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Description
Historical and Scope Note
Lieutenant General Robert Schweitzer, 1928-2000, was a 36 year veteran of the United States Army. This heavily decorated soldier led troops in combat in the 1960s during six tours in Vietnam, where his assignments included that of deputy commander of a cavalry regiment.
In addition to leading troops he also served in strategic and policy roles at the Pentagon and in the National Security Council under Henry Kissinger.
At the beginning of the Reagan administration in January 1981, he rejoined the NSC as its defense group director; the then-major general was the council's top military officer. In October 1981, he was relieved of that post after giving a highly publicized speech to a convention of the Association of the United States Army that administration officials said was unauthorized and "at some degree of variance" with President Reagan's views.
In his remarks, Gen. Schweitzer claimed that Moscow had nuclear superiority over this country in all three "legs" of the strategic triad of land-based and submarine-based missiles and strategic bombers--views not shared by the administration. He spoke of a "drift toward war" and maintained that the "Soviets are on the move; they are going to strike." He also said that the United States was "in the greatest danger that the republic has ever faced since its founding days."
This topic guide concerns this firing of then Major General Robert Schweitzer
Last Updated: 04/14/2021 09:07PM