Photo by Chuck Prichard, U.S. Army Reserve Public Affairs
the measure of our achievements The devastation created by Hurricane Katrina sparked the enactment of National Defense Authorization Act of 2012, enabling the Army Reserve to provide significant resources to support civil authorities in domestic disasters and emergencies. Here, members of a FEMA search and rescue team prepare to board a CH-47 Chinook helicopter from the Army Reserve’s B Co., 5th Battalion, 159th Aviation Regiment, one of few units authorized to provide support. This mission, near the devastated town of Empire, La., was one of many conducted by B Co. during the unit’s deployment to the Gulf Coast region in support of Hurricane Katrina relief efforts. The unit, headquartered at Fort Eustis, Va., was also the first Army Reserve unit mobilized for the recovery operations.
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WARRIOR–CITIZEN
Oerational Readiness The Army Reserve plays an important part in the national military strategy, mobilizing more than 14,000 Soldiers in 2012 for worldwide named operations and projects. Annually, approximately seven percent of the force is deployed worldwide in support of all six geographic combatant commanders. Many of these units satisfy joint capability requirements with skills and abilities found exclusively in the Army Reserve. Having transitioned to an operational force within the Army, the Army Reserve continues to implement a requirements-based force generation process in order to provide needed capabilities to the Total Force.
Defense Support of Civil Authorities The National Defense Authorization Act of 2012: The Army Reserve now plays a key
role in saving lives, preventing human suffering and mitigating great property damage. Historically, legal limitations restricted the Army Reserve’s ability to assist in communities during a major disaster. While the Army Reserve maintained mobilization authority to support Homeland Security missions or respond to terrorist or other chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear incidents, they were legally restricted from support in other disasters in the homeland, to wit: “no unit or member of a reserve component may