erehwon

http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansas...on/8698230.htm

Army may send special reserves to active duty involuntarily

(KRT) - WASHINGTON - The U.S. Army is scraping up soldiers for duty in Iraq wherever it can find them, and that includes places and people long considered off-limits.

The Army on Tuesday confirmed that it pulled the files of some 17,000 people in the Individual Ready Reserve, the nation's pool of former soldiers. The Army has been screening them for critically needed specialists and has called about 100 of them since January.

Under the current authorization from Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, the Army could call as many as 6,500 back on active duty involuntarily.

"Yes we are screening them and, yes, we are calling some of them up," an Army spokesman, Col. Joseph Curtin, told Knight Ridder. "We need certain specialties, including civil affairs, military police, some advanced medical specialists, such as orthopedic surgeons, psychological operations, military intelligence interrogators."

The Army has been forced to look to the Individual Ready Reserve pool and elsewhere for soldiers because it's been stretched so thin by a recent decision to maintain American troop levels in Iraq at 135,000 to 138,000 at least through 2005.

The Army is also considering a plan to close its premier training center at Fort Irwin in California so the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment, the much-vaunted Opposition Force against which the Army's tank divisions hone their combat skills, would be available for combat duty in Iraq.

[...]

The Individual Ready Reserve pool is comprised of people who completed their active-duty tours but are subject to involuntary recall for a period of years after leaving. A soldier who's served a four-year enlistment in the Army, for example, remains in the IRR for an additional four years. During that time he or she receives no pay and doesn't drill with a Reserve or National Guard unit.

Curtin said the fact that 17,000 files were being screened "is not a reflection of how many will be called back." He said the Army has 118,732 people on the IRR rolls.

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erehwon

Couple notes about the above, those that fail to report after being called up could face AWOL or desertion charges.

The other note that grabbed me was the Army considering to close its premier training center at Fort Irwin in California so the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment, the much-vaunted Opposition Force against which the Army's tank divisions hone their combat skills, would be available for combat duty in Iraq.

You have to be really scrapping bottom if you are taking one of your most elite training companies to do law enforcement work, just because there are no more bodies to do so.

I can't imagine what would happen if we had to conduct major combat operations in another part of the world with all our resources in the Gulf. If the Chinese really wanted to take back Taiwan, now would be the time to do it.

Read the writing on the wall folks, if Bush gets in again, at this rate there will be another draft, and those kids will be going to Iraq and Afghanistan to be overglorfied cops walking a beat for "War on Terrorism"

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Drunken Sam

no chance this is happening

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KDizzla

Thats fucking bullshit.

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jas1552

With about 1.5 million soldiers on active duty, 1.3 million in the guard and reserves, and recruiters turning away more recruits than are being enlisted a draft is nowhere near necessary.

Mikey_219Inc

they need to send a shitload of soldiers there and give the current soldiers the support they deserve - or get the fuck out (that would be my choice)

i dont understand (well, i'm sure its about money as always) why america feels the need to always poke its nose in other countries. same with israel/palestine. Let these fuckers all fight to the death. We are only delaying the course of nature, IMHO ...

The billions of dollars would have been better spent on intelligence. a few spy planes could have let us know what saddam was up to.

Bush has GOT to go -

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12clicks

dear clueless, when you enlist, you're aware of the possibility of IRR. There is no connection between this and the draft except for your tinfoil hat.

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cosis

bullshit

zzgundamnzz

Ok, well I either flee to Mexico...

or do a compound fracture to my leg.

That'll keep me from getting drafted

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eroswebmaster

I hope they reinstate the draft...GFY's population would drop considerably.

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XxXotic

here's a thought to kick around


A DRAFT WILL NEVER BE RE-INSTATED!

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FlyingIguana

well they tried to keep their noses out of ww2 and look what happened. so now americans think they have to police the world or all hell will break loose again.

Alex From San Diego

I have no problem if they pulled my file from the IRR...

I volunteered for the military completely knowing what I was getting into. No one put a gun to my head.

I welcome the draft. Bring it on.

jimmyf

this is correct.

Also if they did bring back the draft, it would not depend on Bush
being in office or not.

When I got out of the of Army I was in-active reserves. If they needed me they would have called me.

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M.D.P.

i thought this was a post about the NBA draft.

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jimmyf

I think they never should have gotten rid of the draft.
Even with a volunteer military they should have drafted 10k to 20k every year.

maybe our young people wouldn't so fucked up, and fucked up they are.

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FlyingIguana

there's enough fucked up people in the military...

zzgundamnzz

The military doesn't need people that don't want to be there.

Theres already too many psychos as it is. Especially the Marines...

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crockett

We'll I know for a fact, I guy I know was a Load Master for a Air Force search and rescue team. He was in the reserves, the whole 2 days a month 2 weeks a years BS. We'll he spent 2 years active duty in both Iraq and Afghanistan. He said there were countless people that had their own business and even a doctor that had to give it up because they were forced to be active duty for an extended amount of time.

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M_M

if they invade a few more countries without pulling out from Iraq, it sure can happen

HAPPYPEEKERS

That is bulllllshit!!

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Babel

Yes, those people are the last to be called up before they have to draf citizens.

You know there is a problwm when they start taking troops in Korea (supposedly to defend against the north and be a detterent) and send them to IRAQ.

