The Defense Readiness Reporting System: A New Tool for Force Management

In the spring of 2002, the Office of the Secretary of Defense formally announced plans to create the Defense Readiness Reporting System DRRS, with the promise that it would promote a real change in how DoD thinks about, plans for, and assesses the ability of the Armed Forces to conduct operations. Today, the system is evolving to meet the need of force providers such as U.S. Joint Forces Command JFCOM to identify units that have, or can quickly develop, the capabilities requested by theater commanders. The DRRS is designed to track detailed information on what forces, and even individuals, can do on a near-real-time basis. When complete, DRRS will be a network of applications that provides force managers at all levels the tools and information to respond to emerging crises and the ability to assess the risks of conducting such operations. The DRRS is a major transformation, moving the focus of force managers from reporting unit readiness to managing force capabilities. Specifically, it represents a shift from resources to capabilities -- inputs to outputs, deficiencies to their implications, units to combined forces, front-line units to all units contributing to front-line operations. The detailed information on what individuals and organizations can do -- from capability entities up to combatant commanders -- resides in the Enhanced Status of Resources and Training System ESORTS. ESORTS is a secure, Web-based information system describing the status of organizations that contribute to the warfighting system. It is built around explicit measures of performance relative to assigned standards, resources, and force sustainment.