Reserve Forces Policy Board

Last updated
Seal of the Reserve Forces Policy Board Reserve Forces Policy Board seal.png
Seal of the Reserve Forces Policy Board

The Reserve Forces Policy Board (RFPB) is a federal advisory committee established by statute within the Office of the Secretary of Defense. Its purpose is to "serve as an independent adviser to the Secretary of Defense to provide advice and recommendations to the Secretary on strategies, policies, and practices designed to improve and enhance the capabilities, efficiency, and effectiveness of the reserve components". [1] By law, the Secretary of Defense transmits annually to the President and Congress a separate annual report from the RFPB on reserve component matters the board considers appropriate to include in the report. [2]

Contents

Membership and staff

The board consists of 20 members; a civilian chairman, a current or former member of each of the seven reserve components, a two-star military executive, a senior enlisted advisor, plus ten other U.S. citizens, who may or may not be government employees, with significant knowledge of and experience in policy matters relevant to national security and reserve component matters.

The board is supported by a staff consisting of a colonel or Navy captain from each of the six DoD reserve components. These officers also serve as liaisons between their respective components and the board. The law requires them “to perform their staff and liaison duties under the supervision of the military executive officer of the board in an independent manner reflecting the independent nature of the board".

The board is organized into four subcommittees:

Chairmen

First Chairman of the Reserve Forces Policy Board with Defense Secretary George C. Marshall in 1952 First Chairman of Reserve Forces Policy Board with Defense Secretary Marshall.jpg
First Chairman of the Reserve Forces Policy Board with Defense Secretary George C. Marshall in 1952
NameTenure
Charles H. Buford 1952–53
Arthur S. Adams 1953–55
Milton S. Baker 1955–57
John Slezak 1957–77
Louis J. Conti 1977–85
William Hill Tankersly 1985–89
John O. Marsh, Jr. 1989–94
Terrence M. O'Connell 1994–2001
Albert C. Zapanta 2002–04
William A. Navas, Jr. 2005–06
G. Kim Wincup 2006–09
William S. Greenberg 2009–11
Arnold L. Punaro 2011–present

Notable members

History

The board is one of the oldest advisory committees in the Department of Defense. In September 1949, in response to inadequate recruitment and strength in the reserve program of the armed services, Secretary of Defense Louis A. Johnson established a Civilian Components Policy Board. Under the leadership of William T. Faricy, president of the Association of American Railroads, the board ranked directly under the secretary, was on a level with the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and was empowered to give instructions to the reserves of all of the services. [4]

On June 13, 1951, Secretary of Defense George Marshall re-designated the Civilian Components Policy Board as the Reserve Forces Policy Board. [5] In July 1952, the U.S. Congress passed the Armed Forces Act of 1952. This act established the Reserve Forces Policy Board as "the principal policy advisor to the Secretary of Defense on matters relating to the Reserve components". Passage of the Reserve Officer Personnel Act of 1954 and the Reserve Bill of Rights and Revitalization Act of 1967 underscored the board's role and expanded its authority, responsibility, and membership. In 1995, a member of the staff of the Joint Chiefs of Staff was added to the board's membership. [6]

2011 restructuring

Retired Marine Maj. Gen. Arnold Punaro, chair of the RFPB, addresses the 134th National Guard Association of the United States General Conference in 2012 Punaro photo from Flickr for Wikipedia.jpg
Retired Marine Maj. Gen. Arnold Punaro, chair of the RFPB, addresses the 134th National Guard Association of the United States General Conference in 2012

In 2008, the Commission on the National Guard and Reserves recommended that the RFPB's governing statute (10 USC 10301) be amended because the board was not structured to obtain and provide directly to the Secretary of Defense a wide range of independent advice on National Guard and Reserve matters due to the nature of its membership and its subordination to other offices within DoD. [7] Other than the chairman, the board included only DoD officials and made recommendations through the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs.

