FULL REPORT

Downsizing America's Armed Forces	June 8, 1990

Report Outline
Special Focus

Introduction

The Soviet threat has diminished, and the United States is starting to cut the number of its troops. This represents more than a chance to save money. It also provides a rare opportunity to whip the nation's military into shape—first, by getting rid of an excess of middle-level officers; and second, by making early reliance on the reserves in emergencies no longer necessary. But will the opportunity be seized?

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Overview

In the summer of 1945, when World War II was coming to an end, there were more than 1.2 million officers and nearly 10.8 million enlisted men on active duty in America's armed forces. Within a year, two-thirds of the officers and three-fourths of the enlisted men were back in civilian clothes.

Forty-five years later, the United States has begun another demobilization. With the stunning transformation of Eastern Europe and the unmistakable change in the Soviet Union, the Cold War seems at last to be over—and with it, the justification for having such a huge U.S. military force. Although the “peace dividend” may not prove as large as liberals in Congress and elsewhere hope, the nearly $300 billion defense budget is indeed being trimmed and so is the number of military personnel, by at least several hundred thousand troops.

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