Eisenhower’s policy, then, cannot be called restrained or passive. To be sure, it envisioned patience rather than provocation and war. But to wage a prolonged geopolitical and ideological struggle with the communist bloc required a transformation in American capabilities and mentalities. In these first months of his presidency, Eisenhower laid down a blueprint for the warfare state—an official plan to mobilize the nation and put it on a permanent war footing. The military-industrial complex had begun to take shape.
