This is blatantly wrong, the US military at its peak in WW2 numbered 16,000,000 (16 million) personnel.
In 2023 there are 1,600,000 (1.6 million) personnel. The US military has been below WW2 mobilization numbers for decades, its impossible to keep that number of people mobilized.
1,801,101 in 1941 just before Pearl Harbour, it increased during the war and now it has decreased to levels before the start of US participation in WW2.
What is your source? The national WW2 registry lists there being only roughly 300,000 pre-Pearl harbor. Then roughly 1.4 million total after mass enlistment and drafting in December.
Why would the US military be fielding a peacetime force of 1.6 million members? That’s an insane amount of men relative to the population.
Or this direct US army document that states that the US’ proactive mobilization plan would increase the US military from 167,000 men in 1939 to 320,000 men by mid 1941 in preparation for potentially joining the European front.
EDIT: Nevermind I think I found a source that says something similar to what you’re saying, but it’s a massive misrepresentation of the data. The 1.6 million men number is including YET TO BE ACTIVATED reservists, national guard members, and potential draft selections yet to be activated.
The US military’s actual effective strength was 300,000. The other million exist only on paper up until December when mobilization kicked into maximum overdrive.
This is blatantly wrong, the US military at its peak in WW2 numbered 16,000,000 (16 million) personnel.
In 2023 there are 1,600,000 (1.6 million) personnel. The US military has been below WW2 mobilization numbers for decades, its impossible to keep that number of people mobilized.
What is this article talking about???
It says before WWII, not wartime numbers.
But that is false as well. The army size in the interwar period was 200,000-500,000.
1,801,101 in 1941 just before Pearl Harbour, it increased during the war and now it has decreased to levels before the start of US participation in WW2.
What is your source? The national WW2 registry lists there being only roughly 300,000 pre-Pearl harbor. Then roughly 1.4 million total after mass enlistment and drafting in December.
Why would the US military be fielding a peacetime force of 1.6 million members? That’s an insane amount of men relative to the population.
Or this direct US army document that states that the US’ proactive mobilization plan would increase the US military from 167,000 men in 1939 to 320,000 men by mid 1941 in preparation for potentially joining the European front.
https://history.army.mil/documents/wwii/ww2mob.htm
Where are you getting the extra million men?
EDIT: Nevermind I think I found a source that says something similar to what you’re saying, but it’s a massive misrepresentation of the data. The 1.6 million men number is including YET TO BE ACTIVATED reservists, national guard members, and potential draft selections yet to be activated.
The US military’s actual effective strength was 300,000. The other million exist only on paper up until December when mobilization kicked into maximum overdrive.