| The United States Naval Reserve came into beimg
March 3, 1915. Its forerunner, The Naval Militia, dates from 1888 when Massachusetts
organized a naval battalion as part of its militia. A year later, New York, Pennsylvania
and Rhode Island organized naval militias. In 1891, the Office of Naval Militia was
established. By 1897, 16 states had naval militia in one form or another |
| Because of their colonial experience with the British
professional armies, the early citizens of our country feared that a large full-time
professional military force might be used by a strong central government to supress their
liberties. They preferred to rely on the part-time citizen soldier (the militia of various
states) for defense. |
| Officers and enlisted men from these militia served
with the regular Navy in the Spanish-American War in 1898. In 1914, the Division of Naval
Affairs took over the work of the Office of Naval Militia. In 1915, Congress passed
legislation establishing a federal Naval Reserve. |
| By the end of World War I, about 30,000 Naval Reserve
Officers and 3,000,000 Naval Reserve enlisted people had served on active duty with
regular Navy at a wide variety of duty stations. |
| About 75 percent of the officers and enlisted men who
served on active duty with the Navy in World War II were reservists. During the Korean
conflict, about 25 percent of the Navy's personnel on active duty were reservists. In
1961, 58 Naval Reserve ships and air squadrons were called to active duty for the Berlin
crisis. |
| There was no large-scale mobilization of naval
reservists for service in Vietnam. However, Naval Reserve personnel served on active duty
in Vietnam. In 1968, eight mobile construction battalions (Seabees) and air squadrons were
called to active duty for one year. |
| Operations "Desert Shield" and "Desert
Storm" (1990-1991) gave dramatic evidence that the Naval Reserve Force is a
thouroughly effective and vital part of the overall operational capabilities of the Navy
in an emergency scenario. More than 20,000 Naval Reservists were recalled for active duty.
These "civillian" sailors responded and performed their jobs beyond all
expectations. |
| Naval Reservists and various sqaudrons/units also
provide logistics support throughout the world while performing their two weeks of annual
training (AT) with regular Navy forces. |
| Today, more than ever, Navy planners at all levels
recognize the need for a combat-ready, highly motivated and professionally capable Naval
Reserve. This recognition has taken the form of a special section in the Office of the
Chief of Naval Operations (OPNAV). |
| The mission of the Director of the Naval Reserve is to
maintain a continuous program of identifying, developing and validating our total
mobilization requirements for naval personnel. |
