Warreadiness

Warreadiness is the state of a state's armed forces and supporting institutions to conduct armed action in response to a threat. It encompasses the capacity to deter, mobilize, deploy, sustain, and prevail in combat, as well as to integrate civilian infrastructure and institutions in national security efforts. Readiness is dynamic and depends on people, equipment, training, logistics, leadership, and interoperability with partners.

Core elements include personnel readiness (availability and skill of trained forces, morale, and gaps in critical specialties), equipment readiness (operational condition of weapons and vehicles, maintenance status), training readiness (qualification, collective exercises, and mission-specific drills), logistics and sustainment (supply chains, maintenance, transportation, medical support), and command and control readiness (planning processes, decision cycles, and information systems). Intelligence readiness and cyber and information-domain preparedness are increasingly treated as integral components. Civil-military readiness covers coordination with civilian authorities, disaster response, and resilience planning.

Readiness is shaped by budget, industrial capacity, and access to spare parts, and is affected by doctrine, tempo of training, and alliance interoperability. It is commonly assessed through indicators such as personnel availability, equipment serviceability, training completion rates, and the ability to deploy within a defined timeframe. Nations may maintain various readiness profiles, from permanent high readiness to reserve- or mobilization-enabled configurations. Regular exercises, joint operations with allies, and formal surge plans are used to maintain and test wartime readiness and to deter potential adversaries.