The Pentagon Wars

August 30, 1993
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.

September 15, 1993
Written by a former high-ranking Defense Department civilian, this history of the last decade of Pentagon procurement scandals focuses on the acquisition of Navy fighter planes but also covers various abortive reform efforts, including the Goldwater Act, and the reasons for their comparative failure, so far, to make the Pentagon a worthwhile locus of efficient strategic decision making. Burton argues strongly, too, for a number of reforms of his own, particularly independent outsider review of major programs. A concerned insider's view, the book requires of the reader some background in military matters. For the serious student of defense decision making, it's invaluable. ((Reviewed Sept. 15, 1993))(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 1993, American Library Association.)