For America's Guard and Reserve, 1994 was a demanding year -- supporting operations around the globe, while managing reductions in force structure and end strength. Their many contributions this year provided strong support for the Department's increased reliance on the National Guard and Reserve to meet national security requirements in the post-Cold War era.
A FORCE SIZED AND SHAPED FOR THE POST-COLD WAR ERA
The Department of Defense is leveraging the capabilities of mission-ready Guard and Reserve forces to meet the challenges of the National Security Strategy, to control peacetime costs, and to reduce the risks associated with a smaller Total Force. A key element in restructuring this year was the Department's focus on assigning roles and missions to the Guard and Reserve -- both combat and support -- which take advantage of their traditional strengths and core competencies.
In 1994, the Army began to implement the plan to align Army roles and missions based on the Reserve component (RC) core competencies. The Army Reserve will provide the preponderance of early deploying combat support (CS) and combat service support (CSS) units at echelons above Corps level. The Army Reserve retained medical, signal, military police, and transportation structure, otherwise programmed for inactivation. The Army Guard retained artillery, aviation, mechanized infantry, armor, and special forces units, otherwise programmed for inactivation, and still remains a balanced combat, CS, and CSS force, enabling the sustained support of the various States' missions.
The Army also announced selection of the 15 enhanced readiness combat brigades in the Army National Guard to support the two nearly simultaneous major regional conflicts strategy. These brigades (seven armor or mechanized infantry, seven infantry, and one armored cavalry regiment) will be structured and resourced to be ready within 90 days of their mobilization to reinforce, augment, or backfill active forces. These brigades are receiving priority for resources, personnel, and equipment, as well as increased training support and training opportunities. They will be equipped to maintain command and control compatibility with the active forces and will be authorized peacetime personnel strength over their wartime required structure in order to ensure individual skill readiness.
The Naval Reserve (NR) has been given new capabilities and responsibilities through the assignment of five new classes of ships to the Naval Reserve Force. Although the NR decommissioned one of its two Reserve carrier air wings in FY 1995, the NR gained USS John F. Kennedy (CV-67), the first Operational Reserve Aircraft Carrier. The first of 11 Coastal Mine Hunting Ships (MHC), two Tank Landing Ships (LST), and two mine countermeasure ships will enter the Naval Reserve Force in FY 1995. The USS Inchon (MCS 12), the first Mine Control Ship, will enter the Naval Reserve in October 1995 (FY 1996). The Naval Reserve will also provide a nucleus of trained Selected Reservists to support four LSTs and five Amphibious Cargo Ships (LKA) which have been placed in a reduced operational status. More significant changes are likely as a result of the 1994 DoD study on NR roles and missions.
The Naval Air Reserve Force will continue to increase its intratheater airlift capability with delivery of additional C-130T and C-20G aircraft. To simplify command and control and reduce costs, two Reserve Force Helicopter Mine Countermeasures Squadrons will be fully integrated with their Active component counterparts. Furthermore, aircraft used for surveillance, anti-submarine warfare, and logistics are receiving significant enhancement and upgrades to their mission equipment.
To affirm and strengthen the Marine Corps commitment to the seamless integration of the active and Reserve components into one Total Force Marine Corps, the Commandant designated the Commander, Marine Forces Reserve, to make it consistent with the Commanders, Marine Forces Atlantic and Marine Forces Pacific. This change is more than symbolic and refines the organization and structure to enhance warfighting mission capabilities.
As the Air Force continued its drawdown during 1994, several Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve fighter squadrons were restructured or converted to other aircraft. While the Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve continued to modernize their forces, these changes have not entailed major force structure modification. Most F-16 fighter units are now flying the F-16C/D series, and C-130B airlift units have converted to C-130 E/H models. A portion of the aerial refueling tanker force is quickly transitioning to KC-135R models.
