Transforming the National Guard and Reserves into a 21st Century Operational Force

This book is an overview of the assessment of the reserve component of the U.S. military and its recommended changes to ensure that the National Guard and other reserve components are organised, trained, equipped, compensated and supported to best meet the needs of U.S. national security. The Commission on the National Guard and Reserves was established by the Ronald Reagan National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2005. Through its enabling statute, Congress tasked this Commission to report on the roles and missions of the reserve components, on how their capabilities may be best used to achieve national security objectives, including homeland defence, on their compensation and benefits and on the effects of possible changes in these areas on military careers, readiness, recruitment, and retention, on traditional and alternative career paths, on their policies and funding for training and readiness, including medical and personal readiness, on the adequacy of funding for their equipment and personnel and on their organisation, structure, and overall funding. Congress has asked this Commission to provide it a road map to a strong, capable, sustainable reserve component. This book consists of public documents which have been located, gathered, combined, reformatted, and enhanced with a subject index, selectively edited and bound to provide easy access.