2026 Annual Meeting is Virtual on 9/10/26
Historically Speaking...
ROA has played a major role in American Military Policy...
- Instrumental in adoption of milestone Reserve Forces Bill of Rights and Vitalization Act, which established a Selected Reserve in each service, provided adequate fiscal and equipment support for Selected Reserve, and established Assistant Secretaries for Reserve Affairs and Reserve service Chiefs for each service.
- Championed the creation of ROTC.
- Integral to the passage of the Armed Forces Reserve Act establishing the Ready Reserve
- Led the charge to retain threatened Coast Guard and Air Force Reserves, NOAA Corps, and also helped save the Navy Reserve’s air arm.
- Helped muster a Reserve officers corps of 115,000 by the outbreak of WWII.
- Convinced President Franklin D. Roosevelt to allocate $1 million to pay reservists in training.
- Instrumental in adoption of legislation that precluded the merger of the Army Reserve and National Guard, and set mandatory strength levels in the Reserve components.
- Prevented the Army from conducting individual call-ups during the Korean Conflict that would have decimated the Reserve structure.
- Instrumental in achieving Reserve retirement for age and service, 20-year retirement for active duty regular and Reserve officers.
- Contributed to the adoption of the Armed Forces Reserve Act which reorganized and modernized Reserve forces of all services to increase readiness for limited or full mobilization.
- Precluded large, DoD proposed, across-the-board reductions in the Reserve force structure.
- Forcefully supported appropriation of $25 million for the Selective Service System, defeating a House effort to eliminate the Selective Service System.
- Ensured citizen warriors are treated fairly by the Veterans Benefits Administration.
- Advocated annual pay raises for Reserve component members.
- Spearheaded legislative efforts that established separate Reserve commands, commanded by chiefs of the reserve components of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force.
- Led the effort that created an Assistant Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs.
- Played a pivotal role in the enactment of the Reserve Officer Personnel Management Act (ROPMA), the long-awaited legislation regularizing officer personnel management in the Reserve components.
- Highlighted the need for a Survivor Benefit provision whereby earned retirement pay could pass to a family member.
- Fought to increase the limit of inactive duty days from 60 to 130.
- Led efforts to activate military reserves for the 1991 Gulf War and improved post-war benefits.
- Established the basis and took up the cause to promote Reserve Chiefs to O-9s.
- Educated parties to expand and enhance the role of the Public Health Service.
- Got Congress to extend VA home loan program parity to the Reserve components.
- Ensured full commissary and exchange privileges for reservists not on duty.
- Led in causing the Congress to direct DoD to conduct a Total Force Policy Study.
- Contributed in adding billions in appropriations for the procurement of Guard and Reserve equipment and military construction.
- Played a key role in the adoption of legislation that establishes two two-star assistants to advise the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff on Guard and Reserve matters.
- Helped Congress establish drill pay for inactive/weekend duty training.
- Helped establish Reserve retirement pay at age 60.
- Protected the military member’s right to vote.
People helping each other climb a mountain at sunset.