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1 [1] (February 19, 2026)

handle is hein.crs/govethy0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Congressional Research Service Informing the legislative debate since 1914 Updated February 19, 2026 Defense Primer: Reserve Forces The term reserve component (RC) refers collectively to the seven individual reserve components of the Armed Forces: (1) the Army National Guard; (2) the Army Reserve; (3) the Navy Reserve; (4) the Marine Corps Reserve; (5) the Air National Guard (6) the Air Force Reserve; and (7) the Coast Guard Reserve. The Space Force, under the Department of the Air Force, does not have a reserve component (10 U.S.C. §20001). The purpose of these seven reserve components, per 10 U.S.C. §10102, is to provide trained units and qualified persons available for active duty in the armed forces, in time of war or national emergency, and at such other times as the national security may require, to fill the needs of the armed forces whenever more units and persons are needed than are in the regular components. The Army and Air National Guards also have an important role under state authority, responding to various emergencies such as disasters and civil disorders. Reserve Component Roles Military policy describes the reserve components as an operational force, elaborating that The RCs provide operational capabilities and strategic depth to meet U.S. defense requirements across the full spectrum of conflict... In their operational roles, RCs participate in a full range of missions according to their Services' force generation plans. Units and individuals participate in missions in an established cyclic or periodic manner that provides predictability for the combatant commands, the Services, Service members, their families, and employers. In their strategic roles, RC units and individuals train or are available for missions in accordance with the national defense strategy. As such, the RCs provide strategic depth and are available to transition to operational roles as needed. The use of the RC increased after 1991. From 1986 to 1990, the reserve components contributed approximately 3,000 person-years of active service. This increased to an annual average of 35,000 person-years from 1996-2001. From 2002 to 2010 (including part of the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, along with domestic and foreign counterterrorism actions), the RC contributed an annual average of 146,000 person-years domestically and globally. CRS has not found person-year figures for years after 2010. Dfference between Federal Reserves and National Guard The Army Reserve, Navy Reserve, Marine Corps Reserve, Air Force Reserve, and Coast Guard Reserve are exclusively federal organizations. There are 54 separate National Guard organizations: one for each state, and one each for Puerto Rico, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the District of Columbia (DC). While the DC National Guard is an exclusively federal organization and operates under federal control at all times, the other 53 National Guards operate as state or territorial organizations most of the time. In this capacity, each of these organizations is identified by its state or territorial name (e.g., the California National Guard or the Puerto Rico National Guard) and is controlled by its respective governor. National Guard units and personnel can be ordered into federal service. When this happens, control of the affected units and personnel passes from the state governor to the President of the United States. Reserve Categories Ready Reserve The Ready Reserve is the primary manpower pool of the reserve components. Members of the Ready Reserve are typically called to active duty before members of the Standby Reserve or the Retired Reserve. The Ready Reserve is made up of three subcomponents: The Selected Reserve contains those units and individuals within the Ready Reserve designated as so essential to initial wartime missions that they have priority over all other Reserves. (see Table 1). Table I. Selected Reserve Personnel Strength Selected Reserve Component Reserve Army National Guard 328,870 Army Reserve 169,519 Navy Reserve 58,165 Marine Corps Reserve 33,071 Air National Guard 105,120 Air Force Reserve 65,465 Total 760,210 Source: Department of Defense, Defense Manpower Data Center, Selected Reserve Personnel by Reserve Component and Rank/Grade, September 2025. Notes: These figures reflect the number of personnel in each of the reserve components as of September 30, 2025. Members of the Selected Reserve are generally required to perform one weekend of training each month and two weeks of training each year, although some may train more