Thread by @usacac

THE INTERWAR YEARS (Part 1)

There were approximately 20 years between the end of World War I and the beginning of World War II.

During this “Interwar" period the United States engaged in serious efforts to address military shortcomings, especially in materiel, for the first time ever during peacetime.

Unfortunately, this was not the case throughout the entire Interwar period, but not for a lack of effort. We’ll get to that later.

On 4 June 1920, the National Defense Act was updated. Among the updates, the @USArmy was reorganized and the defense procurement process was decentralized.

The Assistant Secretary of War would now be responsible for the War Department’s procurement processes and for planning industrial mobilization.

The changes to the National Defense Act of 1920 reflected changes in Army perspectives. Should another war erupt, it would undoubtedly require the entirety of the US economy to produce massive, mechanized forces, sophisticated weaponry, and sustain & transport large armies.

There was a problem though. After the devastation of WWI, the United States, as a whole, was withdrawing into an isolationist mindset. No one could image another large war occurring anytime in the near future so very few wanted to entertain the possibility at all.

The War Department would experience repeated frustrations for years to come in trying to meet military goals of planning and preparedness.

In mid-1922, the Joint Army and Navy Munitions Board was established in an effort to bring the @USNavy into the planning process rather than have the two services compete for finite resources.

This Board adopted a Joint Army-Navy strategy in 1929 and became a permanent executive committee in 1931.

The Army Industrial College was established as well. This school provided Army Officers with a year of study to learn all about mobilization. A few years later, the faculty and students contributed to industrial mobilization plans.

Both of these efforts showed forward thinking and recognition of the importance of understanding mobilization. The process is multifaceted and involves much more than just the Army.

Another important change stemming from the National Defense Act of 1920 is the reorganization of the @USArmy itself.

The US Army was divided into three components:
The Regular Army, the Army National Guard, and the Organized Reserve. @USArmy @USNationalGuard @USArmyReserve

The Reserve would also consist of three elements:
the Officers’ Reserve Corps, the Enlisted Reserve Corps, and the Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC). @ArmyROTC @CG_ArmyROTC

These organizational changes would help shape the Army that would fight in WWII, and ultimately the Army that we have today.

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