ABSTRACT
Vietnam is a good place to start because that searing experience, particularly its impact on the US military officer corps had cascading effects over the years in terms of how the military approached preparations for war and interactions in the civil-military nexus. H. R. McMaster's best seller, Dereliction of Duty, well documents and describes the domination of Secretary McNamara and his coterie of so-called "Whiz Kids" over the uniformed military in the civil-military nexus as the country escalated the Vietnam War. The Joint Chiefs initially struggled to resist the reforms, but Secretary McNamara imposed them over their objections and set the conditions for civilian dominance in the civil-military nexus during most meaningful discussions. The campaign featured candidates from different eras with President George Bush from the World War II generation who possessed a decorated war record and the distinction of being among the youngest naval aviators during that conflict.
