At the end of the Second World War the U.S. Navy's “power … surpassed that of any navy the world had yet seen” (p. 10), and the major concern of its commanders was how it was going to adjust to the postwar world of cutbacks and, more significant, of the national defense reorganization. The latter would entail a review of the roles and missions of the services (including that of a newly independent and highly regarded Air Force) against the backdrop of U.S. global leadership responsibilities, Soviet and Chinese Communist challenges, and the revolutionary significance of nuclear weapons. This volume addresses how the Navy adapted to its changing environment from 1945 to 1955 and specifically how it maneuvered to promote and defend its preferences, how it fared, and, in a very general sense, what the consequences were for U.S. national security. The perspective is that of the Navy's uniformed leadership...

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