Beer, Bacon and Bullets examines how culture can impact the relations between Western militaries and their non-Western allies using five case studies of military cooperation: German advisors and their Ottoman counterparts in WWI; the Anglo-Japanese alliance in WWI; the U.S. military mission in China during WWII; American generals and their Saudi Arabian hosts in the first Gulf War; and the Israelis and their Lebanese allies in the shaping of today's Middle East.

Though dissimilar military forces working together may be committed to a similar end goal, their cooperation can be marred by tension related to their different cultural backgrounds. Luft's book suggests that by understanding other military cultures, the performance of coalitions can be improved. Joint Forces Quarterly has said of Beer, Bacon and Bullets: “The lessons offered will become increasingly important as coalition operations become the norm.”