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 FY 1997 Reserve Component recruiting results for NPS and prior service gains and assigned end-strengths are shown in Table 5.1.  In FY 1997, the Reserve Component recruited nearly 144,000 enlisted persons compared to the Active Component's almost 189,000. The Army Reserve (USAR) is the  largest Reserve Component recruiting program, unlike FY 1996 when the largest was the ARNG.  The USAR recruited more than 16,000 NPS enlistees, approximately 6,700 less than the ARNG.  However, the USAR recruited just over 33,700 prior service recruits, 11,000 more than the ARNG.  Recognizing the importance of experience provided by qualified prior service personnel to the Reserve Forces, Congress established additional prior service accessions for the ARNG as part of the Army Guard Combat Reform Initiative:  "The Secretary of the Army, shall increase the number of qualified prior active-duty enlisted members in the Army National Guard."  While the legislation applies only to the ARNG, the Secretary of the Army has required the Army Reserve to comply, which would explain the large number of prior service accessions to the USAR  and the ARNG.

Table 5.1.  FY 1997 Selected Reserve Non-Prior Service (NPS) and Prior Service Enlisted Accessions and End-Strengths
	Enlisted Accessions
Component	Non-Prior Service	Prior Service	Total	Prior Service  Percent of Component Total	Enlisted End-Strength
Army National Guard	22,784	22,522	45,306	49.7	329,288
Army Reserve	16,018	33,718	49,736	67.8	168,596
Naval Reserve	2,967	18,169	21,136	86.0	75,373
USMC Reserve	6,316	4,413	10,729	41.1	37,254
Air National Guard	3,553	6,197	9,750	63.6	96,716
Air Force Reserve	1,033	6,157	7,190	85.6	56,068
DoD Total	52,671	91,176	143,847	63.4	763,295
Also see Appendix Tables C-1 (NPS Age by Component and Gender) and C-9 (Prior Service Age by Component and Gender).

Selected Reserve recruiting achievements decreased slightly, dropping by more than 9,000 enlisted accessions from FY 1996 to FY 1997 (from 152,000 to 144,000).  All components experienced cuts, except the Air Force Reserve which experienced an increase of about 700 accessions. The ARNG accessed fewer NPS recruits and fewer prior service recruits, for an overall loss in new enlistees of  15 percent in FY 1997. 

Due to differences in mission and force structure, the size of recruit cohorts by component varied greatly.  Therefore, comparisons between the Reserve Component percentages must be interpreted with care.  The Army Components--the ARNG and USAR -- had the largest Selected Reserve recruit cohorts, recruiting 66 percent of total Reserve Component accessions (31 and 35 percent for the ARNG and USAR, respectively) in FY 1997.  The Naval Reserve (USNR) and Air Force Reserve (USAFR) had the highest proportion of prior service recruits (86 percent of their total recruiting efforts).  The Marine Corps Reserve (USMCR) had the lowest proportion of recruits with past military experience (41 percent).  Prior service accessions provide the Reserve Component with a more experienced personnel base, contributing to increased readiness to meet future missions.

The increase in availability of prior service recruits is a temporary phenomenon due to the larger number of active duty members leaving service.  The end of the active force drawdown will ultimately reduce the number of prior service individuals from which the Reserve Component can recruit.  The numerical effects of the drawdown coupled with changes in the Reserve mission and increased combat risks may lead to difficulties in Reserve recruiting. "Future Reserve recruits are likely to consider [the] risk, the costs and benefits associated with [serving], and the likelihood that security threats in the future will differ from those in the past."  A decision to join the Selected Reserve today likely involves more tradeoffs than in the past.  Potential recruits are likely to find combat risk, family hardships, and financial losses during a mobilization more important in the Reserve participation decision today and in the future.

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