Reserve Component Programs. Fiscal Year 1999 Report of the Reserve Forces Policy Board
Abstract
The end of the 20th Century has brought about remarkable changes for the Reserve components. The United States' new role as the world's only remaining superpower, coupled with a dynamic global military environment, has transformed the way in which Reserve components are used. The Reserve Forces Policy Board takes pride in its role in ensuring that members of the National Guard and Reserve receive the equipment and training needed to take on their newly expanded missions. The Board also has been actively engaged in efforts to eliminate residual barriers to integration of the Active and Reserve components. As the Reserve components play an ever-increasing role in the military's National Military Strategy, the Board believes it is essential that our national leaders continue to review the missions of the Reserve components, to ensure they are being used most effectively. There is anecdotal evidence that the escalating reliance on the Reserve components is beginning to be reflected in declining recruiting and retention figures. While the Reserve components represent a valuable asset to augment full-time forces, the Guard and Reserve are finite resources. Members also have peacetime obligations to communities across the nation. Guardsmen and Reservists are fully prepared to carry out whatever missions they are assigned. Nevertheless, the Board would caution that the Reserve components should not be used to mask other problems facing the military as a whole, such as inadequate funding or insufficient manpower to fulfill a growing global mission.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Mar 01, 2000
- Accession Number
- ADA533495
Entities
Organizations
- Assistant Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs