Features

September 1, 2008  

Operational reserve

America’s all-volunteer force is a precious, and heavily worked, asset. The challenge lies in how to preserve it through long conflicts. Part of the answer lies in a blended active and reserve force.

Lt. Gen. Dennis McCarthy recommends some principles that would align policies and resources for the National Guard and the Reserve so they can be both an operational force and a national strategic reserve force.

Lt. Col. Erich Randall analyzes the specific issues facing a mobilized Army National Guard and offers a proposal based on the Marine Corps’ Anbar model that would allocate the Guard its own sector in Iraq.