David vs. Goliath: Security and Military Issues after September 11

The terrorist attack of September 11 and the ensuing war in Afghanistan has brought military issues again to the public eye. Michael Rip, professor in Michigan State University's James Madison College, notes that President Bush has repeatedly stated his commitment to "transforming" the Pentagon away from a Cold War military of heavy tanks and nuclear weapons to a new force characterized by highly accurate missiles and weapons, enormous capacities to acquire and process information and a resulting technical edge that simply cannot be matched by any military anywhere in the world. These changes together constitute what some have called a "revolution in military affairs."