American Artillerists and French Cannons: Failure of the U.S. Defense Industrial Base before World War I

Entry into the Great War exposed inadequacies in the ability of the U.S. to organize, train, and equip its military. These inadequacies resulted in acute shortfalls for the U.S. Field Artillery. As a result, the AEF depended primarily on the French for artillery matriel and training. This support was vital due to the decisive role of artillery in the war's firepower-centric tactics. Discovering what hindered the preparation of the U.S. Field Artillery requires investigating the effects of the country's national interest, the War Department's priorities, and the relationship between the War Department and private industry. Understanding how these factors hindered the development of the U.S. Field Artillery before the Great War will not prepare the U.S. for its next conflict. However, this knowledge enables modern artillerists to ask the right questions while preparing the U.S. Field Artillery for future conflict.