightweight fighter program was transitioning from the fly-off to production. Most of what is discussed in this book is his personal experience and can be treated as a primary source. The author undertook the testing of the Bradley Fighting Vehicle at the suggestion of Pierre Sprey because he believed the Ballistics Research Lab relied too heavily on computer models he suspected were inaccurate. The live fire testing proved the significant inaccuracy of the existing computer models of the atmosphere inside an armored personnel carrier after a hit by a shaped charge such as a Rocket Propelled Grenade (RPG). Through live fire testing, the primary cause of casualties was identified, enabling solutions to be developed and further tested. While this process seems like common sense, it was not in place before Colonel Burton fought both the Army and Air Force for years to make it happen.
Had Colonel Burton “been” the rubber stamp he was originally sent to the pentagon to be, he would have likely enjoyed the privileges of his positions and have risen to a rank with multiple stars. Instead, he chose to “do” what he knew was right against significant odds and in the process made our military a better organization and our country safer. If you have any pretense of doing something in life instead of just being what you are told to be, The Pentagon Wars is a MUST READ. As learning is a continuous process, there is no better book to whet your appetite for new ways of thinking and introduce you to heroes you never knew existed. The Boyd reading list appendix, as well as the works of his acolytes, will chart further study. The Pentagon Wars does far more than critique a broken system, it shows numerous examples of programs that worked and suggests clear steps to make the weapons procurement process more transparent and analytical. Bravo Zulu to the Naval Institute for re-publishing this timeless fountain of knowledge.
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