The Man in the Middle: John Lehman, Naval Power, and the End of the Cold War

John Lehman is a legendary figure in American naval history. He was one of the youngest people ever to serve as Secretary of the Navy and arguably the most-powerful holder of that office. While the President and Secretary of Defense determine defense policy in the United States, it is up to the military services to implement it. The secretary of each service—the "man in the middle," as one Air Force Secretary put it—represents the highest-level civilian leadership to the military. Lehman fi...