Department of the Army Historical Summary: FY 1978 In stressing
force readiness, the Army was aware that the next war might well
be the most lethal, intense, and complicated war in its history.
The logical opponent would be the members of the Warsaw Pact,
whose forces are formidable both in quantity and quality.
Although the Army could not hope to match the foe in Europe, it
did attempt to provide its troops with the best organization,
training, and equipment available and to sustain a credible
margin of readiness to deter open warfare. In an era of
spiralling inflation, the Army had to make hard choices over the
distribution of funds and resources. Although Europe received
first priority, the Army had to maintain forces in other areas
at home and abroad. Among the gravest problems the service faced
this year were retaining trained personnel in the active Army
and attracting high-caliber recruits to the reserve components.
The volunteer system obliged the Army to rely on a high degree
of leadership at senior