Transforming the Reserve Component for the 21st Century

[struggle4progress]

The United States is relying on the National Guard and Reserve more and more, as our country's "citizen soldiers" comprise more than 40 percent of U.S. forces in Iraq alone. The administration's failure to anticipate the demands of post-war Iraq has left guardsmen and reservists with insufficient notice before mobilization, and forced too many soldiers into back-to-back deployments. As a result of these strains, Guard commanders across the country are concerned about their ability to recruit and retain troops. With re-enlistment and retention rates falling, the Congressional Budget Office has warned that using reservists at this level is "unsustainable."

Back-to-back and extended deployments. The demands of Iraq and Afghanistan have required back-to-back and extended deployments for guardsmen and reservists and their active duty counterparts. Only recently did President Bush promise to provide these soldiers with at least 30 days' notice before mobilization. Unfortunately, the administration has been unwilling to consider permanently increasing the size of the military to alleviate the burden on our troops in the future. <snip>

Equipment and training. Guardsmen and reservists were the last to receive the most effective protective gear in Iraq, and only 15 months after the invasion did all troops receive Interceptor body armor. One Oregon National Guard soldier relates how he "was told to man a .50-caliber machine gun that had been jury-rigged on top of a Vietnam-era truck, but wasn't given a single round of ammunition during a dangerous convoy. 'They told me just look mean,' the soldier said." Furthermore, several National Guard and Reserve units were sent to Iraq and Afghanistan without adequate training.

Health care. The White House has fought to keep guardsmen and reservists from receiving the benefits of TRICARE, the Pentagon's health insurance plan, claiming that it is too expensive. Guardsmen and reservists and their families enjoy TRICARE's benefits only when they have been activated for more than 30 days. This forces National Guard and Reserve families to move between insurance plans, interrupting the quality of care. Furthermore, 40 percent of guardsmen and reservists between the ages of 19 and 35 lack health insurance. <snip>

http://www.americanprogress.org/site/pp.asp?c=biJRJ8OVF&b=190476

[whistle]

1. What professional in their right mind would volunteer for reserve...

...duty now after witnessing how vulnerable and indifferent politicians are to the program in times like we have experienced under George Bush. The draft will come regardless of who is in the White House in 2005.

[LastLiberal in PalmSprings]

2. I used to be a reservist

and there is no way I'd do it now.

We flew the same aircraft and missions (including operational ones) as the active duty crews (C-141, C-130 and KC-135), and had to meet the same standards and minimum flying requirements as our active duty counterparts -- all while holding down full time jobs. Most of us had already spent several years on active duty.

We also understood that we were a reserve force, not an active duty one. If our country needed us, we were ready to serve. But not this PNAC/Halliburton crap --

What bothers me is that * has used all the nation's active and reserve forces in a "war" against a piss-ant country. What the hell are we supposed to do if someone with an actual military force decides they want to take over part of the U.S., like Florida? Who protects us then?

Not only do I expect the military to have an extremely difficult time filling its ranks, I also expect employers to be a lot more reluctant to hire people who are in the reserve or guard.