Military Readiness: DOD Assessment and Reporting Requirements

Military Readiness: DOD Assessment and Reporting Requirements

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October 26, 2022
Military Readiness: DOD Assessment and Reporting
Requirements
Military readiness plays an important role in congressional
military is removing parts from one vehicle, vessel, or
decision-making on a wide array of national security issues.
aircraft to render a different one operational (sometimes
To inform its law-making and oversight activities, Congress
referred to as ‘cannibalization’).
requires the Department of Defense (DOD) to regularly
assess and report on the readiness of the armed services.
To meet the requirements of 10 U.S.C. §117, DOD uses the
Defense Readiness Reporting System (DRRS). DRRS
Defining Readiness
aggregates readiness information and related reporting
Although readiness lacks a statutory definition, DOD’s
submitted by commanders, allowing the analysis of
Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms defines it as
resourcing and training (‘C-levels’) and mission capability
“the ability of military forces to fight and meet the demands
(‘Y/Q/N assessment’) of units across the services (see
of assigned missions.” Similarly, Chairman of the Joint
Table 1).
Chiefs of Staff Instruction 3100.01E, Joint Strategic
Planning System, refers to readiness as the “ability of the
Table 1. DRRS Readiness Ratings and Definitions
Joint Force to meet immediate contingency and warfighting
challenges while preparing for future challenges.”
Resourcing and Training
Rating
Definition
These definitions allow for broad interpretation, but many
analysts use the term more narrowly to refer to the
C-1
The unit possesses the required resources and is trained to
capability of a given unit or weapon system to successfully
undertake the full wartime mission(s) for which it is
perform the specific functions for which it was designed.
organized or designed.
Readiness, according to this usage, represents the military’s
C-2
ability to execute national strategy assuming size, structure,
The unit possesses the required resources and is trained to
and type of equipment are held constant; it can therefore be
undertake most of the wartime mission(s) for which it is
understood largely as a function of manning and training
organized or designed.
level (for personnel) or availability and maintenance
C-3
The unit possesses the required resources and is trained to
condition (for materiel).
undertake many, but not all of the wartime mission(s)
for which it is organized or designed.
This usage, however, does not encompass all the senses in
which DOD or Congress uses the term “readiness.” In
C-4
The unit requires additional resources or training to
addition to the expansive definitions cited above, readiness
undertake its wartime mission(s), but may be directed to
is also used to signify specific dimensions of preparedness
undertake portions with on-hand resources.
(e.g. “operational readiness,” “materiel readiness,”
C-5
The unit is undergoing a Service, Combatant Commander,
“medical readiness”). For a more extensive conceptual
Agency, or other DOD-directed resource action and is
discussion of readiness, see CRS Report R46559, The
not prepared to undertake the wartime missions for
Fundamentals of Military Readiness.
which it is organized or designed.
Comprehensive Readiness
Mission Capability
To provide a useful picture of U.S. military readiness as a
whole, Congress requires the Secretary of Defense and the
Rating
Definition
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (CJCS) to assess and
Y
Unit can accomplish the full task to established standards
report readiness across the armed services regularly.
and conditions.
Secretary of Defense Responsibilities
Q
Unit can accomplish all or most of the task to standard
Title 10, Section 117 of the U.S. Code (U.S.C.) requires the
under most conditions.
Secretary of Defense to establish and maintain a uniform
reporting system that measures “in an objective, accurate,
N
Unit is unable to accomplish the task to prescribed
and timely manner” the military’s ability to execute the
standard and conditions at this time.
National Security Strategy, the Defense Planning Guidance,
Source: Government Accountability Office, Military Readiness:
and the National Military Strategy. At a minimum, the
Department of Defense Domain Readiness Varied from Fiscal Year 2017
system is required to measure unit readiness, training
through Fiscal Year 2019, GAO-21-279, April 2021, pp. 5-6.
establishment capability, and defense infrastructure
capability, as well as any “critical warfighting
deficiencies.” It must also measure the extent to which the
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Military Readiness: DOD Assessment and Reporting Requirements
Per 10 U.S.C. §482, DOD is also required to communicate
Materiel Readiness Metrics and Objectives
its findings to Congress at regular intervals. No later than
Per 10 U.S.C. §118, DOD component heads must develop
30 days after the second and fourth quarter of the calendar
and apply metrics and objectives assessing the role of
year, DOD must submit to Congress the Semi-annual
equipment in overall readiness. For all major weapon
Readiness Report (SRRC), which summarizes:
systems, these metrics and objectives must address:
materiel reliability, or the probability that a weapon
 any identified readiness deficiencies;
system will perform without failure over a specified
 mitigation strategies, timelines, costs, and legislative
interval; materiel availability, or the percentage of weapon
remedies to address deficiencies;
systems capable of performing an assigned mission;
 combat readiness ratings and trends for key force
operational capability, or the assessed ability of a weapon
elements;
system and its subsystems to perform its assigned mission;

