Integrating Verses Merging of the Guard and Reserve: Should the United States Continue to Maintain Duplicate Federal and State Military Reserve Forces
Abstract
Since the founding of the Republic, the United States has always sought to secure for the American people a set of basic objectives: the protection of their lives and personal safety, both at home and abroad, the maintenance of the nation's sovereignty, political freedoms, and independence, with its values, institutions, and territory intact; their material well-being and prosperity. Never in the history of the United States has the Guard and Reserve played a more vital role in our National Defense. Since the end of the Cold War, the Army has increased its reliance on the Guard and Reserve. The increased reliance calls for an extraordinary assessment of the role and the politics of our National Security. There is a call for change in the Guard and Reserve business practices. This paper will mainly focus on the Army National Guard and Army Reserve. It will compare and contrast the Guard and Reserve by looking at the roles, missions, life cycle management, and significant contributions to Homeland Security; to include Weapons of Mass Destruction and the roles in Crisis Management and Consequence Management. This paper will address how the Guard and Reserve can best contribute to Homeland Security. It will address how the Guard and Reserve should partner together along with other agencies such as the Federal Emergency Management Agency, to carry out the mission of Homeland Security. Finally, it will provide the analytical basis and rationale for maintaining two separate federal military reserve forces, along with the Guard's state mission.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Feb 25, 2002
- Accession Number
- ADA400997
Entities
People
- Lawrence L. Randle
Organizations
- United States Army War College