ABSTRACT
Many people saw little fundamental difference between the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, for instance, and what was called by virtually all but the US Government the American invasion of Grenada. The United States (US) had viewed with growing concern the construction by the Cubans of the Point Salines airfield in Grenada. The Grenada operation seems to have reinforced the positions of those who advocate major reforms in the US armed forces structure, particularly the reformation of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The problems of the US military forces are well known to defense analysts; much has been written, and is being written, of the perceived weakening of the whole military system, and the most severe if publicly silent critics are many US officers themselves. The credibility of the Defense Department was damaged seriously in Vietnam, and the public again must weigh opposing statements regarding Grenada. The Grenada affair left considerable debris in its wake.
