"In a series of probing essays covering various periods in America's military history, this official history tells the story of how United States weapons were developed and produced, what notable managers and organizations were involved, and which weapons from those periods had a significant impact on America's wars"--Publisher's description.

A tribute to sheer determination : the role of acquisition in the American Revolution, 1775-1783 -- Barbary pirates and other naval wars : ship acquisition in national maritime defense, 1794-1815 -- Camels, pontoons, and interchangeable parts : military enterprise and antebellum acquisition, 1815-1865 -- Inventive genius and new appliances of war : technology and the Union Army, 1861-1865 -- All-steam, all-steel : white squadron to great white fleet : America acquires a new navy, 1878-1909 -- The "Army's dark ages" and root's reforms : to sustain the armaments industry, 1865-1918 -- Spruce, dope, and Fordism : the flying coffin; America acquires an air aim : Wright brothers through the Great War, 1903-1941 -- Depreciation, deficiencies, and disarmament : pacifism and acquisition between the wars, 1919-1941 -- "It will be an industrial miracle" : War Department economic mobilization and munitions acquisition, 1939-1945 -- Liberators, Mustangs, and "Enola Gay" : America acquires Army air power for World War II, 1940-1945 -- Whatever it takes : counterpunching the U-boats : the acquisition process that won the Battle of the Atlantic, 1939-1945 -- Korean and Cold Wars : military-industrial complex : acquisition for strategic planning in the nuclear age, 1945-1964 -- "Horror stories" of toilet seats and coffeepots : reforming acquisitions after Vietnam, 1964-1989 -- "The come-as-you-are" war : force modernization, preparedness, and logistics support in the Persian Gulf, 1990-1991 -- Sluggers, tank plinkers, and scud busters : generational mix in the ultimate proving ground, 1980-1991 -- Whither arsenal ships and joint strike fighters : high-tech systems for the 21st century, 1993 to the present.