The Indispensable Force

The history of how the operational Army Reserve concept developed over the twenty years from 1990 through 2010 is a story of revolutionary change for the citizen-soldier. In the past, the part-time citizen army was by national policy and doctrine not as prepared as the professional Army for war. During the twentieth century, militia or reserve soldiers required months, sometimes a year, of pre-deployment training before being committed to the battlefield. The new operational concept for the twenty-first century arose to solve a problem for the Army's global peacekeeping mission. How could the Army accomplish this task during times of relative peace with reduced budgets and less full-time manpower? Congress answered the challenge by more effectively utilizing the Army Reserve and new technologies. Army Reserve units were maintained at comparable readiness levels and standards with active Army units. The Army Reserve and the active Army now deploy together and function as one team on the modern battlefield. Using the Gulf War of 1990-1991 as the catalyst for change, this volume tells the story of the transformation of the Army Reserve from an organization held in strategic reserve to an operational-expeditionary reserve force.