What Is ROA?
The men and women who serve our nation in the cause of freedom need and deserve a voice in creating government policy.  ROA provides that voice.  Respected, vigorous, effective - ROA has a long list of policy accomplishments, and an ambitious long-range program for the coming decade and beyond.


Mission and History
"...support and promote the development and execution of a military policy for the United States that will provide adequate National Security."

The Reserve Officers Association of the United States (ROA) was founded during the difficult years following the end of World War I. Complacency and a new wave of isolationism were sweeping across the American political landscape. The founders of the ROA believed America was vulnerable to return to its pre-war unpreparedness.

It was during these times that several hundred officers, many of them combat veterans of World War I, first gathered with General of the Armies, John J. "Black Jack" Pershing at the Willard Hotel in Washington, D.C., on October 2, 1922 formally established ROA as an organization. 

As political eras have changed over the past 80 years, ROA has remained committed to its original mission, "...support and promote the development and execution of a military policy for the United States that will provide adequate National Security."

In the period between the World Wars, when isolationism and disarmament concepts weakened the military strength of the nation, ROA was a prominent voice in the cause of preparedness. Early in this period, the right of the Reservist, as of any other citizen, to appear before Congress in support of appropriations and matters affecting the national defense was established. Also during this time, Reserve programs, which were to prove invaluable in the mobilization period of 1941 and 1942, became established on the foundations laid by the citizen-soldiers who had served in World War I.

During World War II, the Association became inactive "for the duration," as its members went off to war. ROA was reactivated in 1946 and in 1948, Reserve Officers of the Naval Services (RONS) merged with ROA. The Marine Corps and Coast Guard came in about the same time. When law created a separate Department of the Air Force, for the first time the nation had, in ROA, a Reserve association embracing all the Services.

Public Law 595 of the 81st Congress, second session, was "An Act to Incorporate the Reserve Officers Association of the United States." This act established the objective of ROA: "...support and promote the development and execution of a military policy for the United States that will provide adequate National Security." President Harry S Truman, one of the early members of ROA, signed the charter on June 30, 1950. 

Business and Structure 
ROA is organized into 55 departments, one in each of the 50 states, plus departments in Latin America, the District of Columbia, Europe, the Far East and Puerto Rico. Each department is further divided into regional chapters. There are more than 550 chapters worldwide.

Legislative policies and election of national officers are handled at an annual national convention. Each department sends delegates to the convention in proportion to the number of members in the department.The business of the Association is conducted through the national headquarters in Washington, D.C. 

 
Benefits
Balancing civilian and reserve commitments requires a unique approach to career management.  ROA provides a wide range of professional and personal benefits including professional development workshops, mentoring programs, and a career center to meet the unique needs of our members.

As a liaison between government entities, the media, and its members, ROA keeps reservists and their families apprised of important topics such as call-ups and legislative actions.


ROA Today
Increasingly, leadership of the Association is being passed to younger drilling reservists, ensuring ROA's future as a dynamic force for improving benefits, equipment, and training for America's Citizen-Soldiers.