Military Standardization: Its Opportunities and Alternatives for the US Army.
Abstract
The standardization of equipment and doctrine among members of a military alliance has been used as a means of increasing effectiveness and reducing costs. However, despite opportunities to achieve a high degree of military standardization between the United States and its allies, standardization has never reached its expected potential. The essay examines two military standardization programs; the American, British, Canadian, Australian (ABCA) Armies; and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), describing the organization for standardization and analyzing the forces and conditions working for the against standardization. Current US policy and recent actions by Congress towards standardization are examined. Alternative programs to increase alliance effectiveness are discussed. Data was gathered from government documents, published articles, studies, and statements by US and foreign government and military leaders. The essay concludes that the recent actions by Congress have provided the strongest thrust towards standardization. If Congressional efforts are successful, it will indicate that economic incentives are more important than operational factors in carrying out alliance policies. (Author)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Oct 14, 1975
- Accession Number
- ADA024045
Entities
People
- Delos A. Mccoole
Organizations
- United States Army War College