The War in Ukraine Has Exposed a Critical American Vulnerability

In 1939, when America was emerging from the throes of the Great Depression, our Army ranked 19th-largest in the world, standing behind Portugal and only slightly ahead of Bulgaria. It could muster just 174,000 soldiers, scattered between three and a half divisions. Six years later, the U.S. Army had mobilized more than 8 million men spread across 92 divisions. This unprecedented expansion occurred under the leadership of Chief of Staff of the Army General George C. Marshall.