Active and Reserve Unit Costs: DOD Report to Congress Generally Addressed the Statutory Requirements but Lacks Detail

摘要

During the past decade, the Department of Defense (DOD) has had to rely heavily upon its reserve components the Army National Guard, Army Reserve, Air Force Reserve, Air National Guard, Marine Corps Reserve, and Navy Reserve to meet operational requirements. The extended use of, and high demand for, reserve-component forces for operations over the past 11 years has meant that their role evolved from serving primarily as a strategic reserve, used to supplement active-duty forces, to being used operationally in ongoing rotational deployments. Facing a reduction in demand from the drawdown of operations in Afghanistan and Iraq and anticipated budget constraints, DOD has proposed reducing the military end strength of both the active and reserve components. The President's fiscal year 2015 budget submission for DOD recommended reducing active duty Army end strength to between 440,000 to 450, 000 soldiers,1 Army National Guard end strength to 335,000 soldiers, and Army Reserve end strength to 195,000 soldiers. However, the defense strategic guidance,2 issued in January 2012, states that such reductions must be balanced with preparation for future challenges and protection of the broad range of U.S. national security interests. One key to achieving this balance is determining the most appropriate and cost-effective mix of active and reserve forces within the total force.