Consistent with the Department's policy to take advantage of Guard and Reserve competencies, four B-1B bombers were reassigned to the Air National Guard and eight B-52H aircraft were reassigned to the Air Force Reserve. Further, an Air National Guard major general was assigned as commander of First Air Force, which is responsible for air defense of the United States.
National Guard and Reserve Special Operations Forces supported every major U.S. military operation in 1994. Their specialized skills, as well as regional expertise, have identified them as valuable participants in operations which require sensitivity to local and foreign customs and economy-of-force efforts. Typically these operations involved civil-military programs, humanitarian assistance, and disaster relief.
During 1994, developments in the base realignment and closure (BRAC) process, and in Military Construction (MILCON), also reflected the altered infrastructure requirements of the post-Cold War era. The Assistant Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs is now a member of the Secretary of Defense's Base Closure Review Group and -- with guidance from the Secretary of Defense -- Reserve component concerns and factors will be included in the upcoming debates and formulation of BRAC plans. Guard and Reserve units located on closing bases will either remain in small enclaves or be relocated to nearby military installations or other suitable locations.
The Reserve components were busy in 1994 designing and preparing award of $744 million worth of MILCON. This amount comprised 321 projects which provide facilities for new missions and rehabilitation/upgrade of deteriorated and obsolete facilities. In FY 1995, the Reserve components will design and execute awards totaling $574 million for 208 projects.
ACCESSIBLE AND MISSION READY FOR LAND, SEA, AND AIR OPERATIONS
Mission Readiness: Improved Resourcing for People, Equipment, and Training
The term mission readiness applies to the approach that the Department is taking to ensure that its scarce resources are allocated appropriately. It means that each Active or Reserve component unit should be resourced to execute its mission when needed, and only early deploying units need be fully ready immediately. Mission readiness requires adroit management of people, equipment, and training.
PEOPLE
In 1994, the Reserve components' end strength was reduced by about 5 percent overall. For those members of the Guard and Reserve who will be leaving the force, the Department will continue to provide transition benefits to ease their departure. For those whose units are being inactivated, the Department is committed to reassigning or retraining these valuable people, where possible.
With greater reliance on reservists, the Department must provide better support for their families. The Department has completed a comprehensive study on how best it can support reservists, their families, and their employers. Key components of this study include how Reserve component families can be helped to function effectively during a crisis or contingency, how to improve employer support to the Guard and Reserve, and how to protect reservists against severe income loss during a call-up.
At the start of the All-Volunteer Force, the DoD established the National Committee for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (NCESGR) to promote employer/community understanding and support of the Reserve components. NCESGR is expanding its programs to ensure reservists and employers continue to receive the support they need.
Two legislative changes adopted in 1994 will contribute to personnel readiness:
EQUIPMENT
The Department's goal is to provide Reserve component units with modern, compatible equipment to enable them to do their job side-by-side with Active forces and coalition partners. Since redistributed/cascaded equipment is not a total answer, this requires a sustained level of investment in new RC equipment, particularly for the Reserve components of the Army. In FY 1994, $1.8 billion in new RC equipment was programmed by the Services, and the RC components received directly $1.2 billion for new equipment.
In FY 1994, the Reserve components took possession of a considerable amount of equipment due to the drawdown in Europe, modernization of Active component equipment, and the overall reduction in forces. The large quantities of combat equipment transferred to fill Reserve unit shortages helped tremendously; however, problems remain in CS and CSS units of the Army's Reserve components. DoD is addressing one of these problems with an extended service program for 2 1/2 ton trucks as an alternate to procuring new trucks. This solution extends the useful life of the fleet and reduces maintenance costs. This is the first of many solutions DoD is considering to aid in increasing Reserve component readiness.
TRAINING
Training is the third key component of mission readiness. Cost-effective training to promote effective Reserve component integration into Total Force missions means increasing opportunities for joint training missions with the Active forces and making good use of all the tools available -- especially technology.
