Downsizing of U.S. Military forces since the end of the Cold War has led to an unparalleled reduction of the Defense Industrial Base. Some critics now claim the military lacks an adequate supply of modern preferred munitions to execute the new National Security Strategy of Engagement and Enlargement. They go on to question the U.S. military's ability to execute the National Military Strategy, which requires our forces to execute and win two near simultaneous major regional contingencies. Even so, we continue to restructure and reduce the size of the force. This strategy requires the continued capability to deter war and respond to crisis. We also need the capability to replenish war reserves and reconstitute forces after military intervention in response to a new major regional threat. The success of the Gulf War may have erroneously suggested a capability to fight a protracted war or to readily reconstitute forces. This strategy research project will examine the munitions industrial base of the past, assess present capabilities, and make recommendations to ensure that there is an adequate base for our forces well into the 21st century.

"7 April 1997"--Page iii. "Class of 1997"--Cover. DTIC reprint: AD-A326 948.