Research Catalog

An army transformed : the U.S. Army's post-Vietnam recovery and the dynamics of change in military organizations /

Title
An army transformed : the U.S. Army's post-Vietnam recovery and the dynamics of change in military organizations / Suzanne C. Nielsen.
Author
Nielsen, Suzanne C.
Publication
Carlisle, PA : Strategic Studies Institute, U.S. Army War College, [2010].

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Details

Additional Authors
Army War College (U.S.). Strategic Studies Institute. http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n80120847
Description
viii, 61 p.; 23 cm.
Summary
"During the 2 decades preceding the Persian Gulf War in 1991, the U.S. Army went through tremendous reform and rejuvenation. In explaining this important case of military change, this paper makes four central arguments. First, leaders within military organizations are essential; external developments most often have an indeterminate impact on military change. Second, military reform is about more than changing doctrine. To implement its doctrine, an organization must have appropriate training practices, personnel policies, organizations, equipment, and leader development programs. Third, the implementation of comprehensive change requires an organizational entity with broad authority able to craft, evaluate, and execute an integrated program of reforms. In the case of the U.S. Army in the 1970s and 1980s, this organization was the U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC). To an unprecedented degree, TRADOC was able to ensure that changes in personnel policies, organizations, doctrine, training practices, and equipment were integrated and mutually reinforcing. Fourth and finally, the process of developing, implementing, and institutionalizing complementary reforms can take several decades. While today's demands differ from those of the past, this report suggests questions that may be useful in thinking about change today. Knowing the answers to these questions would enable informed judgment about the prospects for the successful implementation of a program of reforms. The consequences, for good or for ill, could be quite significant in terms of resources, lives, and the national interest."-- P. vii-viii.
Series Statement
Letort papers ; [no. 43]
Uniform Title
Letort papers.
Alternative Title
  • US Army's post-Vietnam recovery and the dynamics of change in military organizations
  • United States Army's post-Vietnam recovery and the dynamics of change in military organizations
Subjects
Note
  • "September 2010."
Bibliography (note)
  • Includes bibliographical references (p. 49-61).
Additional Formats (note)
  • Available also online in PDF format from Strategic Studies Institute (SSI) web site. Adobe Acrobat Reader required.
Contents
Military change is difficult -- The military as a large organization -- The military as a bureaucracy -- The special nature of military organizations -- Types of military change -- The literature on military change -- Innovation -- Military doctrine -- Civil-military relations and military change -- Technological change -- The need for a new approach -- Who initiates reform? -- What motivates change? -- Institutionalization -- The argument -- The U.S. Army in the 1970s and 1980s -- Westmoreland's watch, 1968-1972 -- The Abrams/Weyand period, 1972-76 -- Training and Doctrine Command, 1973-1982 -- Conclusion.
ISBN
  • 9781584874614
  • 1584874619
LCCN
2010478994
Owning Institutions
Princeton University Library