Population Representation 2004 - Selected Reserve Enlisted Accessions and Enlisted Force

SELECTED RESERVE ENLISTED ACCESSIONS AND ENLISTED FORCE

Characteristics of Selected Reserve Accessions

FY 2004 Reserve Component recruiting results for NPS and prior service gains and assigned end-strengths are shown in Table 5.1. In FY 2004, the Reserve Components recruited 120,335 enlisted persons compared to the Active Component's 185,614. The Army National Guard (ARNG) has the largest Reserve Component recruiting program, followed by the Army Reserve (USAR). The ARNG recruited 25,113 NPS enlistees, 12,720 more than the USAR. The ARNG also recruited over 3,000 more prior service recruits than the USAR.

Selected Reserve recruiting achievements decreased by 32,660 enlisted accessions from FY 2003 to FY 2004 (from 152,995 to 120,335). Prior service ARNG accessions experienced the largest decrease, as did NPS USAR accessions.

Due to differences in mission and force structure, the size of recruit cohorts by component varied greatly. Therefore, comparisons between the Reserve Components percentages must be interpreted with care. The Army Components—the ARNG and USAR—had the largest Selected Reserve recruit cohorts, recruiting 68 percent of total Reserve Component accessions (41 and 27 percent for the ARNG and USAR, respectively) in FY 2004. The Naval Reserve (USNR), Air Force Reserve (USAFR), and the USAR had the highest proportion of prior service recruits (80, 66, and 62 percent of their total recruiting efforts, respectively). The Marine Corps Reserve (USMCR) had the lowest proportion of recruits with past military experience (28 percent). Prior service accessions provide the Reserve Components with a more experienced personnel base, contributing to increased readiness to meet future missions.

Table 5.1. FY 2004 Selected Reserve Non-Prior Service (NPS) and Prior Service Enlisted Accessions and End-Strengths
	Enlisted Accessions
Components	Non-Prior Service	Prior Service	Total	Prior Service Percent of Components Total	Enlisted End-Strength
Army National Guard	25,113	23,629	48,742	48.5	306,234
Army Reserve	12,393	20,410	32,803	62.2	165,751
Naval Reserve	2,756	10,768	13,524	79.6	64,359
USMC Reserve	6,134	2,334	8,468	27.6	36,178
Air National Guard	4,132	4,169	8,301	50.2	93,188
Air Force Reserve	2,915	5,582	8,497	65.7	58,598
DoD Total	53,443	66,892	120,335	55.6	724,338
Also see Appendix Tables C-1 (NPS Age by Component and Gender), C-9 (Prior Service Age by Component and Gender), and C-15 (Enlisted Member Age by Component and Gender).

The increase in availability of prior service recruits, a temporary phenomenon due to the larger number of active duty members leaving service during the drawdown, ended in the late 1990s. The result is fewer prior service individuals from which the Reserve Components can recruit. In fact, the more successful the Military Services are in retaining active duty members, the smaller the prior service pool becomes. Thus, the Reserve Components must recruit NPS individuals, in direct competition with the Active Components. The numerical effects of the drawdown, changes in the Reserve mission with increased combat risks due to an increased operating tempo (OpTempo), as well as quality of life and compensation issues have made Reserve recruiting difficult as we enter the 21^st century. Potential recruits are likely to find combat risk, family hardships, and financial losses during a mobilization more important in the Reserve participation decision today and in the future. [Footnote 3]

[Footnote 3] Asch, B.J., Reserve Supply in the Post-Desert Storm Recruiting Environment (Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation, 1993), p. 5. [back to paragraph]

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