Books
“Arnold Punaro is more devoted and committed to the well-being and effectiveness of our men and women in uniform than anyone I have known. In this valuable book, he warns that our nation’s ability to preserve peace through strength is in jeopardy if the current alarming trends continue. Our nation has greatly benefited from Punaro’s military experience, his knowledge, his keen insights, his sound judgment and his common sense. This book may be his most important contribution yet to America’s security.”
—Senator Sam Nunn, Former Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee
The Ever-Shrinking Fighting Force

Despite substantial increases in defense spending over the last decades, the number of warfighters is still declining. The Ever-Shrinking Fighting Force lays out, in clear and compelling detail, the major factors that contribute to this adverse trend that has outlasted efforts to reverse it by strong Defense Secretaries and even Presidents.
Drawing on his half-century of experience in national security, Gen. Punaro offers a no-nonsense look at the inefficiencies that have plagued the Pentagon’s creeping bureaucracy for decades. With calls for defense reform emanating from both the executive and legislative branches, this timely book provides a road map for thoughtful and balanced improvements.
On War and Politics
The Battlefield Inside Washington’s Beltway
Arnold Punaro is the ultimate Washington insider. During his 35 years of service in the Marine Corps, both active and reserve, he rose to the rank of Major General. After being wounded in battle and decorated for valor in Vietnam, he redeployed to a different battlefield: Washington politics. For almost fifty years, he has toiled at the intersection of the political and defense establishment, has served in key positions in the Pentagon, Congress and industry and has been a key participant in all the major defense and intelligence legislation of this era. Punaro’s distinguished career of public service has given him an unrivaled perspective on the events and factors that have shaped defense policy, along with a clear vision on how to solve the tough, pressing challenges facing our nation today.