Heavy versus Light: What is the Optimal Structure for the U.S. Army?.
Abstract
This paper addresses some of the arguments for heavy versus light forces and attempts to prescribe an optimal divisional mix of these forces in the United States Army. An enhanced Warsaw Pact threat is postulated, as is an emerging threat from Soviet surrogates and communist Third World countries. Global force requirements are structured and some capabilities and limitations of light and heavy forces are presented. Some alternatives are offered for consideration. Additionally, two excursions are included for comparison. One suggests converting from light to motorized, while the other proposes increasing the heavy division dismount strength by 33%. The paper concludes that the optimal force mix should be twenty-five heavy and three light divisions. Finally, review of key events over the last seven years opens the door to the Army's future force structure. Keywords: Military force structure; Army operations; Division level organizations. (EDC)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Mar 30, 1989
- Accession Number
- ADA207353
Entities
People
- William F. Hixon Ii
Organizations
- United States Army War College