AC/RC Integration: Today's Success and Transformation's Challenge

Abstract

Lieutenant Colonel Dallas Owens analyzes current integration programs and initiatives and evaluates them for their potential to resist transformation s possible threat to AC/RC integration. In Part I, Lieutenant Colonel Owens examines historical and current concepts of integration. He shows how programs emerged from the concept, the barriers to integration that they attempt to address, and their success. In Part II, he looks into the future of AC/RC integration, starting with an overview of transformation, then discussing transformation s impacts on the Reserve Components and their integration with the active force. Finally, he provides conclusions about the current and future state of AC/RC integration and offers recommendations to overcome transformation s challenges to integration. Maintaining an integrated force during transformational turbulence is imperative if the Army is to retain its ability to support the National Military Strategy. ....... The concept of "Total Forces Policy" is widely attributed to Defense Secretary Melvin Laird, who in 1970 directed that a Total Force be considered when planning, programming, manning, and equipping Defense Department forces. It was designed to meet Cold War requirements to fight a European war between huge mechanized militaries. Ten years ago a total force policy remained important, but proved inadequate to meet the need for increased use of the reserve components (RC) in response to challenges posed by a smaller military, more diverse missions, and more frequent deployments. Since the mid-i 990s, active component/reserve component (AC/RC) integration programs and initiatives have successfully addressed many of the barriers to timely and effective access to a trained and ready reserve component. Army transformation, changing missions, and fiscal constraints will further redefine the role of the RC and the level of integration necessary to perform that role.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Oct 01, 2001
Accession Number
ADA397059

Entities

People

  • Dallas D. Owens Jr.

Organizations

  • United States Army War College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical
  • Human Systems

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Army Personnel
  • Combat Forces
  • Department Of Defense
  • Deployment
  • Employment
  • Homeland Security
  • Information Systems
  • Law
  • Logistics
  • Logistics Management
  • Military Education
  • Military Science
  • Militia
  • National Security
  • Personnel Management
  • War Colleges
  • Warfare

Readers

  • Military History of the United States in the 20th Century.
  • Military Mobilization and Reserve Forces Studies.
  • Systems Analysis and Design