Uncertain warriors : the United States Army between the Cold War and the War on Terror / David Fitzgerald, University College Cork.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Fitzgerald, David, 1984- author.

Series:

Military, war, and society in modern American history

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

United States. Army--History--20th century.

United States.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xii, 276 pages) : digital, PDF file(s).

Place of Publication:

Cambridge, United Kingdom ; New York, NY : Cambridge University Press, 2024.

Summary:

In an era where 'history' had supposedly ended, what was an Army for? This question confronted the US Army at the end of the Cold War. Although public support for the military remained high, fewer were sending their children to enlist and questions were raised about the uncertainty of future operations: How would Army leaders prepare soldiers for difficult peacekeeping operations that called for a more human-oriented approach in light of the promises of high-tech warfare? How best to navigate the broader debates about changing gender and sexual norms in American society? Pulled in different directions, the Army struggled to put forward a compelling vision of who and what the American solder should be. In Uncertain Warriors, David Fitzgerald reveals how, in response to this uncertainty, they eventually fell back on an older vision of martial masculinity, embracing a 'warrior ethos' that was meant to define the contemporary American soldier.

Contents:

Introduction - Warriors at the End of History

The Post-Vietnam Recovery, Operation Desert Storm, and the Veneration of the Volunteer Soldier

Gender, Sexuality, and the Profession of Arms: Don't Ask Don't Tell, Women in Combat and the 'Band of Brothers'

Warriors Who Don't Fight: The Dilemmas of Peacekeeping Operations

Downsizing, Recruiting and the Debates over Military Service

Technological Transformation and the American Soldier

The Warrior Ethos.

Notes:

Title from publisher's bibliographic system (viewed on 19 Oct 2023).

Other Format:

Print version:

ISBN:

9781009235822 (ebook)

Access Restriction:

Restricted for use by site license.