Sharpening the Sword: Combat Readiness of the National Guard Combat Brigades
Abstract
After every major war, America has had a tendency to disarm because there was no perceived threat on the horizon. After this "victory" in the Cold War, the United States is again in the process of standing down its armed forces. Congress has mandated cuts to capitalize on a "peace dividend." While the military acknowledges that some reductions are justified, any cut in forces should be in accordance with a strategy that defines America's vital interests, and provides sufficient forces to protect and defend those interests. The nation must be careful not to make short-sighted decisions on national security matters to satisfy politically motivated solutions to the economy. Predictably, Congress and the Department of Defense are at odds over almost every aspect of the defense budget. What and how much to cut from the budget is and will be the subject of much debate. Much of the country's future will depend upon the right balance of political maneuvering and sound national security strategy. This paper examines the Army capability portion of the above equation. First, the author looks at the National Military Strategy (NMS) 1992 and Army requirements. Then he outlines plans for downsizing the Army from PY91 strength levels (1.5M) to FY95 levels (1M) and the bureaucratic politics involved in that process. Congressional action to date has shown agreement in the reductions of active forces but reluctance to reduce the reserves. Some members of Congress are even advocating that the nation should rely more on the National Guard and less on the Active Army. The key question is do we want to entrust the security of the country in large part to the National Guard? This paper discusses some of the readiness problems that mitigate against greater reliance on the National Guard for national security. These problems were illustrated during the mobilization of the three National Guard roundout brigades for Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 1992
- Accession Number
- ADA437124
Entities
People
- Richard L. Stouder
Organizations
- National War College