World War II inspired intense experimentation human and mechanical. My mother’s affair with a flight surgeon, for instance, was a personal experiment, more or less intentional, that was in turn part of a larger, accidental experiment in which millions of people were uprooted from their daily lives and dropped into intense situations with strangers. Much domestic disruption.

Another experiment was the empirical field-testing of aircraft. Is this great trial, the B-17 Flying Fortress put up one of most impressive displays, proving not only an effective carrier of firepower (the plane delivered...

A decade of war has seriously eroded the military’s preparedness to fight new wars, according to top officers in all four services. And it’s making the brass publicly bridle against the Obama administration’s planned defense cuts.

During a grim hearing in the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Readiness Tuesday afternoon, the vice chiefs of the Army, Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps glumly said the military faces deep problems getting its equipment and troops ready to meet unexpected threats beyond Iraq and Afghanistan. And they’ve got to fix the problem while the Pentagon shaves $400 b...