Brian M Howlett

Rethinking the Operational Reserve Brian M Howlett

Publisher Marketing: The various service Reserve Components have been a critical part of the Total Force for several decades. Although great efforts were undertaken to ?operationalize? the Reserve Component over the last few years, future requirements will likely not justify a fully manned, trained, and equipped operational reserve. The Department of Defense will not likely be able to simultaneously afford both a robust active component and an operational reserve; expected shortfalls require a change in how the reserves are structured and utilized. With the expected reduction of American presence abroad, and likely economic austerity for the military, the United States must rethink the missions, requirements, and readiness of the reserve components. If elements of the reserve component operated at lower levels of readiness and training, significant costs could be saved. Potential deployment options for the reserves must be predictive, should best leverage existing reserve capabilities, and should accurately assess costs for equipment and resources. Options to save costs include reducing reserve training days, exploring creative solutions to equipment shortfalls, and better assessing training requirements for reserve units. Although it will involve certain risks, the Department of Defense must review and transform the policies and options in which reserve units are trained, equipped, and employed.