Over the past twenty years, controversy has raged over the greatly expanded role of Congress in the formulation of US national defence policy. Barry Blechman, who served as Assistant Director to the US Arms Control and Disarmament Agency and as a consultant to the Pentagon and numerous congressional committees, here analyses this fundamental shift in US policy-making. Based in part on interviews with Congress members and their staff, the book explains how and why these changes came about and what their consequences have been for the defence of American interests.