Gray steel and blue water Navy: The formative years of America's military-industrial complex, 1881-1917

The 'military-industrial complex' has signified a marriage of dubious political character between the government, the military, and big business, since Dwight D. Eisenhower coined the phrase. Gray Steel and Blue Water Navy shows the knots of military and industrial commitments that spawned our modern system were tied less than a century ago by the U.S. Navy-first of the service branches to require armament more sophisticated than muskets and drums.