ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY

A new paper from the Association of the U.S. Army’s Institute of Land Warfare looks at how politics in the 1950s influenced Army doctrine, particularly the shift to nuclear weapons.

Written by retired Army Lt. Col. David C. Rasmussen, an Afghanistan veteran and political scientist, the paper looks at the Eisenhower era when efforts were underway to reduce U.S. troop presence in Europe and cut defense spending by 30 percent, proposals resisted by then-Army Chief of Staff Gen. Matthew Ridgway.

Mission Command is the “only way to lead a winning Army,” according to Gen. Stephen J. Townsend, who said he is “troubled” by the number of soldiers who have said the Army doesn’t follow its own leadership doctrine.

A new document called “The Army Strategy” adds to the growing list of fundamental papers describing the purpose and goals of America’s military.

The 11-page document signed by Army Secretary Mark T. Esper and Chief of Staff Gen. Mark A. Milley augments the previously released Army Vision statement, the National Security Strategy and the National Defense Strategy.

Esper and Milley said the documents are linked. “The Army Strategy describes the strategic environment and the lines of effort we will pursue to achieve the Army Vision by 2028,” they write.