Pre Twilight War Military Build Up

[Rainbow Six]

To a certain extent I think this is something that depends on which timeline you're following - V1 or V2.X.

For example, in V2 the UK went through a Defence Review at the end of the Cold War that reduced the armed forces strength by around 20% (and from memory virtually halved the number of Armoured Regiments). In V1 that Review probably wouldn't have taken place (or may have had a completely different outcome).

There's also the question of whether or not you have a Gulf War taking place in 1991 (particularly if following the V1 timeline). Again to quote a UK example, a number of flaws with the L85 assault rifle were identified during that War.

Just a few thoughts...