King's thesis moves from war aims to the practical means available for war. It demands preparation before policy brings a crisis, since inadequate forces would constrain the character of the war and make its outcome doubtful. The warning is linked to Woodrow Wilson's attempts to avoid the First World War and the American force that entered it without adequate preparation. Repeated unpreparedness in both world wars is treated as one historical root of the later American determination to sustain a large defense establishment in peacetime.
Notable Point · 19:27-24:44
National policy required the tools to fight
King argued that a nation pursuing policies likely to produce war must provide adequate forces beforehand or accept a doubtful outcome.