Publication

This paper discusses the reform of the US military after the Cold War. The author argues that the post-Cold War world environment has complicated rather than simplified the missions, strategy, and organization of the US Armed Forces. He also points out that rapid downsizing after the fall of the Soviet Union and the allied victory in the Persian Gulf War left a military lacking strategic direction, a thoughtful force structure, and a logical threat upon which to base its future structure. The paper concludes that a deliberate process of military transformation must account for the need for public support, which is essential for such a process to succeed.