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Wrestlingdiva

I hope not, but you never know what that nutso bush is up to.

stev0

It's already happened... there are ALOT of soldiers in Iraq that have had their military contracts extended indefinately. These people were supposed to be home a year ago, but are stuck in Iraq against their will.

Free country indeed...

FlyingIguana

so whats the procedure for the actual draft of citizens?

HeadPimp

I agree, once you sign up to work for the military, you are their bitch for life for the most part. You have to give up something in return the pay, training, food and housing...

FlyingIguana

its shitty pay tho. i was looking into joining the canadian reserves to help pay for law school/mba, but 5 years being a jag would suck at 40-50 a year to start.

i'm sure the pay blows down south as well being military.

but joining the air force reserves and getting a pilots license during the summer would have been fun.

stocktrader23

They knew this could happen when they joined. If they didn't want to be in combat they shouldn't have joined up for their free trip to college.

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Sosa

won't happen

count blingula

yeah reinstatement of the draft! everybody run out and VOTE FOR BUSH!



FUCK THE WARHOG

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12clicks

yeah! thats so unfair. these people shouldn't have to do any military service. Shit, they all joined the reserves just to get paid for doing nothing.
unfair I say.

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Mr.Fiction

The reason they are considering bringing back the draft is to clean up the mess that Bush made for America in Iraq.

If Bush had never been in office, we wouldn't even be talking about the draft. He's a fuck up.

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Drunken Sam

most anti-war politicians won't support this for obvious reason

most pro-war politicians won't either, since you'll have people who were for the war change their opinions when they or their love ones actually have to risk their lives

anti-draft usually turn into anti-war

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Centurion

In today's newspaper article/editorial by Mary McGregor, she pointed out that while most of Capitol Hill will not speak the dreaded "D" word, the fact that the US is bogged down in Iraq and are now re-assessing how longer we'll have to stay there is definitely making the "D" word much more active in discussions among legislators.

We just had to move 4,000 troops from South Korea to MAINTAIN current levels in Iraq.

There are so many scenarios where things could head south for the US that could put us in a very troubling situation:

1)The current Iraqi conflict gains strength and becomes larger.
2)North Korea acts up BIG TIME.
3) ANOTHER hot spot breaks out in Africa, or South America, or Asia, or even again in the Middle East.
4)ANOTHER major terrorist attacks shows we are not doing the job going after the terrorists..thus...the need for more troops overseas.

Seeing that we are stretched so thin now..where will the manpower come from any of the above scenarios? We just about used up our "useable" reserves here in the states.

I would say there is an 80% chance of re-instatment of the draft if Bush is re-elected (and decides to stay in Iraq). He ain't running for office again, so he won't give a fuck.

If Kerry is elected, I think it will be a 50-50 chance of the draft returning IF he decides to keep us in Iraq at current levels for more than a year or so.

Rich

Where do you get that from? The recruiters are working harder than ever to get new recruits. Bet you didn't know that the only part of the no child left behind act that Bush fully funded was the part that makes it a requirement for high schools to turn over the names, addresses, and phone numbers of all students to an army recruiter.

Yo Adrian

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12clicks

hahahaha, what a joke. So if kerry is elected all the bad scenarios that you outline might happen magically disappear.

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CamChicks

A draft for this unpopular war could not succeed. Versus 30-40 years ago, the public has uncensored access to a lot more information than they used to. It wouldn't take so long for a domestic political uprising to sabotage the warmachine.

Most americans don't feel at risk because they have not been personally affected by the War On Tv. They're still at ease on a comfy couch in climate controlled homes watching American Idol with a bowl of icecream. The war only exists if they change channels. A draft would make them pay attention, which this admin definately doesn't want.

Speaking for myself, if somebody tried to put a gun in my hands and force me to travel overseas and kill strangers in their own country, that guy would get the bullet instead.

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12clicks

sure, tough guy.

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jas1552

http://www.cbc.ca/passionateeye/buildmeup/join.html
or
http://usmilitary.about.com/cs/wars/a/draft.htm

quotes from the first link:
"All combined the U.S. military numbers about 1.5 million soldiers. There are additional 1.3 million in the Guard and Reserves. In addition to this there are millions more in the inactive reserves and military retirees who, by law, can be recalled to active duty at any time."

"Since 9/11 the army has been able to meet it's recruiting goals. These days recruiters are turning away more applicants than they can accept. New recruits are surprised to learn that they have to wait six months to a year before they can go on 'active duty'. Thats because when the military has met it's current year end goals, they begin recruiting for the next year."

quote from 2nd link:
"Our military isn't too small because of a lack of volunteers -- it's too small because our elected officials do not wish to spend the money on a larger military force. However, with the current enlistment and re-enlistment rates, Congress could triple the size of our military, and a draft would still not be necessary. Remember, we're turning them away in droves -- things that wouldn't cause an "eye-blink" in the past, today require waivers to qualify, and -- as long as recruiting is going well, waiver approval is getting harder and harder to get. Just by approving more waivers, DOD could still fill the ranks with sufficient volunteers, even if Congress tripled the size of the military."
End of quotes.

Some democrats have pushed the idea of a draft for purely political reasons. They seem to think a draft or even just talk of a draft would turn americans against the war. That's right. Some democrats want america to fail so they can win an election. Sad.