Holding units at high readiness requires preparation, training, serviceable equipment, and supporting forces ready to deploy. It also places considerable demands on personnel and their families, while lower readiness gives other units time to train or recover from deployment. A properly organized reserve force differs from a capability held at low readiness in the hope that a future crisis will give enough warning. A reserve ship needs an associated crew that trains together and understands the vessel, which shortens reactivation and reduces risk. A cited NATO study found that this crew-and-ship connection made reserve vessels faster to activate than equipment awaiting personnel drawn from the regular force. Reserve personnel can also provide scarce surge skills, as medical reservists did during operations in Afghanistan. Sudden crises rarely leave months to find sailors, complete maintenance, assemble spare parts, and rebuild proficiency.
Notable Point · 1:38:03-1:41:05
Extended readiness and real reserves
Putting a ship in extended readiness is not the same as keeping a usable reserve with trained people, maintained equipment, and a known activation plan.