US Army War College Interwar Period Curriculum: Logistics and Joint Coordination
Abstract
The US Army faced many logistical challenges during World War I (WWI) that influenced the strategic, operational, and tactical levels of war. In response to WWI, the US Army sought to learn from its experience a process that took place largely in the education system during the budget-constrained interwar years because it was cost effective. This monograph addresses the increased emphasis in the curriculum at the US Army War College (AWC) on logistics and joint coordination between the US Army and US Navy. World War II (WWII) tested the effectiveness of these curriculum changes in the earliest engagements in the Pacific Theater of Operations (PTO). During an interwar period, leaders have time to make decisions with respect to personnel, training, equipping, tactics, and organizational changes necessary for success in the next war. This monograph demonstrates how the educational changes at the AWC during the Interwar Period (1919-1939) influenced operational outcomes in the PTO. Although the US military is not currently in an interwar period, insights from the post-WWI Interwar Period and WWII in the Pacific provide a lens to view current logistics and joint operations in today's military. As the US military continues to fight the current fight while preparing for the uncertainty of the future, doing the right things will result in better preparation for the next war.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 25, 2017
- Accession Number
- AD1038992
Entities
People
- Christopher J. Garvin
Organizations
- School of Advanced Military Studies