The end of the Cold War ushered in a new kind of war that has already made conventional tactics and strategy obsolete. How has the U.S. military responded? In U.S. Military Service: A Reference Handbook, Cynthia Watson, professor of strategy at the National War College, analyzes the major issues that are reshaping the military in the era of global terrorism: problems of recruitment, urban warfare, effective use of electronic media, and rebuilding failed states. She also examines the unprecedented policy of relinquishing military duties to the for-profit sector, which has occurred in both Afghanistan and Iraq. Through a combination of detailed analysis and broad overview, the work shows how the U.S. military is quickly transforming itself into a leaner, more agile force.

Should National Service Be Replaced by Private Firms? -- What Is the Minimum Age for National Service? -- Is It Worth Using National Service Humanitarian Intervention? -- Does Having a National Military Make a State More Likely to Use It? -- Does Evangelicalism Have an Effect on National Service? -- References -- WORLD PERSPECTIVE -- Standing Military Forces -- Professional Service versus the Citizen-Soldier -- National Service Obligation -- No Standing National Military Obligations -- States Lacking Conscription -- Mandatory Participation in Military Service -- Problems in Other Societies Arising from Military Service -- Gender Questions -- Conscientious Objectors and Draft Evasion in non-U.S. National Military Service -- References -- CHRONOLOGY OF MILITARY SERVICE -- References --