摘要: To reduce costs and maintain as small an active peacetime force as possible, theDepartment of Defense (DOD) follows a total force policy that relies heavily upon reserve forces to augment active forces in wartime and peacetime ope... 展开 To reduce costs and maintain as small an active peacetime force as possible, theDepartment of Defense (DOD) follows a total force policy that relies heavily upon reserve forces to augment active forces in wartime and peacetime operations and during national emergencies. With over 1.5 million members and a fiscal year 1996 budget of about $20 billion, the reserve forces are an essential component of the national defense strategy. Because of concern over the accessibility and responsiveness of reserve forces, the Congress required DOD to prepare a report with recommendations for improving the timeliness, adequacy, and effectiveness of reserve component responses to domestic emergencies and national contingency operations. Section 1231 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1997 (P.L. 104-201) required DOD to address whether: (1) the statutory limitation on the time period for involuntary activation of reservists needed in response to domestic emergencies should be expanded; (2) recommendations should be implemented from a 1995 RAND report on National Guard responsiveness to domestic emergencies; (3) changes are needed in the statutory authorities for activating reserve units and individuals to facilitate current and future use of the reserve components; and (4) statutory provisions are needed to help mitigate the effects of frequent mobilizations on reserve units and individual members, civilian employers, and employees of reserve member employers. 收起