Assessing Unit Readiness: Case Study of an Air Force Fighter Wing

Publication Date: January 2000

Publisher: RAND Corporation

Author(s): David E. Thaler; Carl J. Dahlman

Research Area: Military and defense

Type: Brief

Abstract:

Ongoing allegations of problems with readiness in the current environment of constrained resources and demanding contingency requirements have driven efforts to characterize the effect of this environment on a representative operational unit and to capture the features in a readiness management system. A broad recipe for assessing readiness involves defining what is “healthy,” evaluating the current and future status, and identifying where that status deviates from a healthy state. Results indicate that the fighter wing faces a mismatch between the tasks it must accomplish and the resources at its disposal. Without the proper standards and the right metrics for tracking how units can meet those standards, senior management will be unable to identify and assess shortfalls in readiness throughout the force.