A major goal for the coming year is to establish training approaches which will involve Reserve components in more peacetime operational missions, and so increase reserve readiness as a result of direct involvement in peacetime operations. This shift in training philosophy constitutes a tremendous opportunity for the Reserve components to support the Commanders in Chief (CINCs) in day-to-day missions, as well as operations other than war. The Secretary of Defense has asked the CINCs to identify how this should be done.
Improved Access to National Guard and Reserve Units and Individuals
LEGISLATIVE DEVELOPMENTS
The U.S. National Military Strategy requires access to the National Guard and Reserve to augment active forces for operational missions. In April 1994, the Secretary of Defense sent Congress a report with a series of recommendations to improve accessibility to National Guard and Reserve units and individuals. The report recognized the need for early and extended RC participation in both major regional conflicts and peacetime operations. The Department proposed a legislative change to expand the duration of activation, authorize the Secretary of Defense to order up to 25,000 members of the Selected Reserve to active duty to gain early access to critically needed capabilities, and change the Presidential Selected Reserve call-up authority from 90 days with the possibility of a 90 day extension to 180 plus 180 days. Other recommendations called for expanded RC access in domestic emergencies; taking actions to protect reservists, their families, and their employers financially; and expanding the use of volunteers -- units and individuals.
Congress did not support the proposal for limited Secretary of Defense call-up authority, but did increase the duration of call-up of the Reserves from 90 days to a single period of up to 270 days. This provides an initial period of activation of sufficient duration to provide for any needed predeployment training.
IMPROVING PEACETIME ACCESS TO GUARD AND RESERVE
The Department is looking for ways to increase the use of the Guard and Reserves in peacetime. A key issue is existing impediments to Reserve component utilization. Target areas being studied include:
USE OF VOLUNTEERS
In the first weeks of Operation Desert Shield, about ten thousand National Guard and Reserve members served in a volunteer status. Since that time, thousands more have volunteered for operations around the world. While involuntary call-up authority was used by some of the Military Services for Operation Uphold Democracy in Haiti, the Air Force satisfied all requirements without Presidential Selected Reserve Call-up (PSRC), with over 95 percent of the Reserve component members supporting the operation in volunteer status. This spirit of volunteerism must be nurtured and made even more viable. Steps DoD has taken to accomplish this include:
The Department of Defense experienced a year of unprecedented requirements for peacekeeping operations in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Turkey, Iraq, Kuwait, Somalia, Rwanda, and Haiti. Volunteer Reservists were used extensively in all those operations.
Improved Protection for Reservists, Their Families, and Their Employers
Greater use of Reserve components to support war and peacetime operations has its problems. Many reservists mobilized for the Persian Gulf Conflict suffered major financial hardships from their activation -- for example, 45 percent of activated reserve officers and 55 percent of enlisted members reported income loss. Specifically, the problems were threefold: active duty military compensation fell below their civilian income (including reserve pay); additional family expenses associated with military activation placed a burden on reservists; and some reservists experienced continuing financial losses after return to civilian life due to neglected businesses or professional practices. The Department of Defense has had a long-standing concern about the impact on small businesses caused by prolonged absences of employee-reservists. The Department is currently reviewing proposals to address these problems.
A FORCE ADDING VALUE TO AMERICA IN PEACETIME
The Guard and Reserve continued to add value to America by responding to domestic emergencies, assisting in the Department's counterdrug programs, and participating in a variety of civil-military pilot programs. DoD is also proposing a strategy for expanded use of Guard and Reserve forces to meet the CINCs' operational and peacetime requirements. All of these contributions are discussed below.
Expanded Peacetime Contribution and Support
As their roles and missions expand, the RCs have become much more than a force held in readiness for wartime use. The Department has developed a strategy which expands RC peacetime contribution and support:
Some examples of the peacetime contribution in 1994 are outlined below:
Prompt Response to Domestic Emergencies
When disaster strikes, the Reserve components typically provide vital capability in the areas of security, search and rescue, water supply, emergency communications, medical services, emergency shelter, and transportation. During 1994, the Guard -- in some cases together with Reserve and Active units -- responded to domestic emergencies across the nation. Increased coordination between the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Active and Reserve components has improved the Department's support in response to domestic emergencies.
