Defense and Arms Control Studies Program, Annual Report 1992-1993
Abstract
Truth be told, the United States took the Cold War more seriously than did any other of the war's major participants. With great expenditure, much trial and error, and more than occasional innovative analysis, the United States built a military that was by the war's end simply unsurpassable. The Amen can military had the best equipment, the most professional leadership the most sophisticated training, and most extensive logistical support of any in the world. It had these attributes because it was expected to be able to fight (and often did) far from its home bases in the difficult climates against the difficult opponents. The American military thought it had to be ready to meet the Communist challenge nearly anywhere on the globe it might conceivably appear. In contrast our European allies came to view the Cold War as essentially a jobs program. Exhausted by the Second World War, they were quick to accept that threat posed by the Soviet Union could only be met by the United States and, with minor exception, organized their defense efforts to maximize local employment rather than, as America largely did. military utility. Their militaries often expressed preference for American equipment and practices, but were usually required to accept whatever systems national firms alone or in regional consortia could develop. The training of West European militaries suffered and their ability to project force at any distance from their borders was quite limited because European politicians were unwilling to impose significant burdens on their populations. The Soviet Union, the other half of the Cold War, gradually slid into the same policies, allowing its once mighty military to become sclerotic while focusing its attention on expanding employment in a vast network of factories that produced great quantities of often obsolete weapons.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 1993
- Accession Number
- ADA456074
Entities
Organizations
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology