Rethinking the Guard and Reserves

Daniel W. Drezner ^ | July 3, 2004 | Daniel Drezner

[Cannoneer No. 4]

Some good comments on the original thread.

[Cannoneer No. 4]

ping

[Arkinsaw]

I don't know about other Guard units, but I know in the Arkansas Brigade you get your weapon chained to you with a log chain for a week if you don't practice positive weapon control. I don't imagine leaving your body armor laying around has much better results.

[Darksheare]

My unit saw our budget cut during Clinton so badly that we had no budget for spare parts.
So if we broke something, we had to 'find' something to replace it with.

[I got the rope]

I smell a rat. We all know that the good Colonel wants everyone to "play the game" 24/7, but jeeesh!

We neutralized two jihadist countries in 2 years and captured a terrorist enabling thug and the Colonel is bitching about wearing your kevlar. Give me a break.

Don't worry Colonel...give the order and I bet those Reservist and National Guardsman will do what you command.

[cherry]

I don't know about other Guard units either, but I do know that when my hubby was still in the Guard up until a few years ago, his unit decimated the regular Air Force in head to head competition.....

No doubt there are slackers in the Reserve and Guard...but that's a leadership problem....

I expect when the Defense department takes a good long look at what a bargain the Reserve and Guard are, perhaps they will start to compensate them PROPORTIONATELY for what they do.....

[struwwelpeter]

Reservist humor.

[Cannoneer No. 4]

What brand of Arkansas Toothpick is most commonly seen hanging from their web gear?

[I got the rope]

Yep. I was part of a Guard unit once that had enlisted men with MBA'S! I would say that 90% of us had a degree of some sort or was currently in college. It was amazing. Oh yeah, the other 10% were cops (Feds, local LEOs, or state police).

Needless to say they were and are a kickass unit now attached to the 4th Infantry.

[Cogadh na Sith]

Despite spring temperatures that already pushed toward 100 degrees, and the relative safety of camps in Kuwait, commanders of active-duty units like the First Infantry Division ordered their soldiers to wear heavy helmets and flak jackets at all times except inside their tents and mess halls or en route to the showers: all part of an effort to get the troops into the combat mind-set.

That is the dumbest thing I have ever heard of. It will have exactly the opposite effect:

"We want you to get so used to wearing your 'combat gear' everywhere while you are relaxing and waiting around in the rear that you are no longer automatically alert when you put your gear on for real."

God, the Army is dumb sometimes. Another stupid Colonel who just doesn't understand troops...

[xzins]

Here are a few things that are broken in the NG. (Perhaps also the reserve.)

1. Promotion.
2. Physical ability and age.
3. Individual Soldier Civilian/Military Interface

[conshack]

I expect when the Defense department takes a good long look at what a bargain the Reserve and Guard are, perhaps they will start to compensate them PROPORTIONATELY for what they do.....

Sorry to burst your bubble, but the guard and reserves ARE compensate proportionately(two days pay for each day of drill) and full pay and benefits for active duty time.

[conshack]

Here are a few things that are broken in the NG. (Perhaps also the reserve.)
1. Promotion.
2. Physical ability and age.
3. Individual Soldier Civilian/Military Interface


And 40% not able to be deployed when called upon.

[RobbyS]

I was a Civilian at Ramstein and heard nothing but good about the Air Guard--this from the lifers.

[xzins]

That's an excellent one....part of it is tied up in my point #2.

[ExSoldier]

I think they ought to take volunteers from the last generation of soldiers, who got out in say the early 90's and form them into a "Home Guard" style force. Then new recruits could be honed for overseas deployment.

[conshack]

That's an excellent one....part of it is tied up in my point #2.



Agree. And pregnancy needs to be added to that.

[conshack]

That's an excellent one....part of it is tied up in my point #2.



I'd be willing to make a sizeable bet that the draft will return(after the election, of course), but it is inevitible with the military so stretched at this point.

[Tailback]

On a dangerous 34-hour convoy drive north from Kuwait to Camp Warhorse, near Baquba, an insurgents' stronghold, he marched up and down a mile-long row of vehicles belonging to a mix of units, scolding scores of reservists he spotted not wearing body armor.

Apparently the Colonel didn't find anyone littering. I wonder what the re-up rate in units where he was CO has been?

[Squantos]

HUA !..............Stay safe !