Assessment of Deployment- and Mobilization-to-Dwell Policies for Active and Reserve Component Forces

Deployment-to-dwell (D2D) and mobilization-to-dwell (M2D) ratios govern how much time service members must spend at home relative to the amount of time spent deployed (for active component members) or mobilized (for reserve component members). When the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) established these ratios in 2007, during a period of extended operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, their purpose was to help ensure that service members had enough time at home and were not overexposed to combat, thereby reducing strain on the force. However, after a lengthy period of operations involving protracted deployments and increased utilization of reserve component personnel, questions have been raised about whether these policy goals remain relevant — especially in light of the return to great-power competition and the renewed focus on readiness required to respond to a major contingency.

In this report, RAND researchers examine how D2D and M2D policies are currently implemented in each of the military services. They use case studies of four frequently deployed joint force elements — the U.S. Army's armored brigade combat team, the U.S. Marine Corps' infantry battalion, the U.S. Air Force's KC-135 fleet, and the U.S. Navy's aircraft carrier — to illustrate how the services' different approaches to implementing D2D/M2D policies affect operational readiness under various conditions. The researchers then suggest policy changes to inform and optimize DoD's force utilization decisions.