The Army's Light Infantry Divisions: An Analysis of Advocacy and Opposition
Abstract
In October 1983 the Army Chief of Staff, General John Wickham, announced his decision to create light infantry divisions. In the ten years since the American withdrawal from Vietnam, the general trend of US Army force structure development had been toward heavy mechanized and armor forces, and so Wickham's decision represented a major change of direction for the Army. To overcome resistance to the new units, Wickham and other Army leaders worked to generate a broad-based advocacy for light divisions. Despite these efforts, and also despite the sound strategic rationale for this new initiative, the creation of light infantry divisions touched off a storm of protest. Examination of this process reveals the institutional interests, jealousies, and prejudices of several subcultures both inside and outside the Army.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 2005
- Accession Number
- ADA437008
Entities
People
- Timothy A. Wray
Organizations
- National War College