This paper asks two questions: (1) Did Total Force Policy make the numbers and types of reserve forces needed available to the National Command Authority? (2) Were those forces ready to carry out their assigned missions? To answer these questions, the authors used past studies of Total Force Policy and the reserve components, after-action reports and lessons-learned commentaries, first-hand experiences of various RAND staff members involved with studies during and after the conflict, and interviews with people who were in strategic positions to observe the working of the Total Force Policy during the Persian Gulf Conflict.
