This thesis argues that government and military leaders failed the American people on September 11, 2001 by neglecting previous reports, Armed Forces on Reserve Forces and Manpower Mobilization Issues, submitted as early as 1983 regarding the deficiencies of the Army Reserves' mobilization process, shortages of personnel and equipment, and inefficiencies of personnel and pay automation systems. It uses case studies, reports, regulations, laws, and policies to analyze government and military reactions to current military operations. It concludes that the best approach to fight war on terrorism is first defense reform. Department of the Army can no longer afford to employ a tiered resource strategy. Furthermore, this thesis provides lessons learned for policymakers considering the deployment of Army Reserve Soldiers.

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