Exploration of the third leg of the "iron triangle" confirms how an often stormy Progressive era between politicians, administrators, and Service professionals introduced over time the concept of public-private partnering that could provide a
mobilization base while building the architecture of a battle fleet.
Although internal controls such as policies can help meet program objectives, CRAF business partners do not have a clear understanding of DOD's expectations concerning four CRAF objectives--an enhanced
mobilization base, modernization, increased air carrier participation, and communication--because DOD has not developed policies in these four areas.
Citizen soldiers continued to train for the task of providing a
mobilization base. In 1952, the Chiefs of Staff Committee decreed that "the Militia will form the country's primary defence force." A year later, the forces-in-being concept was discarded and the Militia was assigned a civil defence role.
A monumental effort, to be sure, the Korean rearmament program provided for the construction of a permanent, institutionalized mobilization base to ensure that the United States would never again be forced to mobilize from scratch.
The decision to build and maintain in perpetuity a Cold War mobilization base and to keep defense spending at high levels resulted in several interesting developments.
When queried whether the specific role of mobilization would be the sole task for the Militia, Petras pointed out emphatically that, "The
mobilization base is not the sole mission; augmentation and balance between the two are involved.
This makes a mockery of the concept of the Militia as a
mobilization base for the nation.
The Militia is supposed to be the
mobilization base for the country in case national mobilization is required.
The change will allow for more premobilization training in Massachusetts and shorter mobilization training periods at out-of-state
mobilization bases before overseas deployments.