and operational availability, or the percentage of time a
the readiness of supporting capabilities (e.g.,
weapon system is operationally capable. The statute also
infrastructure, prepositioned materiel);

requires the annual submission of this assessment to
the readiness of combat support agencies;
Congress.
 select incidents causing injury or government property
damage;
INSURV Annual Report
 the extent of vehicle, vessel, and aircraft
The Navy is further required by 10 U.S.C. §8674 to report
‘cannibalization;’ and
the “material readiness” of its vessels to Congress annually.
 assignments of military personnel to civilian functions.
This report is informed by ship inspections conducted by
the Board of Inspection and Survey (INSURV) and must

include a summary of overall material readiness, the
The Secretary of Defense is also required by 10 U.S.C.
number and types of ships inspected over the preceding
§482 to brief Congress no later than 30 days after the first
year, and material readiness trends by functional area over
and third quarter of the calendar year on any changes to
the preceding five years.
readiness elements since the last SRRC submission.
Considerations for Congress
CJCS Responsibilities
 Utility of current reporting information. The utility of
Title 10, Section 153 of the U.S. Code assigns six primary
readiness information to Congress depends on the
responsibilities to the CJCS, one of which is to assess
“
accuracy and relevance of DOD metrics, as well as the
comprehensive joint readiness.” This role, in turn, has five
clarity of reporting products. Both dimensions have
components: 1) evaluating joint force preparedness; 2)
been subject to scrutiny: a 2021 GAO report identified
assessing risks from readiness shortfalls; 3) advising the
DOD’s lack of metrics for measuring readiness by
Secretary on joint capability deficiencies and strengths; 4)
operational domain as an issue, while a 2019 GAO
advising the Secretary on requirements for non-DOD
report found that DOD’s strategic analytic approach
support; and 5) developing a uniform system to assess
tended to create products that were “cumbersome and
combatant command readiness.
inflexible.” Especially in view of the considerable
length and classified nature of much readiness reporting,
The CJCS accomplishes these assessment responsibilities
Congress may consider whether changes to DOD
through the Chairman’s Readiness System (CRS), a
reporting requirements could improve the quality and
framework that provides policy and procedures for
utility of the information it receives.
assessing and reporting unit, operational, and strategic-level
readiness. The CRS’ principal output is the Joint Force
 Definitional ambiguity. DOD uses the term “readiness”
Readiness Review (JFFR), a semi-annual assessment of the
in different and sometimes inconsistent senses. In its
capabilities of the armed services, combat support agencies,
broadest usage, readiness is effectively synonymous
operational contract support, and the combatant commands
with capability, while in narrower applications it is one
to execute wartime missions. The JFFR is closely related to
of several constituent elements of capability (alongside
other DOD readiness assessment efforts, drawing data from
force structure, modernization, etc.). Congress may
DRRS and directly informing the SRRC.
consider whether statutorily defining readiness would
improve its understanding and decision-making
Per 10 U.S.C. §482, the CJCS must provide the JFFR to
regarding the condition of the armed services.
Congress no later than 30 days after the first and third
quarter of each calendar year. The CJCS must also address
 DOD fulfillment of reporting requirements. Given the
the readiness deficiencies identified in the JFFR as part of
amount of readiness information DOD is required to
the Annual Report on Combatant Command Requirements
collect, analyze, and communicate, Congress may
required by 10 U.S.C. §153(c).
review the extent to which DOD is fulfilling its
Materiel Readiness
reporting responsibilities, particularly for newer
requirements (e.g., materiel readiness metrics and
In addition to assessing military readiness as a whole, DOD
objectives established by 10 U.S.C. §118).
is required to assess the readiness of its weapon systems.
Luke A. Nicastro, Analyst in U.S. Defense Infrastructure
Policy
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Military Readiness: DOD Assessment and Reporting Requirements

IF12240

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