mobilization

mobilization, in war or national defense, organization of the armed forces of a nation for active military service in time of war or other national emergency. In its full scope, mobilization includes the organization of all resources of a nation for support of the military effort.

The technological advances of the 20th century, particularly since the advent of nuclear weapons, vastly increased the complexities of the planning and implementation of mobilization. The ratio of a nation’s standing forces, which provide for defense during the mobilization period, to that nation’s full war potential has always varied and has depended on such factors as foreign policy, world tensions, strength and situation of allies, and estimates of the time required to implement mobilization. Because of the tremendous power of nuclear weapons and the speed with which they can be delivered to their targets, it is conceivable that a nation’s war potential could be destroyed before mobilization could be started. This situation has increased the need for adequately prepared standing forces—i.e., the peacetime army, navy, and air force—which might be the only means available to continue the defense and launch a counterattack.

Military mobilization, for any kind of war, includes the procurement and training of manpower for military purposes; the selection of areas and the construction of facilities for training and other military purposes; and the procurement and issuance of arms, ammunition, uniforms, equipment, vehicles, and stores. The procurement of military manpower is in itself a complex task that includes the calling up of reserves; the induction of large numbers of raw recruits; and the allocation of manpower to the army, navy, and air force and, within these major components, to the respective arms, services, and other subdivisions.

The procurement of military manpower during mobilization must be correlated with the procurement of arms and equipment necessary for training and for combat and must be synchronized with timetables for training and strategic deployment. Mobilization, to be effective, not only must be well organized but must have everything in step.