"An Inward Looking Time": The United States Army, 1973-1976

This article examines the initial stages of the rebuilding undertaken by the U.S. Army after the Vietnam War. It emphasizes how the ending of the draft, rather than the lessons of the Vietnam War, shaped and drove the key changes during this period. It stresses the central role of General William E. DePuy in developing a trained, value-based, and doctrinal Army focused on the European Central Front, influenced by the lessons drawn from the 1973 Arab-Israeli War. It highlights how important the initial period of reform was to the later developments that aided the prosecution of the Gulf War.