Joint Mobilization Planning

Mobilization includes assembling and organizing personnel and materiel for active duty military forces, activating the Reserve Component (RC) (including federalizing the National Guard), extending terms of service, surging and mobilizing the industrial base and training bases, and bringing the Armed Forces of the United States to a state of readiness for war or other national emergency. This description implies two processes: The military mobilization process by which the nation's Armed Forces are brought to an increased state of readiness. The national mobilization process, which mobilizes the interdependent resource areas to meet non-defense needs as well as sustaining the Armed Forces during all military operations. Congress has provided the President with a comprehensive menu of authorities for tailoring an appropriate response in a crisis. Several of these are available without a declaration of national emergency. Others require Presidential or congressional emergency declarations.