Free Republic

A few weeks back, the government of Sweden sent out a booklet to every household in the country urging citizens to prepare for war or other crises. A few months back, they told citizens that they should be prepared to last for at least a week without any help from the government. Last night, in the most unsettling move yet, they mobilized the entire Swedish Home Guard for an “unannounced preparedness exercise.” All 40 battalions have been activated, effective immediately. The report is on the Försvarsmakten website, which is the official website of the Swedish Armed Forces. Here’s the English translation: For the first...

WASHINGTON, August 4, 2006 -- The Defense Department this month kicked off a program to help prevent activated reservists and National Guardsmen from facing financial hardships. The Reserve Income Replacement Program will pay eligible National Guard and reserve members mobilized for extended or frequent periods the difference between their monthly civilian pre-mobilization income and their current total monthly military compensation. “RIRP is designed to assist those mobilized Guard and reserve members that are experiencing a loss of income while mobilized,” said Tom Bush, principal director of manpower and reserve affairs for the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense...

WASHINGTON, Jan. 12, 2006 – When Sgt. Brandon Valdez, a Marine Corps Reservist, was wounded by a roadside bomb during convoy duty in Ramadi, Iraq, in November 2004, his civilian employer, the Los Angeles Police Department, supported him to the fullest. In addition to continuing to make up the difference between his military and police pay and providing him his full employee benefits, the LAPD had a full-time military liaison officer available to help Valdez through his recovery. In an arrangement unique among police departments, Officer Dennis J. DeNoi, a retired Marine master sergeant, was on duty as the department's...

This week the Army reports an increase in the number of reservists on active duty in support of the partial mobilization. The Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps all report a decrease. The net collective result is 10,213 more reservists than last week. At any given time, services may mobilize some units and individuals while demobilizing others, making it possible for these figures to either increase or decrease. Total number currently on active duty in support of the partial mobilization for the Army National Guard and Army Reserve is 164,847; Naval Reserve 1,491; Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve,...

EGLIN AIR FORCE BAS -- After being called to duty at Duke Field last September, Special Operations pilot Lt. Col. David B. was deployed to the Middle East. He spent two months flying an MC-130E Combat Talon I on missions into Afghanistan, sometimes at speeds of 250 mph just 250 feet above hostile territory -- usually while wearing night vision goggles. But because he has been serving his country in that demanding role, he is no longer qualified to deliver packages in a DC-10 for his civilian employer, FedEx Express. "Now I am completely unqualified in my [FedEx Express] aircraft...