"[E]xamines the former Congressman Melvin Laird's efforts to reconstitute the Department of Defense during the last years of the Vietnam war ... Laird acted to mitigate the adverse effects of the Vietnam War on the department and to prepare the nation's armed forces for the future. Foremost was the transition from a conscripted military to an all-volunteer force, a fundamental policy shift that ended an unpopular and inequitable draft system."--Jacket.

Previous series title: "History of the Office of the Secretary of Defense". Shipping list no.: 2015-0029-S.

Change comes to the Pentagon -- Organizing national security in a new administration -- How much for defense? The FY 1970 budget -- The predicament of Vietnam -- The battle over troop withdrawals -- Taking the fight into Cambodia -- The war in Laos -- Preparing South Vietnam to stand alone -- A time of trial: the Easter Offensive and Vietnamization -- Looking beyond Vietnam: the FY 1971 budget -- A turning point: the FY 1972 budget -- The enduring commitment to NATO -- Change in East Asia -- The all-volunteer force -- Strategic defense: ABM and SALT -- Realistic deterrence? The FY 1973 budget -- Military assistance -- Looking toward the future: the FY 1974 budget -- Fixing the fraying force -- Laird's legacy.