Tell the Truth: Can the Operational Commander Rely on the Advertised Capabilitiesof the Naval Reserve Force's Surface Assets

摘要

Over 31% of the United States Navy's combatant surface escort force are guidedmissile frigates (FFGs) assigned to the Naval Reserve Force (NRF). In order to effectively employ these surface reserve forces in the Joint environment, the operational commander must be able to plan confidently, using the actual, not advertised capabilities of these forces. The current capabilities of the surface NRF are inflated and suggest to the operational commander an NRF ship is capable of sustaining effective, multi-mission combat operations indefinitely or at least as long as its Active Force counterpart.