In the National Defense Authorization Act of 2011, Congress significantly revised the operating framework and membership of the RFPB. The revised law took effect on July 1, 2011. [8]

On September 12, 2011, retired Marine Corps Major General Arnold Punaro was sworn in as the first chairman of the board under the revised structure. [9] Other new members were sworn in at an organizational meeting on October 13. [10]

In October 2011, Chairman Arnold L. Punaro stated that, under its new authority, the board will be much more independent, and objective, and will bring the talent of outside experts to provide timely advice and recommendations directly to the Secretary of Defense. [11]

2012 rebalancing of forces

In 2013 the board released a report that faulted the USAF's effort to reduce its reserve components on a cost basis, by pointing to the "unsustainable" costs of active duty forces as compared to reserve units. [12]

Subordinate Boards

Chapter 1009 of RFPB's governing statute (Title 10 or 10 USC) also calls for the establishment of four subordinate reserve policy boards/committees: [13]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Secretary of Defense</span> Head of the US Department of Defense

The United States secretary of defense (SecDef) is the head of the United States Department of Defense, the executive department of the U.S. Armed Forces, and is a high-ranking member of the federal cabinet. The secretary of defense's position of command and authority over the military is second only to that of the president of the United States, who is the commander-in-chief. This position corresponds to what is generally known as a defense minister in many other countries. The secretary of defense is appointed by the president with the advice and consent of the Senate, and is by custom a member of the Cabinet and by law a member of the National Security Council.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joint Chiefs of Staff</span> Senior-most military leaders who advise U.S. executive government

The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) is the body of the most senior uniformed leaders within the United States Department of Defense, which advises the president of the United States, the secretary of defense, the Homeland Security Council and the National Security Council on military matters. The composition of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is defined by statute and consists of a chairman (CJCS), a vice chairman (VJCS), the chiefs of the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and the chief of the National Guard Bureau. Each of the individual service chiefs, outside their JCS obligations, works directly under the secretaries of their respective military departments, e.g. the secretary of the Army, the secretary of the Navy, and the secretary of the Air Force.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Deputy Secretary of Defense</span> Second highest-ranking DoD official

The deputy secretary of defense is a statutory office and the second-highest-ranking official in the Department of Defense of the United States of America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Secretary of the Army</span> Statutory office and the head of the U.S. Department of the Army

The secretary of the Army is a senior civilian official within the United States Department of Defense, with statutory responsibility for all matters relating to the United States Army: manpower, personnel, reserve affairs, installations, environmental issues, weapons systems and equipment acquisition, communications and financial management.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Secretary of the Air Force</span> Statutory office and the head of the U.S. Department of the Air Force

The Secretary of the Air Force, sometimes referred to as the Secretary of the Department of the Air Force, is the head of the Department of the Air Force and the service secretary for the United States Air Force and United States Space Force. The secretary of the Air Force is a civilian appointed by the president, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate. The secretary reports to the secretary of defense and/or the deputy secretary of defense, and is by statute responsible for and has the authority to conduct all the affairs of the Department of the Air Force.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prisoner of War Medal</span> Award

The Prisoner of War Medal is a military award of the United States Armed Forces which was authorized by Congress and signed into law by President Ronald Reagan on 8 November 1985. The United States Code citation for the POW Medal statute is 10 U.S.C. § 1128.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff</span> Highest ranking military officer in the US

The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (CJCS) is the presiding officer of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS). The chairman is the highest-ranking and most senior military officer in the United States Armed Forces and the principal military advisor to the president, the National Security Council, the Homeland Security Council, and the secretary of defense. While the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff outranks all other commissioned officers, the chairman is prohibited by law from having operational command authority over the armed forces; however, the chairman assists the president and the secretary of defense in exercising their command functions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Goldwater–Nichols Act</span> 1986 U.S. law strengthening civilian authority in the Department of Defense

