Fall From Glory: The Men Who Sank the U.S. Navy

A common political belief is that increased defense spending means increased defense, and this book puts the lie to it. Through extensive reporting and documentary research (which included fighting for and winning access to the 22 boxes of Reagan Secretary of the Navy John Lehman's private papers that are in Navy custody), Vistica tells the story of the scheming, often dishonest Navy leadership that led to tactically irrelevant spending in the 80s and 90s, and to the utter breakdown in decency and chain of command known as Tailhook.