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Military Reserves

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Members of a country's military reserves pursue full-time civilian careers and are not on active duty, though they may be called upon at times of emergency. RAND provides military and political decisionmakers with objective research and recommendations on how to attract, train, and maintain an effective military reserve force.

Commentary
A Framework for Building a Civil Reserve Space Program
If the United States were to create a civil reserve space program, what factors should the Department of Defense consider to balance potential benefits, risks, and costs?
Nov 29, 2023
Report
Soldier Preferences and Retention Effects of Changes in Army Reserve Training Requirements
Soldiers in the U.S. Army Reserve have traditionally been required to attend 39 days of training per year. However, across the readiness cycle, units may have their requirements changed with minimal notice. How do changes in training requirements affect a soldier's interest in staying in the Reserves?
Nov 16, 2021

Explore Military Reserves

Report
U.S. Military Drawdown Could Affect Gains in Service Member Diversity
Planned, large-scale personnel reductions in the U.S. military could inadvertently reduce gains made in the racial and gender diversity of the force since the 1990s. Conducting adverse impact analyses prior to making drawdown decisions could allow the services to identify interventions earlier in service members' military careers.
Oct 26, 2015
Research Brief
Implications of Force Drawdowns for Demographic Diversity
The Department of Defense (DoD) has been conducting a large reduction of its military force. DoD drawdown policies that target certain groups (by experience, specialty, or aptitude) could have adverse effects on demographic diversity.
Oct 26, 2015
Report
Air National Guard Remotely Piloted Aircraft and Domestic Missions
Air National Guard remotely piloted aircraft — or drones — may be useful in responding to a variety of domestic threats and potential emergencies. However, there are congressional concerns, as well as operational and policy constraints to be addressed.
Jun 22, 2015
Report
Have Beyond Yellow Ribbon Programs Met Their Goals?
Beyond Yellow Ribbon funding supports programs intended to provide critical outreach services to personnel returning from deployments and ease their transition into civilian life. An assessment of 13 such programs can help stakeholders and congressional policymakers as they consider future BYR allocations.
May 4, 2015
Report
Active Component Responsibility in Reserve Component Pre- and Postmobilization Training
This report examines historical readiness problems for the Army reserve component and ways in which Congress and the Army have addressed these, including active component support to RC units, and recommends changes to support future RC training.
Apr 29, 2015
Report
Measuring and Retaining the U.S. Army's Deployment Experience
The Army has contributed the bulk of deployed U.S. troops since 9/11, and has accrued substantial deployment experience. How can the U.S. prevent experience from being lost as combat operations conclude, soldiers separate from service, and Regular Army endstrength is reduced?
Nov 18, 2014
Report
Assessing the Army's Active-Reserve Component Force Mix
Active-reserve force mix decisions should consider both capability and cost. This report examines two critical considerations: the time needed to make forces ready to deploy and the relative cost to sustain the same level of deployed output.
Sep 10, 2014
Report
Making the Reserve Retirement System Similar to the Active System: Retention and Cost Estimates
A proposal allowing vested Army reservists to receive military retirement benefits immediately upon retiring is analyzed for effects on the size and experience mix of the Army reserve and active components and on Army personnel costs.
Jun 4, 2014
Infographic
Dropping Out, Opting In: Why the National Guard's Youth ChalleNGe Program for High School Dropouts is a Solid Social Investment
RAND researchers studying the National Guard Youth ChalleNGe Program found that the benefits associated with the program more than repay society's investment in it.
May 14, 2014
Report
Suitability of Missions for the Air Force Reserve Components
Explores and clarifies issues that affect the suitability of missions for assignment to the reserve components of the U.S. Air Force, to better inform force composition decisions.
May 6, 2014
Commentary
Don't Chop the Air Force — Look to the Reserves
The Air Force's latest budget plan proposes to cut 25,000 airmen. The recommendations made by the National Commission on the Structure of the Air Force (NCSAF) offer an alternative — and less risky — way forward.
Apr 11, 2014
Research Brief
Reintegration After Deployment: Supporting Citizen Warriors and Their Families
A RAND study of the challenges that reserve component service members and their families face after deployment and the factors that contribute to successful reintegration led to a series of recommendations for the U.S. Department of Defense.
Sep 17, 2013
Report
Support for the 21st-Century Reserve Force: Insights to Facilitate Successful Reintegration for Citizen Warriors and Their Families
Data collected from families and resource providers offer insights on how well these personnel and their families fare after deployment, the challenges they face during that time frame, the strategies and resources they use to navigate the reintegration phase, and how to ensure that reintegration proceeds as smoothly as possible.
Aug 28, 2013
Report
Supporting Employers in the Reserve Operational Forces Era: Appendixes
This report describes an analysis of current employment rights protections for Reserve Component members and related support programs and makes recommendations stemming from that analysis.
Aug 22, 2013
Report
Supporting Employers in the Reserve Operational Forces Era
What are the legal protections provided by the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA), what obligations do they impose on employers, and what are the areas of ambiguity? To what extent do employers understand their obligations under USERRA?
Aug 22, 2013
Research Brief
Supporting Employers of Reserve Component Members
This brief details research finding that laws addressing employer obligations in the event of an employee's military duty–related absence are clear but that employer knowledge of obligations and where to go for help in fulfilling them is incomplete.
Aug 22, 2013
Report
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and the Earnings of Military Reservists
This report investigates the effects of being symptomatic of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) on labor market earnings of reservists in the years following deployment.
Jul 23, 2013
Report
Leadership Stability in Army Reserve Component Units
This report explains degrees and causes of personnel turbulence among Army Reserve Component unit leaders, the effects it can have on training and preparation for future missions, and policy and practice options to mitigate those effects.
Jun 6, 2013
Research Brief
Creating "Purpose-Driven" Forces: Enhancing the Contributions of U.S. Army National Guard Special Forces
U.S. Army Special Operations Command wants to enhance the contributions of Army National Guard Special Forces and move toward making them a purpose-driven force, that is, organized and employed to take advantage of their particular experience.
Apr 10, 2013
Report
A Policy Analysis of Reserve Retirement Reform
This report analyzes reform of the reserve retirement system, discusses the goals and obstacles to reform, and provides a quantitative assessment of the reserve retention and cost effects of possible reform proposals.
Jan 30, 2013

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RAND Topic:
Military Reserves

Research conducted by

Researcher Spotlight

Laura Werber

Senior Management Scientist

Laura Werber is a senior management scientist at RAND and a professor at the Pardee RAND Graduate School. She applies organizational theories and methods to a wide array of policy issues, including talent management, performance management, organizational design, veteran reintegration, and…
Stephen Dalzell

Senior Political Scientist

Steve Dalzell (he/his) is a senior political scientist at RAND and a professor of policy analysis at the Pardee RAND Graduate School. His current research focuses on military personnel management and readiness, particularly as they relate to the Reserve Components. Dalzell's other interests…

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