The Ready Reserve is a program maintained by the U.S. Department of Defense to maintain a pool of trained service members that may be recalled to active duty

Active duty

Active duty refers to a full-time occupation as part of a military force, as opposed to reserve duty.-Pakistan:The Pakistan Armed Forces are one of the largest active service forces in the world with almost 610,000 full time personnel due to the complex and volatile nature of Pakistan's...

 should the need arise. It is composed of service members that are contracted to serve in the Ready Reserve for a specified period of time as a reservist or in active duty status. Members of the Ready Reserve are required to be prepared for mobilization or re-activation within a specified period of time, maintain a serviceable uniform, and maintain a degree of fitness.

The Ready Reserve, Standby Reserve, and the Retired Reserve make up the Reserve component of the Armed Forces of the United States.

Composition

The Ready Reserve is divided into three programs:

1. The Selected Reserve
   Selected Reserve
   Selected Reserve is a term that describes both the members of a U.S. military Ready Reserve unit that are enrolled in the Ready Reserve program and the reserve unit that they are attached to...
   
   ,
2. The Individual Ready Reserve
   Individual Ready Reserve
   The Individual Ready Reserve is a category of the Ready Reserve of the Reserve Component of the Armed Forces of the United States composed of former active duty or reserve military personnel, and is authorized under...
   
   , and
3. The Inactive National Guard.

Legal Basis

The Ready Reserve is prescribed by law in U.S. Code Title 10 "ARMED FORCES", Subtitle E "Reserve Components", Chapter 1209. Specific provisions for creation of the Ready Reserve can be found in sections 12301(a) and 12302. Other sections describe rules for recall to Active Duty (sec. 12301(d), 12303, 12304) and suspension of retirement or separation (sec. 12305).

See also

• Selected Reserve
  Selected Reserve
  Selected Reserve is a term that describes both the members of a U.S. military Ready Reserve unit that are enrolled in the Ready Reserve program and the reserve unit that they are attached to...
  
  
• Reserve component of the Armed Forces of the United States
• United States Army Reserve
  United States Army Reserve
  The United States Army Reserve is the federal reserve force of the United States Army. Together, the Army Reserve and the Army National Guard constitute the reserve components of the United States Army....
  
  
• United States Navy Reserve
  United States Navy Reserve
  The United States Navy Reserve, until 2005 known as the United States Naval Reserve, is the Reserve Component of the United States Navy...