From the NFRW Armed Services Committee

The concept of having a formal organization to augment the active duty Navy force that was established in 1794 was many years in the making.  The country originally depended on privateers and other non-military seagoing vessels to ramp up military might on the seas during times of conflict.  It wasn’t until March 3, 1915 that a formal reserve force was stood-up on a permanent basis.  The reserve force was originally established under the name of Federal Naval Reserve which was changed to United States Naval Reserve Force in 1916 and in 2005 became the “Reserve Component (RC) of the United States Navy.”

Over the years the mission and the assignments of the Naval Reserves changed as well.  Once upon a time, belonging to the reserves classified members as “weekend warriors” but times have changed in that regard as well.  The Navy’s current reserve force is made up of approximately 100,000 personnel in the Selected Reserves, Full time Support, and Individual Ready Reserves which comprises about 20% of the total naval force.  According to Military.com: “On any particular day, 25 percent of the Navy Reserve is delivering global operational support to the fleet and combat forces. The Reserve has seen over 70,000 mobilizations of Selected Reservists since September 11, 2001, and more than 4,500 deployments by reservists serving on Full-Time Support.” 

Ways to celebrate this 107th birthday could include donating or volunteering with the Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society, the Red Cross, USO, or other service-related organizations that support Reserve interests, such as a Museum of Military History.

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