Pentagon may use IRS to find reservists
FORTH WORTH, Texas, May 18 (UPI) -- The Defense Department has proposed using U.S. Internal Revenue Service data to track down reservists with which they have lost contact.
The measure, which department officials say has been vetted by its lawyers, would allow the Pentagon to access the addresses for tens of thousands of people who still face active-duty recall, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported.
Congress and President Bush would have to approve an amendment to the tax code in order legalize the practice.
Lt. Col. Bob Stone, a spokesman for reserve affairs at the Pentagon, said the proposal is unrelated to the military's current troop shortage and has been in development for several years. "While the military today is comprised of an all-volunteer force, every individual who volunteers for service in the armed forces voluntarily accepts an eight-year military service obligation," Stone said.
Troops are obligated to keep the military informed with updated contact information, but 34 percent of former Army soldiers cannot be tracked.
Part or all of nine of the Army's 10 active-duty divisions are operating in Iraq and Afghanistan; 167,000 reserves and National Guard troops are also on active duty.
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