Peace Operations: Reservists Have Volunteered When Needed

摘要

U.S. participation in peace operations has increased dramatically since the endof the Cold War in 1989. At the same time, the size of the active component has been reduced by nearly one-third, leaving fewer active forces to respond to these operations. With increased stress placed on some active forces, the role of the reserves is changing. The Department of Defense (DOD) expects the reserves to take a greater role in peace operations. While authority to order reservists involuntarily to active duty has been available for recent operations in Haiti and Bosnia, DOD will likely have to rely on volunteers to meet some of its future needs. Because of concern over peacetime access to reserve volunteers, we undertook this review to (1) determine whether qualified volunteers have been accessible for recent peace operations, (2) identify differences among the services in how much they rely on volunteers, (3) determine the factors that affect availability of volunteers, and (4) identify any actions being taken by DOD to ensure volunteers are accessible.