Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 104 Part 3.djvu/334

 104 STAT. 1686 PUBLIC LAW 101-510—NOV. 5, 1990 0^) CONGRESSIONAL DECLARATION. — In view of the findings expressed in subsection (a), Congress declares that— (1) the structure and strength of the current reserve components should be preserved; (2) the equipment levels in existing reserve component units should be increased to match their active duty counterparts; (3) selected missions of the active components of the Armed Forces should be increasingly transferred to the reserve components; (4) the equipment available to the units of the reserve components should be modernized; and (5) the integration of active component and reserve component units should be promoted as a means of achieving the Total Force Policy of the Department of Defense. SEC. 1432. FINDINGS AND SENSE OF CONGRESS REGARDING THE IMPOR- TANCE OF THE READY RESERVE (a) FINDINGS.— The Congress finds that— (1) as a result of the recent dramatic changes in Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union, the active military forces of the United States will be significantly reduced; and (2) as a consequence of that reduction it will be necessary to rely increasingly, in the event of a threat to the national security, on the immediate availability of trained personnel of the Ready Reserve of the reserve components of the Armed Forces. (b) SENSE OF CONGRESS. —In light of the finding in subsection (a), it is the sense of Congress that— (1) the Secretary of Defense should take appropriate action to ensure that members of the Ready Reserve are made fully aware of their continuing obligation for immediate service in the active military forces in the event of a war or national emergency; (2) the Secretary should use the annual muster provided for under section 687 of title 10, United States Code, as a means of alerting such personnel to that obligation; and (3) the Secretary should ensure that adequate funds are made available, out of funds appropriated for the reserve components, to carry out the annual muster of such personnel. SEC. 1433. COMMENDATION OF THE NATIONAL GUARD AND RESERVE (a) FINDINGS.—Congress makes the following findings: (1) Since the earliest days of this Nation, citizen-soldiers of the United States have protected their fellow citizens, defended the country, and provided heroic assistance during and following natural disasters. (2) The citizen-soldier has played a key role in the protection of freedom since the days of the American Revolution. (3) The National Guard and the Reserve have been accorded significantly increased status in the overall defense posture of the United States since the end of World War II. (4) During a period in history when the Nation may face new and varied threats to peace, it is imperative that the combat capability of the National Guard and the Reserve be adequately maintained and supported. (5) The excellence of the National Guard and Reserve is directly attributable to hard work and dedication of the

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