Total Force: the reserve recall process and Desert Shield/Desert Storm.

Abstract

The purpose of this thesis is to examine the Desert Shield/Desert Storm reserve recall process in the context of the past and future of the Total Force Plan. The thesis provides an overveiw of the evolution of the Total Force Plan since its inception in 1973. It then takes a case analysis approach to describing the events of the Desert Shield/Desert Storm recall. The focus is on the systemic obstacles faced by the implementers of the recall process. Most notably, it finds that the focus of existing plans on mobilization rather than recall, and the incompatibility of the reserve and active personnel information systems complicated the recall process. It further looks at the requirements of horizontal integration and means of engendering a more active partnership between active and reserve components. Finally, it provides recommendations for developing a system of graduated personnel conditions related to contingency planning, in order to enhance the integration of reserve assets when needed