The Army National Guard Unit Mobilization Process Transforming to Meet the Needs of the Future Force

Abstract

Abstract : The Army National Guard is one component of the U.S Total Army. The Army National Guard is composed of reservists civilians who serve their country as soldiers on a part-time basis. Each state and territory has its own Army National Guard as provided by the United States Constitution. The Army National Guard plays a crucial role in providing security to the nation and its citizens, and protecting the interests of the country overseas. The Army National Guard helps to implement the National Military Strategy by supporting combatant commanders and conducting exercises around the world. Within our borders, Guard soldiers continue to provide assistance to victims of disaster and protection from enemies. In the future the Army National Guard will be structured and resourced to support any component of the 1-4-2-1 strategy. Units must be ready to load transportation for deployment 5-30 days after activation. The Total Force Policy and Strategy allows for continuous use of Army National Guard Forces on a rotational basis. This will require a transformation of mobilization processes in order for the National Guard to meet challenges of continuous mobilization. This project reviews the current unit mobilization process used for the Army National Guard and proposes methods for improving that process. It provides a background of the mobilization process and describes the mobilization objectives of the Army and the Army National Guard. It proposes opportunities for improvement of the current mobilization process within the dimensions of time constraints, resources, and process management. This project concludes with a description of the proposed Direct Deployment Mobilization process and recommends the Army transformation include adoption of the process.