Making the 12 Month Mobilization Policy Work
Abstract
From the beginning of the United States of America, the citizen Soldier (National Guard) has played a vital role in its protection at home and abroad. Since the United States announced Global War on Terrorism, the ongoing operations in Iraq and Afghanistan have required the deployment of over 428,000 Soldiers of the Army National Guard (ARNG) to support the war effort. During their first rotation, reserve Soldiers spent 15 to 18 months of their 24 month mobilization clock. This made a second rotation impractical and created the challenge of how to maximize a 24 month mobilization period, which led to the current 12 month mobilization policy. The change to this new policy brought new challenges; the biggest being, how does the Army maximize deployment (boots on the ground) time and minimize post mobilization training. This research paper reviews the history of mobilization policies prior to the new 12 month policy, why a change was needed, and what led to the 12 month mobilization policy. It examines and highlights the issues of the new mobilization policy that Soldiers, commanders, state headquarters, National Guard Bureau (NGB), and the Army need to address prior to mobilization of units. The paper will focus on four main areas of concern: (1) Predictability, (2) Personnel, (3) Equipping, and (4) Training. Recommendations are presented for each that can be made to minimize post mobilization times, thereby maximizing deployment time and the use of the force.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 20, 2009
- Accession Number
- ADA510854
Entities
People
- Estus T. Blair Iii
Organizations
- United States Army War College