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In the face of the rapidly changing defence and security environment, states are increasingly struggling to counter conventional and hybrid threats, while also standing by to respond to domestic emergencies. As a result, many states have increased defence spending, sought to boost military recruitment efforts, and developed integrated defence force models. Reserve forces are key components of such models. Building on theoretical and empirical insights from our previous co-edited volume Total Defence Forces in the Twenty-First Century (McGill-¾ÅÐãÖ±²¥ Press, 2023), we propose an original and systematic examination of reserve forces in the NATO context. 

Objective: Reserve forces are increasingly seen as vital for strengthening national defence, contributing to personnel-intensive responses to national and international crises, as well as reinforcing the links between defence institutions and the wider society. As states seek to adapt their defence policies and practices to new and emerging security challenges, questions about the organization, role and mandate of reserves take on a new sense of urgency and relevance. The aim of this book is to contribute to our understanding of reserve force models, in relation to the organization and development of Total Defence Forces and inform reserve force generation and employment in the NATO context. We are interested in the prospects and challenges of reserve forces within defence and security, as well as the role of reserves for military-society relations.

In addition to introducing different and evolving reserve force models in this edited volume, we would like to showcase country case studies that serve to illustrate why and how these models have emerged (e.g. part-time service, home guard, operational reserve, conscription based). We will compare the different models and how recent changes in the defence and security landscape have impacted them, comparing the case studies along key characteristics (expeditionary vs. domestic, specialists vs. generalists, collective vs. augmentee, etc). Beyond NATO cases, we explore other models that have informed NATO policy discussions on reserve forces, before ending with a conclusion that summarizes key findings and proposes recommendations for the Alliance and its member states.

Key questions include:

• What are the main characteristics of the reserve force model(s) you are analyzing, how have these been developed, and what is their relationship to regular armed forces and wider society?
• What are the main institutional mechanisms by which these reserve forces are generated and employed?
• What are the benefits and challenges of the reserve force model(s), from a national perspective and from a NATO perspective (e.g. capacity, capability, flexibility, cost effectiveness, political dynamics, policy and legislative issues, etc)?
• What are the anticipated effects for optimal reserve force employment in relation to these risks and challenges (readiness, interoperability, societal resilience, etc)?

Agenda:

Full agenda to come...

This workshop is being organized through a collaboration between the Canadian Defence and Security Network (CDSN;  ), the Swedish Centre for Studies of Armed Forces and Society (CSMS; ), the Centre of International and Defence Policy (CIDP; /cidp/ ), and the Total Defence Force working group of the European Research Group for Military and Society (ERGOMAS)  ).