Buying National Security: How America Plans and Pays for Its Global Role and Safety at Home
ISBN: 9780203861509
Platform/Publisher: Taylor & Francis / Routledge
Digital rights: Users: Unlimited; Printing: Unlimited; Download: Unlimited



The tools of American statecraft--defense, diplomacy, foreign and security assistance, homeland security and intelligence--are rarely examined together. Adams and Williams fill this gap by examining how these tools work, how they are planned for, and how they are budgeted. Seeing policy through the lens of the budget can help decision makers and ordinary citizens discern the genuine priorities of national leaders from the oftentimes illusory ones portrayed in rhetoric. Simply put, policies and strategies cannot be carried out without a corresponding allocation of resources.

Buying National Security weaves a tapestry around the institutions, organizations, tools, and processes that support planning and resource allocation across the breadth of the American national security enterprise. The authors analyze the planning and resource integration activities across agencies of the Executive branch as well as examine the structure and processes the Congress uses to carry out its national security oversight and budgetary responsibilities. Finally, they review the adequacy of the current structures and process and evaluate proposals for ways both might be reformed to fit the demands of the 21st century security environment.


Cynthia Jane Williams was an American actress and producer, known for her role as Shirley Feeney on the television sitcom Happy Days, and Laverne & Shirley. She also appeared in American Graffiti and The Conversation. She was born on August 22, 1947 and died on February 15, 2023.

Her career began in the 1970s in prestigious movies like Travels with My Aunt (with Maggie Smith, directed by George Cukor) and American Graffiti (with Ron Howard, Harrison Ford, and Richard Dreyfuss and directed by George Lucas). Williams focused on theater in her later years, and had performed in shows across the country, including the musical Nunsense. She lived near Palm Springs, California.

(Bowker Author Biography)

hidden image for function call