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Force Mix Decisions Must Account for Differences in the Capabilities That Active and Reserve Components Provide, as Well as Differences in What They Cost

• In sustained operations, like those in Iraq and Afghanistan, U.S. Department of Defense policy permits reserve component (RC) units to deploy less often than active component (AC) units; this means that it takes two or more RC units to provide the same deployed output as one AC unit.
• Because of the larger number of RC units needed, in some cases it can be more expensive to sustain the same deployed output with RC units than with AC units.
• Because they must finish training after they mobilize, RC units take longer to get ready to deploy in a crisis compared with AC units that have completed training. In some cases, RC units may not be able to finish training and deploy in time to meet a commander's needs.
• Differences in output and cost depend on the type of unit: Many smaller RC units can get ready to deploy relatively quickly after mobilization, and they are also more likely to show a cost-per-output advantage for sustained operations; larger RC ground combat and aviation units take longer to complete postmobilization training and can be more expensive for the same sustained output than AC forces.