Author : Shelby K. Little
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 0 pages
Book Rating : 4.:/5 (396 download)
Book Synopsis The National Guard and Challenges of the 21st Century Defense by : Shelby K. Little
Download or read book The National Guard and Challenges of the 21st Century Defense written by Shelby K. Little and published by . This book was released on 1998 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: America's National Guard has been an integral part of her defense for over 360 years. Coming into its own by law and extensive use during the 20th century, it now stands on the threshold of the 21st struggling again for its survival and the right to be a full partner with the Regular Army. Questioning its relevance in the modern concept of short, high-tech wars envisioned by the Army, the large combat formations remaining in the Guard, particularly its 8 divisions, are seen as too big, too hard to train, and too long to deploy to be of any use in projected war plans. This assertion, despite the huge increase in commitments of a drawn-down Army and the warnings of responsible authorities within and outside the military, is the crux of the debate now raging over the Guard's future. The premise of this paper is that America cannot afford to cut the National Guard combat capability. A sufficiently large and well-equipped combat reserve is necessary to counter threats to our national security and interests. While a smaller, high-tech Regular Army is postulated as the force of the future and able to handle any eventuality; what if it's not?