June 28, 2013
Right-Sizing the Force: Lessons for the Current Drawdown of American Military Personnel
Former Undersecretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness and current RAND Corporation Senior Fellow Bernard Rostker argues in the new CNAS working paper Right-Sizing the Force: Lessons from the Current Drawdown of American Military Personnel that the U.S. military is poised to commit two mistakes as it enters this era of drawdown. The first is that overreliance on reserve forces will leave the military unable to meet the mobilization goals it sets for itself. The second is that force reductions could upset the balance between junior and senior service members and upset the deliberate pace at which officers advance through the ranks.
Author
-
Bernard Rostker
More from CNAS
-
How DOD missed its opportunity to counter extremism in the ranks
Commentary
It is clear that extremism in the ranks still poses a challenge, and we are in desperate need of an administrative nerve center capable of addressing it....
By Samantha Olson
-
Jack Teixeira pleads guilty to leaking military documents
Video
Massachusetts Air National Guard member Jack Teixeira pleaded guilty Monday to leaking highly classified military documents containing national security secrets. Scott MacFarl...
By Katherine L. Kuzminski
-
The Ukraine war and the myth of a permanent all-volunteer force
Commentary
When Russia annexed Crimea in 2014, many heralded a new era of warfare. Short wars waged by small professional forces seemed to be the way of the future. Authoritarian actors,...
By Andrew Spafford
-
Countering Domestic Violent Extremism in the Ranks: Barriers to Recruitment Screening
Commentary
Lawful interaction with the technology sector, including social media platforms, is essential to effectively address national security threats, foreign and domestic....
By Carrie Cordero & Katherine L. Kuzminski
