Assessing the Performance of the Army Reserve Components School System

Abstract : For some time, the U.S. Army has recognized persistent problems in its extensive system of schools that provide technical and leadership training for the Reserve Components (RC). Critics have suggested, for example, that the existing system of schools lacks efficiency, provides inconsistent quality of training, and is difficult to manage to meet the training needs of RC units (see, for example, DAIG (1993)). To respond to these concerns, the Army began a test (starting in PY94) of a 'prototype' regional school system in the southeastern United States. This prototype set out to achieve immediate consolidations of training facilities and improvements in training standards. The prototype sought to improve efficiency by organizing training on a regional basis and by changing schools' missions from multifunctional (providing a variety of training courses) to specialized (limiting training to selected courses). The prototype also aimed to lay a foundation for a longer-term goal-to establish a cohesive and efficient Total Army School System (TASS) of fully accredited and integrated schools to serve all Army components. Given the magnitude of change envisioned for the TASS, RAND's Arroyo Center was asked to conduct an independent, objective assessment of the operation of the RC school system, including the TASS concept. This report provides a baseline description of the RC training system in terms of three key assessment areas: Training requirements and school delivery of courses: (1) Quality of training; (2) Resources and costs, Our purpose is to quantify conditions and problems in the RC school system during FY94. Because the system is so fragmented, it has been difficult in the past to gain a full, top-down view of its operations.