The United States Army in Europe, 1995 and Beyond: Determinants for a Dual-Based, Smaller Yet Substantive Force

Abstract : The United States' military strategy and its force structure have both undergone careful reconsideration following the end of the cold war. The U. S. military will reduce by 25 percent by 1995, losing one million positions through cutbacks in the active component, the reserves, and Department of Defense civilians. These reductions do not include the projected decline in the United States industrial base. History has shown that every time in the 20th century that the U.S. military has experienced rapid drawdowns following conflict, they lost the warfighting edge necessary to perform well at the beginning of the next crisis. Allen argues that despite the attraction for a more rapid peace dividend,.the drawdown plan that was designed in 1990 is an attractive solution designed to avoid future misfortunes. Allen also argues that the United States continues to possess vital interests in the global environment and, although apparently more inward-looking, is not retreating to a fortress America mentality.