Political Army - How the U.s. Military Learned to Manage the Media and Public Opinion

This book tells the story of the U.S. Army's deepening involvement in media management over six decades and offers new ways to understand the military as a political actor.

List of contents

Acknowledgments
List of Abbreviations
Introduction: The Democracy of War
Part I. The Birth of the Political Army
1. The Army Ascendant: Marshall’s Media Management, 1939–1945
2. Army Overreach: Domestic Politics and Command Culture, 1945–1963
Part II. The Fall of the Political Army
3. Outpaced: The Press and Public Affairs in Vietnam, 1963–1968
4. The Tet Paradox: Media-Management Regimes in Vietnam, 1968–1975
5. Tet Suppressed: Army Doctrinal Innovations, 1976–1982
Part III. The Rise of the Political Army
6. Recovery: Small Wars and Organizational Renewal, 1983–1989
7. The Test: Media-Management Regimes in the Gulf War, 1990–1991
8. Lessons Learned and Not Learned, 1991–2000

Conclusion. The Birth, Fall, and Rise of the Political Army
Notes
Index

About the author

Thomas Crosbie is associate professor of military operations at the Royal Danish Defence College. He is the editor of Berghahn Books’ Military Politics series and Military Politics: New Perspectives (2023), among other books.

Summary

This book tells the story of the U.S. Army’s deepening involvement in media management over six decades and offers new ways to understand the military as a political actor.

Product details

• Authors: Thomas Crosbie
• Publisher: Columbia University Press
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 01.04.2025
• EAN: 9780231219778
• ISBN: 978-0-231-21977-8
• No. of pages: 280
• Subjects: Non-fiction book > History > Miscellaneous; Social sciences, law, business > Political science > Political science and political education; POLITICAL SCIENCE / Security (National & International), HISTORY / Military / General, SOCIAL SCIENCE / Media Studies, POLITICAL SCIENCE / American Government / General, HISTORY / United States / General, HISTORY / Military / United States, HISTORY / Military / Strategy, POLITICAL SCIENCE / Public Policy / Military Policy, Politics & government, United States of America, USA, Politics and government, Military and defence strategy, HISTORY / Military / Land Forces, political science; history; social science