Sounds very much akin to the old Expansible Army concept, which did not work well if I recall correctly. Experienced leaders do not grow on trees, nor can you warehouse them in case of future need 🙄
I had the same question below. On the other hand institutional knowledge and even peace troop time doesn’t grow instantly either.
I don’t have a clear answer on what to do, except the large middle should NOT be put into bureaucracy created almost incidentally to accommodate overstaffing in the middle.
I think adopting and modifying the Soviet Fortification Division concept (Rank and Weapons heavy) to all branches especially logistics would be a better use, or even especially at this moment by God marching land forces into factories and sea forces to shipyards to build with their own hands is far better than another assistant spreadsheet officer.
The US Army for certain and it appears other services is absolutely set up to be very cadre/staff/middle heavy in case of needed rapid expansion, as indeed has happened.
The question is how much has being large in the middle helped as opposed to harmed us?
In particular as we haven’t had a large expansion since we drew down in the 1990s. Large as in doubling or more in size.
This is in context of this article and indeed the history of the last 80 years or more.
This also presupposes that your opponent will grant you the time and other resources needed to man, equip and train these new units.
Sounds very much akin to the old Expansible Army concept, which did not work well if I recall correctly. Experienced leaders do not grow on trees, nor can you warehouse them in case of future need 🙄
I had the same question below. On the other hand institutional knowledge and even peace troop time doesn’t grow instantly either.
I don’t have a clear answer on what to do, except the large middle should NOT be put into bureaucracy created almost incidentally to accommodate overstaffing in the middle.
I think adopting and modifying the Soviet Fortification Division concept (Rank and Weapons heavy) to all branches especially logistics would be a better use, or even especially at this moment by God marching land forces into factories and sea forces to shipyards to build with their own hands is far better than another assistant spreadsheet officer.
Here’s a question;
The US Army for certain and it appears other services is absolutely set up to be very cadre/staff/middle heavy in case of needed rapid expansion, as indeed has happened.
The question is how much has being large in the middle helped as opposed to harmed us?
In particular as we haven’t had a large expansion since we drew down in the 1990s. Large as in doubling or more in size.
This is in context of this article and indeed the history of the last 80 years or more.