ARMY NATIONAL GUARD: Enhanced Brigade Readiness Improved but Personnel and Workload Are Problems
Abstract
Over the past 25 years, changing defense needs and budgetary pressures have led to an increased reliance on Army National Guard and other reserve forces in the national military strategy These reserves provide combat forces as well as a large percentage of the Army's requirements in support areas such as civil affairs, public affairs, quartermaster transportation, chemical, ordnance, and engineering. Moreover the Department of Defense projects an even greater reliance on the reserves in the future to help ease the high pace of operations of active forces. Reserve units such as the National Guard's 15 Enhanced Separate Brigades, the Guard's highest priority combat units, provide fighting forces at about 2530 percent of the cost of active units due to lower personnel and other operating costs. However reserve units are not designed to deploy as quickly as active Army units. They generally train only about 39 days each year, including one weekend per month and one annual 2-week training exercise. As a result, the Department of Defense expects they would receive some additional training prior to deploying to a war zone if they are mobilized by the President during wartime. The Enhanced Brigades were introduced in 1993 to provide a flexible backup to active Army units during wartime. The brigades receive specialized training and higher priority than other National Guard units for personnel and other resources during peacetime. This is to ensure that once called to active duty they can be assembled, trained, and be ready to move to a war zone within 90 days. Seven of the brigades provide light infantry foot soldiers, and eight are mechanized, or equipped with tanks with heavy weapons or other types of armored vehicles, such as Bradley fighting vehicles. A brigade generally has between 3,000-5,000 soldiers and is composed of 34 battalions. Battalions contain 34 companies, which in turn, are composed of 34 platoons of about 1%44 soldiers each.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 01, 2000
- Accession Number
- ADA378276
Entities
Organizations
- United States Government Accountability Office