Reserve Component Future Force Readiness, Strategic Implications for the Operational Commander.

Major weaknesses within the readiness reporting system slow the process of the Services to provide trained and ready forces to the CINC in a timely manner. These weaknesses hinder the CINCs ability to get inside the enemy decision cycle. The 1993 Report on the Bottom-Up Review BUR provided the foundation and means by which the Secretary of Defense made readiness the number one priority within the Department of Defense DOD. Additionally, the BUR provided guidance for modeling the U.S. defense force to meet future security threats. Part of that modification was a new role for the Reserve Component RC force, in the form of increased reliance, which gave them a new relevance to the warfighting Commander In ChiefCINC. The BUR also created new problems for the CINC in meeting the increased number of defense requirements, with a rapidly decreasing defense force. This paper discusses Reserve Component training readiness, with particular emphasis on Army National Guard training and the Status Of Resources and Training System SORTS, used to report, track and monitor training readiness, Improvements and innovations in each can help ease the problems for the warfighting CINC, created by the BUR. Improvements in these two areas will reduce the time RC units need for post mobilization training and increase the potential of providing RC capabilities to the CINC in less time. This will allow the CINC a greater potential for operating within the enemy decision cycle and a greater chance for military success at any level along the spectrum of armed conflict.