The article identifies the special significance of state reserves for purposes of ensuring the national security of Ukraine. Established the main purpose of state reserves as a set of strategic reserves of the state to overcome the effects of risk factors. A review and analysis of recent domestic publications on this topic was done. The main definitions of state reserves are found. Established that the existing definitions of state reserves have, mainly, the material and economic plane of understanding. The author’s definition of state reserves was derived and proposed. It was noted that the definition should also contain an institutional and organizational component. The main structural components of state reserve are considered, among which the mobilization reserve, reserves to meet the strategic needs of the country and reserves to perform priority work during emergency response are identified. The peculiarity of the process of state reserve management is studied, where such classical components as normative-legal, institutional and organizational are singled out. A number of normative legal acts were analyzed, which regulate the basic principles of formation, use and disposal of state reserve of Ukraine, as well as the principles of activity of the State Reserve. Established that the institutional component of state reserve management process is embodied in the State Reserve, which is the central body of executive power. The relevance of the thesis that activity of the State Reserve as an active subject of economic processes is one of the main elements of state reserves management is also proved. The content of the process of managing the state reserve is revealed through the need to stabilize the socio-economic situation both in conditions of uncertainty and the consequences of emergencies, and in the normal functioning of the state economy. The essence of process of state reserve management is defined as the rational use of material and technical values that form the strategic reserve of state, in order to regulate economic development in normal socio-economic conditions or quickly overcome the negative consequences of man-made or natural emergencies as well as the consequences of martial law.