Production capacity can outweigh standing force size in wartime strength

Evidence

Quality of personnel likewise was given short shrift. Although the Germans suffered from the “teething problems” associated with a young and expanding force, questions of training, morale, and maintenance were generally ignored. Similarly, emphasis on numbers of planes usually excluded consideration of each side’s production capacity, which was vital for sustaining and increasing its force in wartime. A country might be stronger with a somewhat smaller standing air force supported by large and flexible production facilities than it would be with a larger force that would not be maintained in the face of wartime losses. But production facilities remained marginal to the British estimates of the military balance. — John T. Jost and Jim Sidanius, Political Psychology, 2598 (#corroborates, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: World War I victory hinged on industrial production capacity — Clara E. Mattei, The Capital Order: How Economists…, 118; Military adequacy depends on mission fit, not on comparative force strength; A smaller standing force with flexible production can outlast a larger one in war — John T. Jost and Jim Sidanius, Political Psychology, 2598 (+4 more)

Broader Connections

• A smaller standing force with flexible production can outlast a larger one in war #corroborates (0.95) — John T. Jost and Jim Sidanius, Political Psychology, 2598