The Goldwater–Nichols Department of Defense Reorganization Act of October 4, 1986 made the most sweeping changes to the United States Department of Defense since the department was established in the National Security Act of 1947 by reworking the command structure of the U.S. military. It increased the powers of the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and implemented some of the suggestions from the Packard Commission, commissioned by President Reagan in 1985. Among other changes, Goldwater–Nichols streamlined the military chain of command, which now runs from the president through the secretary of defense directly to combatant commanders, bypassing the service chiefs. The service chiefs were assigned to an advisory role to the president and the secretary of defense, and given the responsibility for training and equipping personnel for the unified combatant commands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Department of the Army</span> Military department for the Army, U.S. Department of Defense

The United States Department of the Army (DA) is one of the three military departments within the Department of Defense of the U.S. The Department of the Army is the federal government agency within which the United States Army (U.S.) is organized, and it is led by the secretary of the Army, who has statutory authority under 10 United States Code § 7013 to conduct its affairs and to prescribe regulations for its government, subject to the limits of the law, and the directions of the secretary of defense and the president.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Defense Science Board</span>

The Defense Science Board (DSB) is a committee of civilian experts appointed to advise the U.S. Department of Defense on scientific and technical matters. It was established in 1956 on the second Hoover Commission's recommendation.

The Assistant Secretary of Defense for Networks & Information Integration (ASD(NII)) was an appointed position that provided management and oversight of all DoD information technology, including national security systems. The ASD(NII) also served as the chief information officer (CIO) of the United States Department of Defense (DoD), a position distinct from the ASD and governed by the Clinger-Cohen Act.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Department of Defense</span> Executive department of the US federal government

The United States Department of Defense is an executive branch department of the federal government of the United States charged with coordinating and supervising all agencies and functions of the U.S. government directly related to national security and the United States Armed Forces. As of November 2022, the U.S. Department of Defense is the second largest employer in the world—After India; and potentially China, if including the Central Military Commission. With over 1.4 million active-duty service personnel, including soldiers, marines, sailors, airmen, and guardians. The Department of Defense also maintains over 778,000 National Guard and reservists, and over 747,000 civilians bringing the total to over 2.91 million employees. Headquartered at the Pentagon in Arlington County, Virginia, just outside Washington, D.C., the Department of Defense's stated mission is to provide "the military forces needed to deter war and ensure our nation's security".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chief of the United States Army Reserve</span> Commanding officer of the U.S. Army Reserve and its highest-ranking member

The chief of the United States Army Reserve (CAR) is the commanding officer of the United States Army Reserve, the reserve component of the United States Army. As the highest-ranking officer in the United States Army Reserve, the CAR is the principal advisor to the chief of staff of the Army on all matters relating to the Army Reserve, and is responsible for the personnel, operations and construction budgets of the Army Reserve, subject to the supervision and control of the secretary of the Army. Dual-hatted as Commanding General, United States Army Reserve Command, the CAR is also responsible to the Commanding General, United States Army Forces Command for the oversight of operationally-deployed Army Reserve forces.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Don't Ask, Don't Tell Repeal Act of 2010</span> 2011 US federal law allowing LGBT people to openly serve in the military

The Don't Ask, Don't Tell Repeal Act of 2010 is a landmark United States federal statute enacted in December 2010 that established a process for ending the "don't ask, don't tell" (DADT) policy, thus allowing gay, lesbian, and bisexual people to serve openly in the United States Armed Forces. It ended the policy in place since 1993 that allowed them to serve only if they kept their sexual orientation secret and the military did not learn of their sexual orientation, which was controversial.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Assistant Secretary of the Army (Manpower and Reserve Affairs)</span>

The Assistant Secretary of the Army (Manpower and Reserve Affairs), abbreviated as ASA(M&RA), is a civilian official in the United States Department of the Army.

