Concepts of defense economics for the 21st century

A useful anticipation of defense economics must rest upon the dramatic, con tinuing, and confusing upheaval in the functions of military forces in the world of the coming century. This essay tries to reflect the staggering arr ay of new features which impact on the provision of national defense and in ternational security; as these profoundly shape the discipline of "defense economics," they will elevate in importance the social, cultural, developme ntal, and legal interactions between economics and defense so that the subj ect will fit far more comfortably into the realm of political economy than it did when it originated decades ago. With this perspective in mind, this introduction is focused on categories defining;the core of "defense economi cs" in the coming decades.