Reserve Forces Policy Board

The Reserve Forces Policy Board (RFPB) is a federal advisory committee established by statute within the Office of the Secretary of Defense. Its purpose is to "serve as an independent adviser to the Secretary of Defense to provide advice and recommendations to the Secretary on strategies, policies, and practices designed to improve and enhance the capabilities, efficiency, and effectiveness of the reserve components". By law, the Secretary of Defense transmits annually to the President and Congress a separate annual report from the RFPB on reserve component matters the board considers appropriate to include in the report.

The board consists of 20 members; a civilian chairman, a current or former member of each of the seven reserve components, a two-star military executive, a senior enlisted advisor, plus ten other U.S. citizens, who may or may not be government employees, with significant knowledge of and experience in policy matters relevant to national security and reserve component matters.

The board is supported by a staff consisting of a colonel or Navy captain from each of the six DoD reserve components. These officers also serve as liaisons between their respective components and the board. The law requires them “to perform their staff and liaison duties under the supervision of the military executive officer of the board in an independent manner reflecting the independent nature of the board".

The board is organized into four subcommittees:

The board is one of the oldest advisory committees in the Department of Defense. In September 1949, in response to inadequate recruitment and strength in the reserve program of the armed services, Secretary of Defense Louis A. Johnson established a Civilian Components Policy Board. Under the leadership of William T. Faricy, president of the Association of American Railroads, the board ranked directly under the secretary, was on a level with the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and was empowered to give instructions to the reserves of all of the services.

On June 13, 1951, Secretary of Defense George Marshall re-designated the Civilian Components Policy Board as the Reserve Forces Policy Board. In July 1952, the U.S. Congress passed the Armed Forces Act of 1952. This act established the Reserve Forces Policy Board as "the principal policy advisor to the Secretary of Defense on matters relating to the Reserve components". Passage of the Reserve Officer Personnel Act of 1954 and the Reserve Bill of Rights and Revitalization Act of 1967 underscored the board's role and expanded its authority, responsibility, and membership. In 1995, a member of the staff of the Joint Chiefs of Staff was added to the board's membership.

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