Evaluation of Support Provided to Mobilized Army National Guard and U.S. Army Reserve Units
Abstract
OEF and OIF further confirmed that the Reserve Components are an increasingly critical and vital element of our military forces. The Army encountered significant logistical challenges to initiate and conduct sustained land combat operations for OEF and OIF. We conclude that support was adequate and that no systemic disparity exists between support provided to reserve component soldiers and to active component soldiers, beyond the disparities by design associated with the tiered readiness system. We focused specifically on the Army s performance in providing the following support: Potable water. Potable water produced by Reverse Osmosis Water Purification Units (ROWPUs) was readily available in quantity. However, deployed soldiers expected bottled water. This expectation complicated the distribution system, greatly increasing the ground transportation requirements to ship bottled water into Iraq and Afghanistan. Proper Uniforms. At the outset of OIF, the inventory of desert camouflage uniforms (DCUs) and desert boots was insufficient. Consequently, all reserve component soldiers did not get the initial requisite four sets of DCUs and two pair of desert boots. Instead, they used approved in lieu of Battle Dress Uniforms (BDUs) and regular combat boots. Food/Food Service. The compressed OIF operations tempo resulted in some units having to eat Meals Ready to Eat (MREs) in excess of 21 days, which is a deviation from AR 40-25 policy. However, there were no reported health complications associated with these limited occurrences. The extended use of MREs caused complaints about lack of variety and lack of hot meals, fresh fruits, and vegetables. Medical Care. Medical care was adequate during OEF and OIF. Dental care was an issue during the early stages of deployments. RC soldiers perceived that they could not get routine dental care, while AC soldiers could.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Aug 05, 2005
- Accession Number
- ADA596326
Entities
Organizations
- Office of the Inspector General, U.S. Department of Defense