The Army and Air National Guard, Air Force Reserve, and the Marine Corps Reserve battled wildfires in several western states last summer. In Washington State alone, more than 2,200 Army and Air National Guard members performed 36,000 workdays to help civilian fire fighting efforts. By the end of August 1994, Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve C-130 transports modified for aerial fire fighting dropped more than 12 million pounds of retardant on fires in Utah, Idaho, and Montana.
Flooding in Georgia kept National Guard units and Marine Corps Reservists especially busy where high water from the Flint River took 31 lives and caused over $200 million in damage. More than 5,000 National Guard members responded. Assistance also included tornado relief in the Carolinas, Virginia, and Wisconsin and earthquake relief in California.
Continued Support to Counterdrug Programs
The Army National Guard performed more than 4,400 counternarcotics operations in every state, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and Guam. During one operation, a New Jersey Guard member uncovered a cache of cocaine with a street value of over $1 billion, the largest New Jersey drug bust ever.
The Naval Reserve is also heavily involved in the Navy's fully-integrated operational support to the Navy's counternarcotics effort. Naval Reserve ships provide over 16 percent of the total surface effort, while their aviation squadrons provide about 13 percent of the total air effort. A national Naval Reserve initiative, Campaign Drug Free, complements existing drug education efforts, with Naval Reservists visiting schools as role models to approximately 40,000 young people, emphasizing the benefits of living drug free.
The Marine Corps Reserve was an integral part of the Marine Corps' Campaign Drug Free, making 527 presentations to more than 47,000 students, with the message -- "You don't need drugs to be happy, accepted, and successful."
In the 54 states and territories, over 1,000 Air National Guard volunteers supported the national counterdrug strategy by providing daily support to local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies. Air National Guard personnel also manned radar sites in South America, flew interceptor aircraft used to identify drug smuggling aircraft, and participated in drug demand reduction programs in schools throughout the nation.
A special program performed by the Band of the Air Force Reserve promoted a drug-free lifestyle by encouraging school-age children to develop the inner strength to say no to drugs. The program has reached tens of thousands from New York to Florida and has been commended for its effectiveness by local school boards, law enforcement officials, parents, and civic leaders.
Expanded Civil-Military Cooperation Programs
The need to execute simultaneous military conflicts around the globe, amid declining resources, requires innovation. Combining this need with several urgent domestic challenges has the potential to provide realistic training opportunities for the Guard and Reserve while improving the quality of life in local communities. In concert with Congress and State Governors, the Department is developing pilot programs that will enhance military readiness through focusing Guard and Reserve training on critical needs here at home.
There are medical pilot programs in 14 states, job training and youth programs in 26 states, and various engineering/infrastructure projects around the country. In FY 1994, Congress provided $70 million for National Guard and Reserve Civil-Military Pilot Programs.
In 1994 civil-military job training and youth programs included:
Health care pilot programs included:
Engineering/infrastructure programs included:
For FY 1995, Congress appropriated $80 million for these programs, including $8 million for military pay and allowances, and $5 million for GuardCare.
For the Reserve components, 1994 was a year of unprecedented challenge and accomplishment. The Department worked hard to size and shape the RC forces -- combat and support -- to fit the requirements of a new military strategy for a post-Cold War world. These forces are now being resourced to be mission ready and accessible over a far wider range of circumstances than was contemplated during the Cold War. An expanded part of their mission is to add value to America with peacetime support to active forces, counterdrug programs, and civil-military programs helping to rebuild America.
In the future, reservists will play a larger role and America must remember the actual and potential sacrifices reservists make to serve the nation. The American people must be ready to support their reservists, their families, and their employers in the greater role they will all play in America's defense.
