WI/PC: US Armed Forces 1980's, More regular forces, less reserves?

WILDGEESE

Gone Fishin'
Taken from James F Dunnigan's "How to Make War" these are the spending ratio's and personnel in service in the US in around 1980.

ACTIVE CIVILIAN RESERVE TOTAL
US Army . . . . 776,000 . . . . . 361,000 . . . . . 742,000 . . . . . 1,879,000
USN . . . . . . . 534,000 . . . . . .296,000 . . . . . 174,000 . . . . . 1,004,000
USMC . . . . . . 185,000 . . . . . . 20,000 . . . . . 88,000 . . . . . . .293,000
USAF . . . . . . .564,000 . . . . . 263,000 . . . . . 195,000 . . . . . 1,022,000

% . . . . . . . . . 49% . . . . . . . . 22% . . . . . . . . 29% . . . . . . . .100%

What if the US govt increased the ratio of Active military personnel and cut down on the number of reserve personnel to the following numbers.

US ARMY . . . . . 1,442,800 . . . . . 361,000 . . . . . 74,200 . . . . . 1,879,000
USN . . . . . . . . . .609,600 . . . . . .296,000 . . . . . 17,400 . . . . . 1,004,000
USMC . . . . . . . . .264,000 . . . . . . 20,000 . . . . . . 8,800 . . . . . . .293,000
USAF . . . . . . . . .739,500 . . . . . 296,000 . . . . . 19,500 . . . . . .1,022,000

% . . . . . . . . . . . 75% . . . . . . . . .22% . . . . . . . .2.9% . . . . . . .100%

Would this work, would this improve the US Armed Forces capability against the USSER and the rest of the world.

Regards filers.
 
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Hardly.

It boils down to numbers. You're proposing that the reserves are gutted by 90%, but with little real difference that couldn't be replicated with programs such as REFORGER in the event of war. Not to mention that those reserves are protected by time and distance from the what would be the heaviest fighting in the war - the first few days/weeks. More active duty personnel only stretches the budget massively, meaning less equipment, heavier casualties, and perilously few reinforcements for the units that suffer losses.
 

SsgtC

Banned
You also overlooked another major factor. A large proportion of those reserves, are inactive reserve. Meaning they don't drill. In the US, an enlistment contract is 8 years. The vast majority of those contacts are divided into 4 years on active duty and 4 years Individual Ready Reserve (IRR for short). Members in IRR don't drill, don't get paid. So to do what you're proposing, would require all those members be involuntarily recalled to active duty. Very that's not a step taken lightly. And it would require 8 year active duty contacts. Meaning recruitment is going to plummet.
 
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