The Reserve Component played an important role in the Department’s response to the attack on the United States on September 11, 2001. Tens of thousands of Reserve Component service members mobilized in support of operations Noble Eagle and Enduring Freedom.

The principal observations during the global war on terror regarding the Reserve Component and its contributions to the total force include:

• As we mobilize more Reserve Component service members and units to meet new requirements, there is increased impact on the readiness of units to execute their primary war fighting missions.

• DoD and its Reserve component forces must not be a manpower pool for other federal and state agencies that desire our commitment to perform duties that are not inherently military.

• While the armed forces, of course, stand ready to respond to those domestic emergencies where support to civil authorities on a temporary basis is deemed absolutely essential, they must maintain their war fighting focus.

To more fully understand these issues, it is helpful to review some of the important elements in more detail. On January 1, 2002, for example, there were 78,471 RC members participating in Noble Eagle/Enduring Freedom, 9 percent of the Selected Reserve.

• 54,502 were called under Section 12302(a), Title 10, United States Code. The major missions performed by these service members include: force protection, logistical, medical, and intelligence support; combat air patrols, air refueling operations, and staff augmentation.

• 12,765 were on duty under other authorities (annual training, active duty for training, and active duty special work) supporting Noble Eagle and Enduring Freedom. These personnel were generally considered volunteers. They were performing a wide variety of missions both domestically and overseas.

• 9,040 National Guardsmen were on duty manning the airport security mission. These soldiers and airmen were called under Title 32, United States Code, Section 502(f), paid for by the federal government but not on federal duty. These forces were replaced by May 31, 2002, as the Secretary of Transportation, under the aegis of the Transportation Security Administration, reached agreement with local law enforcement jurisdictions to provide alternatives.

The draw on Active and Reserve Component forces was intensified by the additional security deemed necessary to support a number of events since September 11. Examples and approximate numbers include:

• Olympic Support: 4,600 (Originally planned at 1,700 prior to September 11.)
• Border Security: 1,600 Personnel
• Special Events: 1,150 Personnel (Super Bowl; UN General Assembly; World Economic Forum.)

Additionally, the Reserve Component has been increasingly engaged since December 1995 in Operation Joint Forge in Bosnia, Operation Joint Guardian in Kosovo, and Operation Southern Watch in Southwest Asia. On January 1, 2002, there were a total of 4,265 Reserve Component members serving in these three theaters and a total of 38,725 had been called for service in these theaters under this authority. Reserve Component units have commanded our ground force contributions to Operation Joint Forge in Bosnia. The Air Reserve Component is factored into normal Air Force rotation for Operation Northern Watch, an all-volunteer operation, and is contributing fighter deployment, air refueling, and tactical airlift support.

These figures do not include additional requirements within the Department of Defense due to enhanced force protection and increased tempo of operations. To help meet these requirements, the Department also initiated stop-loss orders that impacted some 22,000 service men and women of both the Reserve and Active components.