Dallas D. Owens Jr.

Ac/rc Integration: Today's Success and Transformation's Challenge Dallas D. Owens Jr.

The U. S. Army has had a "Total Forces Policy" for over 30 years, with an increased focus for the past decade on what is now called Active Component/Reserve Component (Ac/Rc) integration. The modern version is distinguished by an increased frequency of inter-component training, the integration of reserve components into plans and operations for all contingencies, and Rc participation in routine shaping operations. Recent successes in integration have come during a period of relative weapons platform and doctrinal stability, but the Army is now undergoing transformation, a period characterized by technological, organizational, and doctrinal turmoil, all of which threatens to undo Ac/Rc integration's many accomplishments. In the following monograph, Lieutenant Colonel Dallas Owens analyzes current integration programs and initiatives and evaluates them for their potential to resist transformation's possible threat to Ac/Rc integration.