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Reserve Component

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.

Report

Characteristics and Duty Limitations of Service Members Transferring Between the Active and Reserve Components

The authors analyze characteristics and duty limitations of service members who transfer between active and reserve components and make recommendations to reduce the number of personnel who transfer with medical conditions that limit deployability.

Dec 15, 2020
Report

Benchmarks for Success: Expected Short- and Long-Term Outcomes of National Guard Youth ChalleNGe Participants

National Guard Youth ChalleNGe is a residential intervention program to help teens who have dropped out of high school. Sites can compare the outcomes of their cadets with this set of population benchmarks derived from public datasets.

Dec 10, 2020
Report

National Guard Youth ChalleNGe: Program Progress in 2018–2019

In the fourth annual report on the National Guard Youth ChalleNGe, a residential, quasi-military program for youth struggling in traditional high school, researchers provide information on participants who entered the program in 2018.

Nov 6, 2020
Report

The Evolution of U.S. Military Policy from the Constitution to the Present, Volume II: The Formative Years for U.S. Military Policy, 1898–1940

The authors show that there is no such thing as a "traditional" U.S. military policy. Rather, the laws that authorize, empower, and govern the U.S. armed forces emerged from long-standing debates and legislative compromises between 1903 and 1940.

Jun 23, 2020
Report

Strengthening Total Force Culture and Facilitating Cross-Component Integration in the U.S. Military

While all U.S. military services have strived to achieve greater total force integration and a stronger total force culture across their active and reserve components, significant impediments limit the achievement of these objectives. What policies can foster cross-component integration?

May 28, 2020
Report

National Guard Youth ChalleNGe: Program Progress in 2017–2018

The National Guard Youth ChalleNGe program is a residential, quasi-military program for youth ages 16 to 18 who are experiencing difficulty in traditional high school. An ongoing program analysis seeks to understand how the achievements of ChalleNGe graduates compare to similar youth who do not participate in the program.

Oct 15, 2019
Report

Manpower Alternatives to Enhance Total Force Capabilities: Could New Forms of Reserve Service Help Alleviate Military Shortfalls?

Changes in employment stability, family structure, and economic pressures have created challenges for the U.S. military reserve component. Modifying assumptions about Reserve duty can improve recruitment, performance, development, and retention.

Sep 11, 2019
Report

Main Command Post-Operational Detachments (MCP-ODs) and Division Headquarters Readiness

Researchers identify the effects of Focus Area Review Group II headquarters design and its new unit type -- the Main Command Post--Operational Detachment -- on division headquarters readiness.

Jun 3, 2019
Report

Service Member Separation: Updating the DD Form 214

This report offers suggestions for updating DD Form 214, which is used to characterize separating servicemembers' service, military history, and the reasons for separation, for electronic delivery.

May 14, 2019
Report

A Stated Preference Analysis of the Determinants of Unit and Soldier Operational Effectiveness

The authors assess the relative importance of component status relative to a number of potential determinants of operational effectiveness, including but not limited to unit type, training level, experience in country, and associated costs and risk.

May 13, 2019
Report

A Throughput-Based Analysis of Army Active Component/Reserve Component Mix for Major Contingency Surge Operations

This report examines how changing the way in which the Army executes mobilization and contingency planning can affect the ratio of reserve component to active component units deploying in the early weeks of a major crisis.

May 8, 2019
Report

Effects of the Blended Retirement System on U.S. Army Reserve Participation and Cost

The new Blended Retirement System (BRS) represents the first major change to the armed services' retirement system since the end of World War II. An analysis assesses the potential impact of the BRS on the U.S. Army Reserve participation and continuation pay cost and provides predictions of opt-in behavior.

Apr 15, 2019
Report

Officer Career Management: Steps Toward Modernization in the 2018 and 2019 National Defense Authorization Acts

In this report, the authors summarize departmental views on the military officer career management policies examined in the two reports required by the 2018 National Defense Authorization Act and provide data to inform potential policy changes.

Mar 25, 2019
Report

Integrating Active and Reserve Component Staff Organizations: Improving the Chances of Success

A RAND Corporation study undertook a literature review and analysis of several case studies to examine factors that could increase the likelihood of success in integrating active and reserve component military staff organizations.

Feb 11, 2019
Report

Planning an Army for the 21st Century: Principles to Guide U.S. Army Force Size, Mix, and Component Distribution

In this Perspective, the authors seek to provide criteria for an effective and efficient Army for the 21st century and lay out principles to help guide leaders in making contemporary force-planning decisions.

Dec 3, 2018
Report

National Guard Youth ChalleNGe: Program Progress in 2016–2017

This report presents information on recent participants of the National Guard Youth ChalleNGe, a quasi-military program for young people lacking a high school diploma. It also documents program progress in academics, fitness, and other areas.

Aug 20, 2018
Report

How Does Deployment Experience Compare Across the Services?

Deployments are a key aspect of U.S. military service. Since 9/11, 2.77 million service members have served on 5.4 million deployments. Accrued time deployed is a relevant metric for measuring military experience, but also for measuring service member and family well-being.

Mar 6, 2018
Report

National Guard Youth ChalleNGe: Program Progress in 2015–2016

National Guard Youth ChalleNGe is a residential, quasi-military program for young people at risk of dropping out of high school. This report provides information on recent ChalleNGe participants and develops metrics of program success.

Nov 1, 2017
Report

Review of Army Total Force Policy Implementation

This report reviews the implementation of the Army's Total Force Policy. The Army has made progress in integrating the Regular Army, Army National Guard, and U.S. Army Reserve, but budget constraints have limited implementation.

Oct 24, 2017
Report

Cyber Power Potential of the Army's Reserve Component

Describes the availability of personnel with cyber skills in the private sector and the number of Army reserve component soldiers available to support the Army's cyber mission needs.

Jun 15, 2017

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RAND Topic:
Military Reserves

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