Hollow Force, Hollow Metaphor: Assessing the Current Defense Drawdown
Abstract
In a 1980 testimony to Congress, the Armys Chief of Staff, General Edward Meyer, used the phrase hollow Army to articulate his perception of an undermanned, poorly trained post-Vietnam U.S. Army. While the validity of Meyers assessment remains disputed, Service leaders still use the phrase as an expedient and vivid way to describe shortfalls in readiness, force structure, and modernization. The phrase's recurring use, typically in periods following conflict, suggests the existence of a hollow force narrative perpetuated by senior military leaders: following conflict, politicians cut defense budgets too rapidly and too much, making military forces unprepared for the next war. However, the metaphor itself has never really been defined and is being used in the contemporary defense drawdown by Service leaders in different ways.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Apr 04, 2016
- Accession Number
- AD1017735
Entities
People
- Jon D. Griese
Organizations
- National Defense University