Assignment: Pentagon: How to Excel in a Bureaucracy, 3d Edition, Revised Book

	Preface to the Third Edition	xi
1	Introduction	3
2	The Pentagon: Realities and Myths	7
3	Rules of Thumb: Helpful Hints on How to Get Ready to Work, Survive, and Thrive	15
4	Pentagon Truisms	36
5	The Strange Language of the Puzzle Palace	54
6	Where Were You When the Page Was Blank? The Agony and the Ecstasy of the Action Officer	70
7	The Branch and Division Chiefs: A Forgotten Breed	86
8	Flag Officers, Senior Civilians, and Political Appointees: The Need for Leadership	95
9	Difficult Bosses	114
10	Operating in the Tank: A View from the Inner Sanctum	120
11	The Joint Staff	127
12	The Office of the Secretary of Defense	140
13	The Complex Pattern of Rivalry and Competition	151
14	The Planning, Programming, and Budgeting System	157
15	Working with Defense Contractors	163
16	Some Pentagon Freebies and Pleasures to Investigate	168
17	Interviewing	173
18	How to Give and Receive Briefings in the Pentagon	178
19	Phrases to Avoid	184
20	A Scholar's View of the Pentagon	187
21	Military Ethics in the Pentagon	195
22	Future Shock: Pentagon Changes Through the Year 2020	201
	Appendixes
A.	Annotated Bibliography	207
B.	Sample Welcome Letter	210
C.	Transition into the Pentagon Checklist	212
D.	Interview Checklist: Some Questions to Expect	214
E.	The Heartbreak of House Hunting	216
F.	Family, Cultural, Academic, and Job Opportunities	224
G.	Glossary	231
H.	Maps	245
I.	Pertinent Websites	250
	Index	253
	About the Author	265