Army Active/Reserve Mix: Force Planning for Major Regional Contingencies

Abstract : National military strategy is changing the focus of military planning to include a broader range of missions, spanning the spectrum from major regional contingencies (MRCs) to operations other than war. This change places additional demands on the Army, affecting the required mix of active and reserve component forces. Planning for MRCs has presumed reliance on the active component for early-deploying combat forces, and ready access to the reserve components for the bulk of support forces. However, for operations other than war-such as Somalia, Haiti, and potentially the Balkans or other trouble spots-the Army may not be able to call on the reserve components for frequent or extended deployments. Nor may the active component be able to support these missions while maintaining a ready MRC capability and meeting its other constraints. These conflicting demands lead to a key planning question: How should the active and the reserve components be structured to meet the Army's evolving requirements?