Military readiness levels.
To assess readiness over time, the John S.
Military readiness levels May 31, 2018 · Require unit identification and readiness reporting in DRRS of the CSAs and field activity units needed to support CSA and CCMD mission accomplishment, and that readiness reporting is accomplished at an organizational level at, or below, the level at which forces are employed to support GFM and day-to-day operations and wartime planning. The lower the level of the technology at the time it is included in a 5 days ago · Technology Readiness is a topic of keen interest in both the acquisition and S&T communities. ” 1 Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy on October 13, 2020, noted the Army’s readiness focus is on individual, squad, platoon, and company-level training. The common thread in how the military defines readiness Mar 12, 2025 · MILITARY READINESS Implementing GAO’s Recommendations Can Help DOD Address Persistent Challenges across Air, Sea, Ground, and Space Domains Statement of Diana Maurer, Director, Defense Capabilities and Management Testimony Before the Subcommittee on Readiness and Management Support, Committee on Armed Services, U. Jan 23, 2023 · DEFCON, short for Defense Readiness Condition or simply Defense Condition, is the U. He called on the Army to draw on the lessons of the current conflict and accelerate its efforts to modernise in order to become more lethal, agile, resilient and expeditionary. The Pentagon explicitly recognizes this truism by housing both personnel and readiness policy in the same office: the Undersecretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness. These levels are used to communicate the current state of military preparedness and the perceived threat level to military personnel and government officials. These levels range from DEFCON 5 (least severe) to DEFCON 1 (maximum readiness, nuclear war considered imminent). , “TRL 3,” signifying technology readiness pioneered by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), adapted by the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), and adopted by the Department of Defense as a method of estimating technology maturity during the acquisition process. Jun 6, 2025 · Officially, “DEFCON” stands for Defense Readiness Condition, a military system developed by the United States to indicate the level of alert and readiness of its armed forces. To assess readiness over time, the John S. However, military DEFCON levels are classified. In September 2016, we found that the military services had reported persistently low readiness levels, which they attributed to emerging and continued demands on their forces, reduced force structure, and increased frequency and length of deployments. m. To provide a useful picture of U. But what is readiness and how does it relate to the recent spell of deadly incidents? Readiness The Chief of the General Staff (CGS) called on the Army to mobilise in response to the illegal Russian invasion of Ukraine in a speech at RUSI in summer 2022. 5 days ago · One level on a scale of 1 to 9, e. Basic principles observed and reported. The two concepts are inextricably linked. Oct 16, 2024 · Nearly 2 decades of conflict has degraded U. At a strategic level, senior Army leaders need a way to measure all Army units’ wartime readiness. Supplemental definitions follow the table. military readiness as a whole, Congress requires the Secretary of Defense and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (CJCS) to assess and report readiness across the armed services regularly. 1 To maintain the U. Forces at different readiness levels In order to provide flexibility for conducting the full range of missions, as well as describing the availability of Allied Forces to NATO commanders, HQs and forces can be further sub-divided into two types of forces reflecting readiness levels: High Readiness Forces (HRF) and Forces of Lower Readiness (FLR). Short for Defence Condition Readiness, five DEFCON levels correlate to the current threat level and response posture. For these reasons, many government officials and members of the defense community agree that the focus of readiness is to generate The following matrix lists the various technology readiness levels and descriptions from a systems approach for both HARDWARE and SOFTWARE. We have reported on DOD’s historic readiness levels for many years, observing a decline in readiness as overall demand for the joint force remains high and is likely to remain high to support global needs. military, the term REDCON is short for Readiness Condition and is used to refer to a unit's readiness to respond to and engage in combat operations. Where does it come from? The system was implemented in 1959 by the Joint Chiefs of Staff to provide military forces with a uniform system of Hence I needed to bifurcate the term “readiness” into separate constructs for the military and national levels. Combat readiness is a condition of the armed forces and their constituent units and formations, warships, aircraft, weapon systems or other military technology and equipment to perform during combat military operations, [1] or functions consistent with the purpose for which they are organized or designed, or the managing of resources and Jan 14, 2014 · This article proposes changing one of the personnel metrics that the Army uses in its personnel readiness reporting process. g. Senate For Release on Delivery Expected at 9:30 a. military readiness. For these reasons, many government officials and members of the defense community agree that the focus of readiness is to generate Jan 23, 2023 · DEFCON, short for Defense Readiness Condition or simply Defense Condition, is the U. military’s advantage across all domains in a new security environment characterized by great-power competition Oct 2, 2020 · Despite disagreement over specific definitions of readiness, DOD retains statutory authorities and responsibilities to produce and sustain ready military forces, and Congress has the constitutional authority to resource and regulate military forces for the nation. For these reasons, many government officials and members of the defense community agree that the focus