Historical U.S. Force Structure Trends: A Primer

Kevin N. Lewis

Expert InsightsPublished 1989

This paper chronicles U.S. defense program developments since 1946, with emphasis on the force structure characteristics as they reflect budgetary climates in recent decades. The author notes a continuity in force levels that does not exactly correspond with the variation in spending levels. He also discusses trends in past force design principles as they have come to determine current planning directions.

Document Details

  • Copyright: RAND Corporation
  • Availability: Web-Only
  • Year: 1989
  • Pages: 67
  • Document Number: P-7582

Citation

Chicago Manual of Style

Lewis, Kevin N., Historical U.S. Force Structure Trends: A Primer. Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation, 1989. https://www.rand.org/pubs/papers/P7582.html.
BibTeX RIS

This publication is part of the RAND paper series. The paper series was a product of RAND from 1948 to 2003 that captured speeches, memorials, and derivative research, usually prepared on authors' own time and meant to be the scholarly or scientific contribution of individual authors to their professional fields. Papers were less formal than reports and did not require rigorous peer review.

This document and trademark(s) contained herein are protected by law. This representation of RAND intellectual property is provided for noncommercial use only. Unauthorized posting of this publication online is prohibited; linking directly to this product page is encouraged. Permission is required from RAND to reproduce, or reuse in another form, any of its research documents for commercial purposes. For information on reprint and reuse permissions, please visit www.rand.org/pubs/permissions.

RAND is a nonprofit institution that helps improve policy and decisionmaking through research and analysis. RAND's publications do not necessarily reflect the opinions of its research clients and sponsors.