The Army before last military transformation and the impact of nuclear weapons on the US Army during the early Cold War
Download
Author
Kinman, Bret C.
Date
2004-09Advisor
Moran, Daniel
Second Reader
Hoffman, Richard
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
This thesis analyzes the impact of nuclear weapon on the doctrine and force structure of the US Army during the Early Cold War (1947-1957). It compares these impacts with those that occurred on the US Air Force and Navy during that time. Nuclear weapons brought a new aspect to warfare. Their unprecedented economy of destructive power changed the way nations viewed warfare. For the Army, nuclear weapons presented a dual challenge. The Army faced a US security policy centered on the massive use of these weapons; the Army also struggled to understand how these weapons would be utilized on the battlefield. The nation's security policy of large scale strategic nuclear bombardment of the Soviet Union favored the Air Force and to a lesser degree the Navy. The Army viewed this policy as single minded and purposely limiting the nations options to all out nuclear war or deference to another national will. In all the Army faced an internal struggle to incorporate these weapons and an external struggle to retain a useful position within the US Defense establishment during this period.
Rights
This publication is a work of the U.S. Government as defined in Title 17, United States Code, Section 101. Copyright protection is not available for this work in the United States.Collections
Related items
Showing items related by title, author, creator and subject.
-
Atomic Army: the roles of the U.S. Army in America's nuclear endeavors
Womack, Seth M. (Monterey, California: Naval Postgraduate School, 2014-09);This thesis examines the roles of the U.S. Army in America’s nuclear undertakings. Since 1942, when the Army took responsibility for managing the Manhattan Project, the Army has made many important contributions to America’s ... -
The Nuclear Taboo and Non-Western Regional Powers
Malley, Michael; Kapur, Paul; Khan, Feroz; Russell, James (Monterey, California. Naval Postgraduate School, 2016); NPS-N16-N173-AIn the literature on nuclear weapons and international security, a strong argument has been made that a norm against the use of nuclear weapons has developed since 1945. This literature rests almost exclusively on observations ... -
SAME AS IT EVER WAS: PERSISTING CHALLENGES WITHIN THE NUCLEAR SECURITY ENTERPRISE
Labrum, Joseph H. (Monterey, CA; Naval Postgraduate School, 2024-03);This thesis explores the challenges and strategic implications faced by the nuclear security enterprise in the context of the evolving global nuclear landscape since the end of nuclear testing in 1992. It delves into the ...