Existing comment:
The Need to Save Europe: From Mobile to Active Defenses:
In Europe, American military planners expected to wage a mobile defense to blunt, then stop, and finally counterattack a Soviet invasion. However, this strategy required American forces to possess the ability to maneuver, including the voluntary abandonment of territory. By the 1970s, the notion of abandoning any part of West Germany had become politically untenable. Therefore, the US Army began to develop a new doctrine, known as "Active Defense," to guide operations. This doctrine focused on the importance of winning the first battle against numerically superior odds through emphasis of firepower, technology, maneuver, supporting fires, and an array of intelligence assets.
Evening the Odds in Battle: REFORGER:
To ensure the rapid reinforcement of American formations in Europe, the Army also began a series of exercises in the late 1960s known as the Return of Forces to Germany (REFORGER). American forces deployed from the United States to Germany where they were immersed in training maneuvers. REFORGER provided experience in moving troops to the anticipated battlefields of Europe and helped improve readiness. The numerous REFORGER assignments over the decades also served to demonstrate American military ability to the Soviets. |