http://worldcat.org/entity/work/id/17610102

The role of federal military forces in domestic disorders, 1945-1992

The Role of Federal Military Forces in Domestic Disorders, 1945-1992, the third of three volumes on the history of Army domestic support operations, continues the story of institutional and other changes that took place in the Army during the post₆World War II years. Paul J. Scheips adeptly relies on official records and other contextual supporting materials to chronicle the U.S. Army's response to major social events in contemporary American society--the civil rights movement, including the integration of Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas, and the University of Mississippi; the racial disturbances of the 1960s, especially the civil unrest in Chicago, Baltimore, and Washington, D.C., following Martin Luther King's assassination; the protest marches during the Vietnam conflict; and the controversies surrounding the Army's role at Wounded Knee and the race riot in Los Angeles in 1992. After each incident Scheips evaluates the various interventions and their effects on both society and the Army itself, paying special attention to constitutional law and the legal justifications for federal intervention, the issues of domestic intelligence collection and role of other federal agencies and the National Guard, and the rules of engagement that governed federalized Soldiers in civil disturbances. An important history of one aspect of civil-military relations, Scheips's volume contains powerful lessons that transcend the period covered and underscores the deep social compact between the nation's government and its citizens. Despite occasional lapses, the Army has carried out its civil disturbance duties with moderation and restraint--a testament to the common sense, flexibility, and initiative of highly disciplined Soldiers at all levels of command. These hallmarks of a trained and ready force are invaluable not only during domestic civil support but also during the full range of military operations so prevalent in today's uncertain times.

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