Department News

Here's One More Reason Why Duty Status Reform is Imperative...

There are more than 30 duty statuses for our Reserve forces, a confusing structure that leads to inequitable benefits, administrative complexity, and readiness impacts. This matrix shows just how complex this system is. ROA is advocating to solve this.

June Reserve Voice Online Newsletter

Our June monthly newsletter includes a plethora of news and information you need to know, including our FY 2027 congressional NDAA priorities and ROA’s goal to bring younger Reserve members further into the conversation about the future of the Reserve Component.

America’s Guard and Reserve at the Front Edge of Conflict

The first American deaths in the current conflict with Iran did not come from the active-duty force. They came from the Reserve Components. During Operation Epic Fury, U.S. Army Reserve Soldiers assigned to the 103rd Expeditionary Sustainment Command were killed in an unmanned aircraft attack at the Port of Shuaiba, Kuwait while supporting joint operations in the region. These Soldiers were not waiting for mobilization after the war began. They were already forward, sustaining the joint force.

Soon after, tragedy struck again within the Reserve Components when a KC-135 Stratotanker from the Ohio Air National Guard crashed during a mission, killing six Airmen. At the same time, Air National Guard fighters have been flying combat sorties as part of the opening phase of the campaign. F-35As from the Vermont Air National Guard’s 158th Fighter Wing, diverted from other operational missions, moved into theater and joined the air campaign against Iranian targets.

Taken together, these events illustrate something many Americans, and even some policymakers, still fail to fully appreciate: the National Guard and Reserve are no longer a force waiting in reserve. They are an operational force integrated into the Joint Force and present wherever the nation requires military capability.

Read the full article.