ABSTRACT
In June 1950 the U.S. Army was oriented on one contingency: World War III with the Soviet Union. Army planners expected that it would be much like the previous world war: an initial defensive phase based on air and sea power as total national mobilization built a multimillion-man ground force, followed by the dispatch of that force overseas to compel surrender by destroying the enemy’s ground forces. This orientation was the main factor shaping decisions on personnel, force structure, reserve forces, training, research, and acquisition during an interwar period of increasing budget austerity (Donnelly 2010). 1
