ARFORGEN: Means to an Operational Reserve

Abstract : As a critical component of the Total Army, the U.S. Army Reserve (USAR) has adopted a supply-based Army Force Generation (ARFORGEN) model as a means to provide a responsive and unique force comprised of Citizen-Soldiers to meet the security requirements of combatant commanders. But the transition of the USAR to an enduring operational force with ARFORGEN is not yet complete. Fully implementing ARFORGEN in the USAR requires feasible and acceptable solutions for providing sufficient resources, employer support, manning policies, and other programs tailored to USAR requirements. Legislation must optimize utilizing reserve units in the available year. Most of all, reserve Soldiers and their families must buy-into the process. This paper examines if the ARFORGEN model is feasible and acceptable when used as a tool for implementing an enduring Operational Reserve. It explains the transition to a supply-based process and the necessary procedural, cultural, fiscal, and policy implications of ARFORGEN for the USAR and provides recommendations to implement, change, or drop the ARFORGEN model.