AC/RC Integration Programs: Keeping Them Relevant

Abstract

Abstract : The purpose of this paper is to examine some of the current Active Component/Reserve Component (AC/RC) integration programs and propose further options for AC/RC programs as the Army Transforms. As background it reviews some history and policy regarding AC/RC integration. It then assesses the effectiveness of some current integration programs. Finally it proposes some program options and modifications that will successfully posture the Army as a Total Force in the future. Since the inception of the Total Force Policy in 1973 many programs and actions have helped to integrate the AC and RC to implement the Total Force Concept. Despite these initiatives we have not yet found the best ways to integrate the Active and Reserve components. So on-going projects are designed to achieve a total integration of the forces. Some have worked well; some seem little more than token efforts undertaken more for political reasons than to bolster the Army. With the advent of the Global War on Terrorism and the lessons learned from Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom we must anticipate significant changes in the structuring of both the Active and Reserve components. We now have the opportunity to build further upon what we have learned over the past 30 years and take the next step in AC/RC integration. The Army needs to design and adopt programs that effectively reduce historical antagonisms between the components. Specifically the Army should consider the Full Time Manning Program within the Reserve Forces as a model for integrating the components while increasing the readiness of the Reserve Forces.