The Army National Guard and the Operational Reserve Force
Abstract
On October 29, 2008, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates directed the development of plans to take action on 64 recommendations for the U.S. military reserve components submitted earlier in the year by a Congressionally-mandated commission. A key recommendation explicitly shifted the reserve components from a status as the nation's strategic reserve to that of an operational reserve. Reviewing the history of the Army National Guard (ARNG) and its role in national defense since the Vietnam War to establish the current context, this paper will examine the feasibility of the directive as a matter of national security policy while focusing on the ARNG's basic combat element, the Brigade Combat Team (BCT). It will also propose recommendations to enhance the readiness of the ARNG BCTs to meet current operational force and future strategic reserve requirements. The US recognized after the Vietnam War that committing the reserve components to a conflict should send a clear message regarding the importance of the military effort. Ensuring that the Army National Guard can fulfill the requirements incumbent with being the nation's operational reserve is of vital strategic importance.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Mar 01, 2010
- Accession Number
- ADA520138
Entities
People
- George Schwartz
Organizations
- United States Army War College