The reserve components of the United States Armed Forces are military organizations whose members generally perform a minimum of 39 days of military duty per year and who augment the active duty military when necessary. The reserve components are also referred to collectively as the National Guard and Reserve.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Organizational structure of the United States Department of Defense</span>

The United States Department of Defense (DoD) has a complex organizational structure. It includes the Army, Navy, the Marine Corps, Air Force, Space Force, the Unified combatant commands, U.S. elements of multinational commands, as well as non-combat agencies such as the Defense Intelligence Agency and the National Security Agency. The DoD's annual budget was roughly US$496.1 billion in 2015. This figure is the base amount and does not include the $64.3 billion spent on "War/Non-War Supplementals". Including those items brings the total to $560.6 billion for 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arnold L. Punaro</span> United States Marine Corps general

Arnold L. Punaro is a retired United States Marine Corps Major General and CEO of The Punaro Group and IronArch Technology. He is currently Chairman of the Secretary of Defense’s Reserve Forces Policy Board and a member of the Defense Business Board. He was an executive vice president at Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) in McLean, Virginia from 1997–2010. Punaro held several positions with the United States Senate including Staff Director of the Senate Armed Services Committee. He is recognized by Defense News as one of the 100 Most Influential Individuals in the U.S. Defense.

Deputy Under Secretary of Defense (DUSD) is the title for several high-ranking posts in the U.S. Department of Defense, requiring appointment by the president and are confirmed by the Senate by majority vote. There are currently six DUSDs, one for each Under Secretary of Defense. From 2010 until 2017, these positions were known as Principal Deputy Under Secretary of Defense (PDUSD). The title for these positions was renamed to remove the word "Principal" as part of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vice Chief of the National Guard Bureau</span>

The vice chief of the National Guard Bureau (VCNGB) is the second highest-ranking officer of the National Guard Bureau, which is a joint activity of the United States Department of Defense. The vice chief is also the second in charge of the National Guard; which is a joint reserve component of the United States Army and the United States Air Force. The vice chief serves as the principal advisor to the chief of the National Guard Bureau and the secretary of defense, through the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, on matters involving non-federalized National Guard forces and on other matters as determined by the United States Secretary of Defense. The vice chief also serves as the principal adviser to the secretary of the Army, the secretary of the Air Force, the chief of staff of the Army, and the chief of staff of the Air Force, on matters relating to federalized forces of the United States National Guard and its sub-components; the Army National Guard, and the Air National Guard.

References

  1. Section 10301, Title 10, U.S. Code
  2. Section 113(c)(2), Title 10, U.S. Code
  3. Daniel, Lisa (October 17, 2011). "New Reserve Forces Board Chairman Looks Ahead". American Forces Press Service. Retrieved 4 February 2012.
  4. Beach, Clark, "Armed Reserves Get Civilian Probe", The News and Courier, Charleston, South Carolina, September 11, 1949.
  5. Letter from George C. Marshall, Secretary of Defense to Edwin H. Burgess, Chairman of the Civilian Components Policy Board, June 13, 1951.
  6. Annual Report of the Reserve Forces Policy Board for FY 2000. Department of Defense. 2001. pp. Preface.[ dead link ]
  7. Commission on the National Guard and Reserves (2007). Second Report to Congress. Washington, D.C. pp. 83–88.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  8. Section 514, Public Law 111-383
  9. "DOD Announces Appointment of Reserve Forces Policy Board Chairman". Department of Defense News Release. September 15, 2011. Retrieved 4 February 2012.
  10. "DOD Announces New Reserve Forces Policy Board Members". Department of Defense News Release. October 13, 2011. Retrieved 4 February 2012.
  11. Daniel, Lisa (October 17, 2011). "New Reserve Forces Board Chairman Looks Ahead". American Forces Press Service. Retrieved 4 February 2012.
  12. "DOD urged to stop ignoring 'full cost' of personnel."
  13. "10 USC Ch. 1009: RESERVE FORCES POLICY BOARDS AND COMMITTEES".
  14. "10 U.S. Code § 10302 - Army Reserve Forces Policy Committee".
  15. "10 USC 10303: Navy Reserve Policy Board".
  16. "10 USC 10304: Marine Corps Reserve Policy Board".
  17. "10 USC 10305: Air Force Reserve Forces Policy Committee".