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.
More from CNAS
-
National Security Human Capital
Hegseth Accused of ‘Lying to the American Public’ About War in IranPentagon chief Pete Hegseth and top general Dan Caine faced lawmakers for the first time since the Iran war began, as the Trump administration seeks a record $1.5 trillion def...
By Katherine L. Kuzminski
-
National Security Human Capital
What the New Draft Registration Rule Means for YouA new rule will automatically register men between 18 and 25 for the Selective Service starting in December. How will that work? PBS News’ Tim McPhillips spoke with Katherine ...
By Katherine L. Kuzminski
-
National Security Human Capital
Dot Gov ’26: The Departments of Defense and Veteran AffairsLast week, Trump called for a record $1.5 trillion defense budget. And at Veterans Affairs, his administration implemented a staffing reorganization. And just last month, it w...
By Katherine L. Kuzminski
-
National Security Human Capital
Key Elements of the 2026 National Defense Authorization ActThis article was originally published on War on the Rocks. Although contemplating the personnel requirements of a large-scale conflict — and with it, the potential for casualt...
By Katherine L. Kuzminski