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 The Ready Reserve Force (RRF) program was initiated in 1976 as a subset of the Maritime Administration’s National Defense Reserve Fleet (NDRF) to support the rapid worldwide deployment of U.S. military forces.
RRF vessels passing in harbor. A key element of strategic sealift, the RRF is specifically structured to transport Army and Marine Corps unit equipment and initial resupply for forces deploying anywhere in the world during the critical period before adequate numbers of commercially available ships can be marshaled. Administration and operation of the RRF is governed by a Memorandum of Agreement.
RRF vessel at sea with waves crashing over the bow. The Ready Reserve Force is comprised of 47 vessels. Three (3) ships are in full operating status and are on-station overseas.
RRF Iraqi Freedom logo. During Operations Enduring and Iraqi Freedom, the combined strategic sealift operation provided more than 80 percent of all cargo transportation to the theater of operations. Led by the U.S. Transportation Command, this joint effort included the Military Sealift Command, the Military Traffic Management Command, and the Maritime Administration. Forty (40) RRF vessels supported Army and Marine missions during the operations providing up to 20 percent of the total combined surge sealift capacity.
Ambulances driving up the ramp of RRF vessel CAPE VINCENT Ten of the MARAD ships were activated to aid in recovery and relief efforts in Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.  This marked the first time the ships of MARAD’s Ready Reserve Force were activated at the request of the Secretary of Transportation to deal with a domestic emergency, and the first time training ships provided by MARAD to State maritime academies were pressed into service to provide food and shelter.  Six ships of the Ready Reserve Force: Cape Kennedy, Cape Knox, Cape Vincent, Diamond State, Equality State, and Wright; three training ships, State of Maine, Empire State, and Sirius, and one other ships from MARAD’s National Defense Reserve Fleet, the Texas Clipper II, answered the call.  They brought urgently needed supplies, including water; they provided assistance for oil spill cleanup; they generated electricity, and provided 269,000 meals and 83,165 berth nights for recovery workers and evacuees.
RRF ship.

The RRF made a major contribution to the success of Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm from August 1990 through June 1992, when 79 vessels were activated and operated to meet military sealift requirements. The RRF has rightfully been called "American Seapower’s Reliant Partner."