Posted on 06/29/2004 3:42:23 AM PDT by Max Combined
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Army is planning an involuntary mobilization of thousands of reserve troops to maintain adequate force levels in Iraq (news - web sites) and Afghanistan (news - web sites), defense officials said on Monday.
The move -- involving the seldom-tapped Individual Ready Reserve -- represents the latest evidence of the strain being placed on the U.S. military, particularly the Army, by operations in those two countries.
Roughly 5,600 soldiers from the ready reserve will be notified of possible deployment this year, including some soldiers who will be notified within a month, said an Army official speaking on condition of anonymity.
A senior defense official said, "These individuals are being called back to fill specific shortages for specific jobs."
The official said the last time the Individual Ready Reserve, mainly made up of soldiers who have completed their active duty obligations, was mobilized in any significant numbers was during the 1991 Gulf War (news - web sites).
Army officials are in the process of briefing members of Congress on the mobilization and plan a formal announcement on Wednesday.
The Army official said the mobilization "will be through the rest of the year. Some could be within a month."
"It would be an involuntary measure, an involuntary mobilization," the Army official said. "It's approximately 5,600."
"We're not calling up units, we're just using all the existing assets in theater and we're augmenting those assets with these individuals -- various occupational specialties, various different types of officers running the whole gamut," the Army official said.
The official said military police and civil affairs personnel were among the specialties involved.
The defense official said that while soldiers in the Individual Ready Reserve have served their voluntary obligation in the Army they still can be mobilized involuntarily for several years after returning to civilian life.
"Sometimes there's a misperception by some of the individuals ... that 'I've done my obligation, I've been in the Army, thank you very much, and I'm done'. But you're not done," the official said.
The Pentagon (news - web sites) had originally planned to reduce the number of American troops in Iraq to approximately 110,000 by now, but continuing security problems compelled officials to maintain a level of about 138,000 troops. Officials have said they planned to maintain that number through the end of 2005.
The United Sates has another 20,000 troops in Afghanistan.
This spring, the Pentagon delayed by about three months the scheduled departure from Iraq of roughly 20,000 U.S. troops.
Oh, oh, gonna have to reinstitute the draft! No, wait a minute, this IS a draft, gotta start getting out the anti-draft protest marchers! It's the 60's once again!
In Gulf War I, at Fort Drum, we received and trained Individual Ready Reservists who had been mobilized as potential replacements. Over 90% of those mobilized showed up on time and ready. Some came with military haircuts, in the uniforms they had from active duty, and raring to go. Others were in jeans, long hair, and beer-guts; but they showed up and there were very few disciplinary problems. Thankfully, there were few casualties and they were not needed. Although "involuntarily" recalled, they were cooperative and willing to do their part.
That's funny - when I signed up with the reserves, I thought I was volunteering in advance to be called up. Is there now a box you can check that says "Please don't call me up"?
In Gulf War I, I participated in the mobilization of several thousand national guard soldiers at Ft Campbell. Health problems was largest area keeping them from being ready for mobilization. Dental care was non-existant for many. The dentists finally just started pulling teeth. If they had not, the mod rate would have been way lower.
After the mob of the guard, I returned to Ft Knox were I was witness to many IRR soldiers being readied for replacment duty. It seemed they were in better shape than the national guard, although I was a member of the guard at that time. I knew many of the NCO's and officers involved in the mob and they all agreed the IRR soldiers were in pretty decent shape.
Has there ever been a call up of the Retired?
Your active choice to sign up in a reserve component is different than the situation of a military member leaving active duty with a remaining obligation that is automatically placed in the Individual Ready Reserve. You go to drills and annual training with a unit while they don't. Some choose to go to annual training as individuals but, to my knowledge, it is not absolutely required. What is required is to complete the obligation they signed up to do and that is why they are being called back.
Involunatary? The IRR is voluntary. You know you might be called up in case of war...but then don't expect the liberal reporters to understand that...
The media never wants to mention why our armed forces are low in numbers.
Could it possibly be because of the two idiots who occupied the White House from 1992 to 2000?
I do not think either political party can escape blame for the manpower shortages we now face in the military. Though f.t. Clinton deserves most of the blame.
It's the "Don't call send money list". Page 2 line 6, right after the, "I'm only in it for the education", box.
No citizen of the nation is immune from serving legitimate authority. The pecking order for military service and mobilization is active duty, Regular Ready Reserve, Indivdual Ready Reserve, Draft, general population. Each level of the pecking order has its advantages and disadvantages.
The Regulars, have an advantage of being the best trained, equiped, supported, and able to deploy within 6 hrs to 2 weeks of decision to deploy.
The Ready Reserve typically take 2 weeks to 3 months to set foot on the battlefield and with various options of how to deploy,..by unit, specialty, or individual.
The IRR typically takes 3-6 months to deploy, with reassignment into units they had not previously been assigned as a member.
The draft takes about 6 months from selection to deployment and the individual has less control on his assigned duties or unit.
The population as a whole simply meets the demands of martial law when appropriate by legitimate authority.
In each category, less individual freedom prior to commitment to hostilities is frequently exchanged for more individual security and less individual risk during hostilities. The longer one is a member in the service, generally the more authority one has within that domain up to their capacity. The more longevity in service, the better placed one will probably experience to match individual skills, ability, responsibility with authority.
Far better a draft in advance of war, than response to foreign aggression on friendly shores. Should that occur, it really won't matter how much people argue politically over events, ...events will tend to overpower the politics even to the point of loss of freedom and rights in subjecation to illegitimate authority.
If called back to Active Duty from the IRR, I would go in a heartbeat. They would have to extend my retirement date however. My buddies are heading over for a second go. If not for my wife and daughter, I would be along side them. Guess my 21 years ended to soon!
Maybe it's just me, but I don't think that our military is as thin spread as some people want us to believe. None of the 10-12 reserves/national guard troops that I know have been called up, and two of the three active duty people that I know are still at their bases in the U.S.
LOL -- say what you will about their politics, the people who actually do work in DWB have a certain amount of guts.
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