Faithin Omaha eBook Collection

Download or read book The Signal Corps' Strategic Vision in a Resource Constrained Environment written by Douglas J. Orsi and published by . This book was released on 2012 with total page 36 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: World War I ushered in the use of many new technologies on the battlefield, including chemical weapons, tanks, and flamethrowers, as well as communication technologies such as portable radios and radiotelephony. The war concluded as some of these new radio technologies were maturing for use in battle. Reduced defense spending in the interwar period limited new equipment development in the U.S. Army Signal Corps, but on the commercial side, the field of radio and telephone communications grew exponentially. The reduction in military spending and limited vision of Signal Corps strategic leaders resulted in the Army's divisions and mechanized forces having inadequate communications equipment at the start of World War II. This paper argues that Signal Corps leadership lacked a clear vision of the future and failed to embrace FM radio technology for equipping the future force. The Signal Corps reliance on how it fought the last war hindered its vision for fighting the next one. Today's Signal Corps can glean many insights from this period, which may prove useful in this era of reduced defense spending.