The Army Industrial College and Mobilization Planning between the Wars
Abstract
The Army Industrial College was founded in 1924 'to train Army officers in the useful knowledge pertaining to the supervision of procurement of all military supplies in time of war and to the assurance of adequate provision for the mobilization of materiel and industrial organizations essential to war- time needs' (War Department General Orders No. 7, February 25, 1924). Research into newly-declassified material in the National Archives from the Army Industrial College in the pre-World War II period shows the role the AIC played in training Army, Navy and Marine officers in planning the industrial mobilization of the next war. Although the AIC graduated only somewhat more than 1,000 officers (regular and reserve) prior to closing on December 23, 1941, many graduates were in pivotal positions to influence the production of the Industrial Mobilization Plans, which were officially the responsibility of the Army and Navy Munitions Board. The failure of President Roosevelt to use these Industrial Mobilization Plans was a result of the gradual U.S. involvement in events leading up to our entry in the war and in the lack of an identifiable 'M- Day' on which mobilization would commence.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Apr 01, 1993
- Accession Number
- ADA276612
Entities
People
- Joanne E. Johnson
Organizations
- Dwight D. Eisenhower School for National Security and Resource Strategy