Reserve Equipment

The Pentagon last month issued an updated instruction memo that "establishes policies, assigns responsibilities and prescribes procedures for accounting, procuring, and distributing items of new and combat-serviceable equipment for the Reserve Components (RCs) of the military services." According to the May 16 instruction memo:

a. The RCs of each Military Department shall be equipped to provide the operational capabilities and strategic depth required of an operational force in accordance with DoDD 1200.17 ["Managing the Reserve Components as an Operational Force," October 29, 2008]. To fulfill assigned missions, the RCs of each Military Department shall be consistently and predictably equipped. The RCs must have the right equipment, available in the right quantities, at the right time, and at the right place to support a "Train, Mobilize, and Deploy" construct for the Total Force.

b. Equipment procurement programs and distribution plans shall be responsive to homeland defense (HD) and defense support of civil authorities (DSCA) requirements and the combatant commanders' mission requirements to meet the requirements in [Deputy Secretary of Defense Memorandum, “Final Plan for Commission on the National Guard and Reserves Recommendations #42/43," September 18, 2009 (hereby cancelled)] and DoDD 3025.18 ["Defense Support to Civil Authorities (DSCA)," December 29, 2010]. The DoD's goal is to fill the mission equipment requirements of the RCs consistent with Total Force requirements and priorities. The priority for the distribution of new and combat-serviceable equipment, with associated support and test equipment, shall be given to units scheduled for mission deployment or employment first, regardless of component. Equipment distribution and modernization priorities for RC units shall be established by applying the same methodology as used for Active Component (AC) units having the same mission requirements.

c. Equipment priorities shall be established regardless of component for the reconstitution and resetting of force capabilities after contingency operations and transformation of the force into a revised force structure to meet future mission requirements. Accountability of RC equipment inducted into and distributed out of maintenance facilities will ensure equitable distribution in capability and modernization level regardless of component. Sufficient equipment must be available to support training and readiness requirements of the RCs and its personnel for Federal, HD, and DSCA missions. Special consideration should be given to dual use equipment for the RCs. Equipment to meet training requirements does not need to be assigned to the unit using it for training purposes; equipment pools and use of simulation trainers are encouraged. Simulation strategies should be developed to offset the need to maximize equipment levels available for training. The formation and use of multi-component units is encouraged to maximize resources while increasing operational effectiveness in support of warfighters.

d. Full transparency and traceability shall be provided from procurement planning to delivery to the RC. To achieve the goal of transparency of RC procurement funding, disciplined reporting from the Services is required to both DoD leadership and the Congress. The equipment transparency report (ETR) is a critical deliverable for DoD and Congressional leaders. Diversions of funding of equipment shall be reported on the ETR in accordance with this Instruction. Information that reveals RC readiness status will be classified and protected in accordance with appropriate classification standards.

e. Proposals for withdrawals, reductions, or loans of any equipment from the RCs, together with an equipment replacement plan for the removed equipment and a memorandum of agreement (MOA) signed by both the losing and gaining components, shall be forwarded for Secretary of Defense approval through the procedures outlined in this Instruction. Equipment transfer conditions subject to this approval process include:

(1) All withdrawals, reductions, or loans outside of the RC that will last longer than 90 days except those previously approved by the Secretary of Defense as described in paragraph (4), those actions that benefit the RC such as testing/evaluation, depot maintenance, conversions, and/or repair that upon completion will be immediately returned to the original RC, and retirements or other transfers previously approved by Congress.

(2) Transfers to other governmental departments or other countries to satisfy United States Security Assistance Program requirements.

(3) Equipment directed (inter or intra-component) by the Military Department or combatant commander to remain in a theater of operations beyond the original owning unit’s rotation for an enduring mission requirement.

(4) Transfer incidental to a force restructuring unless that force restructuring was previously approved by a Secretary of Defense decision after the facts of the transfer were presented during issues team deliberations, three-star programmer reviews, and the defense advisory working group so that the impacts to the RC were fully analyzed and understood.

(5) Diversions of equipment funded through the National Guard and Reserve Equipment Appropriation (NGREA) or Congressional additions specified for equipping RCs.

f. Continued transparency of equipment existing in RC units is paramount. All accountable equipment shall be documented in accordance with DoDI 5000.64 ["Accountability and Management of DoD-Owned Equipment and Other Accountable Property," May 19, 2011] and a quarterly equipment movement report (EMR) will be a vehicle for maintaining transparency.