of readiness is to generate May 4, 2023 · The following is the May 2, 2023, Government Accountability Office report, Military Readiness: Improvement in Some Areas, but Sustainment and Other Challenges Persist. ”2 The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staf’s (CJCS) readiness system describes three levels of war-fighting readiness: strategic, operational, and tactical. AR 220-1 provides guidance to the user-level Soldiers creating and submitting the Unit Status Report. Defcon levels 1 through 4 mean an elevated condition status, and alert level 5 means a current state of peace or low levels of military readiness or alertness. military. The DEFCON levels are as follows: DEFCON 5: Normal readiness – At this level, there is no specific threat, and the military is operating at a peacetime baseline readiness level. The 2011 National Military Strategy defines readiness as “the ability to provide and integrate capabilities required by Combatant Commanders to execute their assigned missions. REDCON In the U. S. Oct 2, 2020 · Despite disagreement over specific definitions of readiness, DOD retains statutory authorities and responsibilities to produce and sustain ready military forces, and Congress has the constitutional authority to resource and regulate military forces for the nation. Feb 5, 2025 · The DEFCON system consists of five escalating levels of military readiness, with each level denoting a higher degree of preparedness. Description Basic principles observed and Lowest level of technology readiness. McCain National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019 included a provision that GAO report annually through 2022—using 2017 as a baseline—on the readiness of the military in the ground, sea, air, space, and cyber domains. It is a compilation of lower-level assessments that could span several years, based on the program schedule and People are the heart of a ready force. Examples might include paper studies of a technology's basic properties. Readiness is about acceptable risk. [1] There are five REDCON levels, as described below in this excerpt from Army Field Manual 71–1. Feb 4, 2024 · 32. Scientific research reported begins to be translated into applied research and development. The title of this book, National Preparedness and Military Readiness, reflects that separation. But overall, the Army had “met or exceeded” the goal of 66 percent of its brigade combat teams (BCT) reporting the “ highest readiness levels for seven consecutive quarterly reporting periods. Technology Readiness Level Description 1. The goal is to build unit-cohesion at lower-levels to address spikes in suicide, sexual assault, and potential racism/extremism issues. The decisions on what risks to take are ultimately political (based partly on military advice) rather than solely military or parliamentary decisions. Official Defcon levels range from a scale of alert level 1 (color white) to 5 (color blue). The Unit Status Report is dictated by AR 220-1. In 2001, DoD adopted the use of Technology Readiness Levels (TRLs) for new Major Acquisition Programs as a way to manage the maturity level of technology entering the programs. It is the military’s capacity to engage in combat and fulfill assigned missions and tasks. From the reports What GAO We have reported on DOD’s historic readiness levels for many years, observing a decline in readiness as overall demand for the joint force remains high and is likely to remain high to support global needs. To adapt to growing threats posed by major powers (such as China and Russia) and Dec 28, 2011 · Yes, the Army could use more low bed semitrailers, towed-howitzer telescopes, and electromagnetic spectrum managers. May 1, 2024 · This statement is primarily based on published GAO reports since 2021 that have examined aspects of military readiness, operations, and sustainment in the air, sea, ground, and space domains. Jan 4, 2024 · The term DEFCON is a military acronym used to denote the level of readiness within the United States armed forces at any given time. Current military personnel policies exacerbate today’s readiness challenges by amplifying the impact of low funding and high OPTEMPO to Feb 4, 2024 · 32. military’s advantage across all domains in a new security environment characterized by great-power competition May 4, 2023 · The following is the May 2, 2023, Government Accountability Office report, Military Readiness: Improvement in Some Areas, but Sustainment and Other Challenges Persist. erpret existing training standards, the current system has not produced the expertise needed to maintain high levels of readiness. . Nov 5, 2024 · Explore the 5 DEFCON levels used by the US military to indicate states of alert, from peacetime readiness to maximum force mobilization. To do so, the Army developed the Unit Status Report. DoD Components may provide additional clarifications for Software. military’s ranking system for defense readiness for a potential nuclear attack. Also, as opposed to the Army Forces Generation model, the loss of trained personnel and influx of new personnel for permanent-change-of-sta Apr 18, 2018 · Amid a recent Military Times investigation detailing a surge in military aviation accidents over the past five fiscal years calls for a solution to the military’s “readiness crisis” continue to be heard despite recent budget increases. ET Wednesday, March 12 Military readiness mitigates risk and threats in military operations. It prescribes five graduated levels of readiness (or states of alert) for the U. May 2, 2024 · Technology Readiness Assessment of Technology Readiness Levels (TRL) While a Technology Readiness Assessment (TRA) uses Technology Readiness Levels (TRL) as key metrics for evaluating each technology, an assessment is more than just a single number at a single point in time. The DEFCON system’s lowest threat level is DEFCON 5, while DEFCON 1 represents the highest threat level: readiness for war. Mar 2, 2020 · Army readiness at the tactical, operational and strategic levels forms the nexus of how the Army is and will remain the preeminent land power to meet the joint force's operational demand. tqwhfobc4w48qk8p70emh0vzruicipxlg5yqky6tdwip0x