Building A Better Force: Regular Army / Reserve Components Integration In The Army Chemical Corps

Abstract

Over the past twenty years, the mission of the Army Chemical Corps has evolved from a focus on protecting military forces against Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear (CBRN) weapons to include the elimination Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD), and CBRN consequence management. At the same time, an increased focus by both adversary state and nonstate actors on acquiring WMD has increased the potential for their use. Due to both increasing mission requirements and emerging threats, the Army must seek to implement policies and systems that provide a Chemical Force capable of responding to the full range of CBRN threats and hazards. With more than eighty percent of the Chemical Force residing in the Reserve Components (RCs), it is necessary to integrate the total force to optimize Chemical Force effectiveness. Integration has been challenged by the implementation of statutes and policies that have erected institutional barriers between the Regular Army (RA) and RCs. This paper analyzes potential challenges and identifies opportunities for increasing the responsiveness and effectiveness of the Army Chemical Corps through RA / RCs integration.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
May 26, 2016
Accession Number
AD1022014

Entities

People

  • James P. Harwell

Organizations

  • School of Advanced Military Studies

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Chemical Weapons
  • Contingency Operations (Military)
  • Department Of Defense
  • Employment
  • Governments
  • International Law
  • Management Personnel
  • Military History
  • Military Science
  • National Security
  • Organizational Structure
  • Personnel Management
  • United States Government
  • United States Northern Command
  • War Colleges
  • Warfare
  • Weapons Of Mass Destruction

Readers

  • Critical Infrastructure Protection in CBRN and WMD Threats.
  • Irregular Warfare and Special Operations Cyberspace Operations against Adversarial Threats.
  • Military Mobilization and Reserve Forces Studies.