Army Training, Sir: The Impact of the World War I Experience on the Evolution of Training Doctrine in the US Army

The American Army's mobilization for World War I was fraught with difficulties, resulting in a number of failings that produced a capable but flawed expeditionary force. The traditional interpretation of army training during that conflict was lackluster as it produced combat units that lacked critical capabilities. The experience of learning how to train and how to write training doctrine produced positive results that historians have largely overlooked. This study examines the status of training in the pre-war army to include both existing doctrine and institutional management organizations. It then chronicles the wartime experience and traces the evolution of training doctrine and practices during the war. It concludes by looking at the immediate post-war years to determine what lasting impacts the wartime experiences had on training doctrine and management. Overall, this study concludes that the training effort during World War I had significant long-term benefits for the army, producing the foundation of the army's training practices through World War II.