The
National Guard and Reserves (collectively, the Reserve Components) are
under-manned, under-funded, and under-equipped for the demands we are
making of them. The men and women who make up the Reserves continue to
carry on, accomplishing the missions the nation asks of them. But to
keep faith with America’s citizen-soldiers will require leadership from
the President, the Secretary of Defense, and the United States Congress
to advance an agenda that keeps the Reserves ready and relevant.

This
report makes the case that fixing the challenges faced by the Reserve
Components will require several initiatives. Because the Reserve
Components now constitute an operational force rather than a strategic
reserve, these forces require additional training on an on-going basis.
In addition, Congress ought to pass legislation that limits the
percentage of National Guard force that can be committed to operations
at any one time in order to ensure that a sufficient force remains in
the United States to respond to local disasters. Congress should also
provide additional benefits to members of the Reserve Components as
well at to their employers to ensure shared sacrifice by all of society.

Finally,
Congress should debate the appropriate role of the Reserve Components
in America’s defense policy. It is unlikely that the Total Force Policy
can survive in its present form if Reserve Component forces are used as
frequently as Active Component forces across the spectrum of conflict.
The Reserve Chiefs have publicly acknowledged that their forces are
already broken or on the verge of breaking. Increased homeland security
requirements exacerbate the demand for National Guard units and
deployed forces cannot be relied upon for domestic contingencies. In
the past, force structure decisions were made because a Reserve unit
costs less than an Active unit. The so-called “war on terror” may
require modification and rethinking of some past force structure
decisions.

Jayson Spiegel [2]
is an Adjunct Fellow at the American Security Project. He served as
Executive Director of the Reserve Offi cers Association from 1999 to
2003 and was the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army for Force
Management, Manpower and Resources during the Clinton Administration as
well as Acting Assistant Secretary of the Army for Manpower and Reserve
Affairs.