Rapid Deployment Forces: Policy and Budgetary Implications
Abstract
When plans for the Rapid Deployment Forces (RDF) were announced in 1979, no new combat forces were created for them. (For simplicity, the RDF is referred to here as a single unit.) Rather, the RDF was envisioned to consist of existing forces portions of all four U.S. armed services most of which already had the traditional mission of assisting in the defense of NATO Europe. The size of the RDF can therefore have important implications for the U.S. policy with respect to NATO. To assist in deliberations about the appropriate size of the RDF, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has examined several aspects of three possible RDFs -- one manned at the Administration's higher level, assumed to include 440,000 troops, one manned at the current 222,000-troop level, and one reduced to 165,000 troops. The analysis first considers the missions appropriate to the different sizes. Then, for each version of RDF, the analysis considers the implications for NATO versus Warsaw Pact force ratios in Europe, and the RDF's combat, mobility, and support needs. To the extent that each of these factors has budgetary implications, the potential costs or savings are also examined.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Feb 01, 1983
- Accession Number
- ADA474780
Entities
People
- John D. Mayer Jr.
Organizations
- Congressional Budget Office