United States Army Reserve

United States Army Reserve
Unit name	United States Army Reserve
Caption	Seal of the United States Army Reserve
Dates	23 April 1908 – present
Country	United States
Branch	United States Army
Type	Army reserve
Role	Reserve force
Size	~200,000 personnel
Command structure	United States Department of the Army
Garrison	Fort Liberty, North Carolina
Garrison label	Headquarters
Commander1	LTG Michael D. Lundy
Commander1 label	Chief of Army Reserve
Commander2	CSM Michele Bredenkamp
Commander2 label	Command Sergeant Major
Notable commanders	John W. Heavey, James R. Helmly

United States Army Reserve. It is the federal reserve force of the United States Army, providing trained units and qualified individuals to augment the active component during peacetime and war. The modern force is a critical operational reserve, with its soldiers and units regularly deploying in support of global missions alongside the Regular Army and the Army National Guard. Its headquarters is located at Fort Liberty in North Carolina, under the leadership of the Chief of Army Reserve.

History

The lineage of the force traces to the 1908 creation of the Medical Reserve Corps, a direct response to lessons learned during the Spanish–American War. Its role expanded significantly with the National Defense Act of 1916 and the Selective Service Act of 1917, mobilizing over 170,000 soldiers for World War I. During World War II, it provided the cadre for the massive Army of the United States, with notable contributions in campaigns like the Battle of the Bulge. The Reserve Forces Act of 1955 solidified its structure, and subsequent reorganizations, such as the Total Force Policy in the 1970s, fully integrated it into the active United States Department of Defense planning. Since the September 11 attacks, it has transitioned from a strategic reserve to an operational force, with continuous mobilizations for the War in Afghanistan and the Iraq War.

Organization

The command structure is led by the Chief of Army Reserve, who also serves as the commanding general of the United States Army Reserve Command (USARC) at Fort Liberty. USARC commands multiple theater sustainment commands, expeditionary sustainment commands, and functional commands like the Army Reserve Medical Command. Its forces are organized into brigades and battalions aligned under three primary mission sets: operational, functional, and training support. Key subordinate formations include the 99th Readiness Division and the 88th Readiness Division, which provide regional support across the United States. The force maintains a presence in all 50 states, Puerto Rico, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Marianas Islands.

Personnel and training

Personnel consist of the Selected Reserve, the Individual Ready Reserve, and the Retired Reserve. Soldiers typically serve part-time, conducting monthly battle assembly training and annual training periods, often at locations like the Joint Readiness Training Center or the National Training Center. Professional military education is conducted through institutions such as the United States Army War College and the Command and General Staff College. Critical skill training is provided for specialties in military intelligence, civil affairs, psychological operations, logistics, and medical services. All soldiers must meet the same physical and professional standards as their active-duty counterparts in the Regular Army.

Equipment

The force utilizes equipment common to the total United States Army, though it often fields older or different models than first-line active units. Its vehicle fleet includes variants of the M1 Abrams tank, the M2 Bradley fighting vehicle, and the Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles. Aviation units may operate helicopters like the UH-60 Black Hawk and the CH-47 Chinook. For sustainment, it employs systems like the Palletized Load System and the Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactical Truck. Much of its equipment is maintained in a prepositioned status, with major storage sites at facilities like Army Reserve Equipment Concentration Sites and under the Army Prepositioned Stocks program.

Missions and operations

Its primary mission is to provide trained, equipped, and ready units and individuals to mobilize in support of the national defense strategy. This includes providing the majority of the Army’s combat support and combat service support capabilities, such as military police, transportation corps, and medical corps units. Since 2001, it has been continuously engaged in overseas contingency operations, including Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. Domestically, it supports civil authorities during disasters under the Stafford Act, as seen during responses to Hurricane Katrina and the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States.

Relationship to other components

It is one of three components of the United States Army, alongside the Regular Army (active component) and the Army National Guard. While the Army National Guard has a dual state and federal mission under the command of a state’s governor or the President of the United States, it is solely a federal force under the command of the President. All components train to the same standards and are integrated under the Total Force Policy, with reserve forces routinely serving under the operational control of active-duty commands like the United States Army Forces Command or geographic combatant commands such as the United States Central Command.

Category:United States Army Category:1908 establishments in the United States Category:Military of the United States