History of the Ready Reserve Force (RRF)

In 1976, Robert J. Blackwell, the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Maritime Affairs, and John Bennet, the Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Installation and Logistics), signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA). This MOA acknowledged a collaborative responsibility by their agencies to develop a program of reserve strategic sealift, a Ready Reserve Force (RRF). The RRF is a subset of the National Defense Reserve Fleet (NDRF), founded to support deployments and follow-on echelon sustainability of United States armed forces. Since 1976, RRF vessels have activated hundreds of times and served in armed conflicts, as training platforms, and in natural disaster relief. Visit the pages below for more information on the history of the RRF.  

The Ready Reserve Force (RRF) Missions

• The Ready Reserve Force Response to Hurricane Katrina
  A detailed study of MARAD and the RRF’s role in the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
• The Maritime Administration’s Haiti Earthquake Response
  A summary of MARAD’s role in Operation Unified Response, the U.S.-led disaster recovery effort after the 2010 Haiti earthquake.
• MARAD's Response to Hurricane Sandy: Learn about MARAD vessels and agency personnel who provided valuable assistance to FEMA in the New York metropolitan area after Hurricane Sandy in the Fall of 2012.