This volume examines the strategic deployment and operational challenges faced by the United States Army in securing the continental United States and its peripheral outposts during the Second World War. Stetson Conn and his co-authors utilize official military records and administrative documentation to analyze the logistical and defensive requirements of protecting vast territories ranging from the Aleutian Islands to the Panama Canal. The work provides a comprehensive overview of how the Army managed the defense of both Atlantic and Pacific fronts while addressing internal security concerns.

Historians and military researchers regard this volume as a foundational reference for understanding the administrative and defensive posture of the U.S. Army during the early 1940s. Readers frequently note the academic density of the prose and the extensive reliance on primary military documentation.