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Army Involuntary Mobilization

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squeeze

Retired Harrier Dude
pilot
Super Moderator
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Oh, now we're comparing the UN to Nazi Germany?

Smoke crack much?
 

skidkid

CAS Czar
pilot
Super Moderator
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And I thought the National Guard was poorly trained for the missions they have been given, this is not at all a good thing.
 

triplejayz

snake driver
Not going to say this is a good idea, but it is better than inacting a draft to enlist however many people that have no training and no experience. This is calling back soldiers that signed on the line and knew that they could possibly be called back during the inactive portion of their contract, not taking people that never wanted to serve to begin with. It all goes back to the military chop block that happened through out the 90's.
 
triplejayz said:
Not going to say this is a good idea, but it is better than inacting a draft to enlist however many people that have no training and no experience. This is calling back soldiers that signed on the line and knew that they could possibly be called back during the inactive portion of their contract, not taking people that never wanted to serve to begin with. It all goes back to the military chop block that happened through out the 90's.

Not disagreeing, but I'd say most people who enlist don't hear about the inactive part of the contract. At least it's not something that's made crystal clear from the start.
 

webmaster

The Grass is Greener!
pilot
Site Admin
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Rare21, sorry to hear that. I hope this doesn't turn your life completely upside down.

Ok, switching gears, I personally have a hard time listening to the comments from reserve soldiers/sailors/airmen that showed up on CNN/FOX et al awhile back where they were complaining that they had joined the military for the college benefits, not to serve. The sad thing is, that many of todays servicemembers aren't joining the services based on the same reasons as some of my contemporaries and those that have been serving longer than I have. How many of you have done DIVO counselling, and trying to find out what your sailors are all about? Where they want to go, and do in their life? Used to be I got answers like "I joined because I wanted to serve my country", invariable now-adays I hardly hear that anymore, instead I get "I wanted the college money through the GI BILL and Navy College Fund".

More of a tie in to what type of society we have become, more interested in whats good for me, vice service to society as a whole.

Back to the call up, it sucks, but you signed on the dotted line. This "I didn't know" is bull****, it is there in black ink (or whatever). I was 18 the first time I signed my life away, and had the sense to grill the recruiter what everything meant. Then when you get out, you get enough information from transition assistance (or whatever each service's program is) telling you that you owe XX number of years either to the active or inactive reserve. NEWSFLASH: When I get out at 20, and RETIRE, I will still be eligible for recall for another 10 years, and then I will fall of the Fleet Reserve List.

Bottom line, the military trained you and paid you. Now they need your services again, and that is part of your commitment.
 

JKD

Member
webmaster said:
Back to the call up, it sucks, but you signed on the dotted line. This "I didn't know" is bull****, it is there in black ink (or whatever). I was 18 the first time I signed my life away, and had the sense to grill the recruiter what everything meant. Then when you get out, you get enough information from transition assistance (or whatever each service's program is) telling you that you owe XX number of years either to the active or inactive reserve. NEWSFLASH: When I get out at 20, and RETIRE, I will still be eligible for recall for another 10 years, and then I will fall of the Fleet Reserve List.

Bottom line, the military trained you and paid you. Now they need your services again, and that is part of your commitment.

Agreed...

I'm on the recall list for CENTCOM. It may not happen until next FY or after the elections (or could happen tomorrow - just depends on current situations), but I knew it was a possibility.
I'm one of the "best case" scenarios, because I will do most of my time at CENTCOM (Tampa, FL) with only 90 - 120 days forward.

Anyway, it's part of the job. (whether it be part time or full time - its still something we agreed to)
 

46Driver

"It's a mother beautiful bridge, and it's gon
There is a difference between reservists who are part of a unit - and those who have done their time on active duty, completed their service, and are in the IRR. As an officer, you have to specifically resign your commission, else you are automatically in the IRR. As for bringing back retirees......

What many of the reservists are upset about is their constant use because the active duty force has been shrunk so much. I am curious to see what kind of long term effect this has on recruiting for the reserves.
 

VetteMuscle427

is out to lunch.
None
I don't see anything wrong with the people who are being called up <from the IRR> complaining. Think about it... when you get a rough deal, one a whole lot less rough then getting called up from the IRR, you complain. Everyone does. The point at which I will take issue, is when they are called up and dont show.
 

JKD

Member
46Driver said:
There is a difference between reservists who are part of a unit - and those who have done their time on active duty, completed their service, and are in the IRR... ...What many of the reservists are upset about is their constant use because the active duty force has been shrunk so much. I am curious to see what kind of long term effect this has on recruiting for the reserves.

I agree on all points but the "completed their service" part. When you sign, the IRR time is part of the contract, and part of the agreement.
I knew it was possible the day I signed for active duty that I could be recalled any time during my IRR time (2 years active/6 years IRR/break in service/2 years SELRES). I would have taken it a little harder if I was recalled during my IRR time. You are not nearly as prepared as you are when you drill every month.
 

webmaster

The Grass is Greener!
pilot
Site Admin
Contributor
Vette, I concede that it is a raw deal, and if I had just gotten out, gotten settled, etc, then I would probably ***** to friends and family, then pack up and get ready to go. The people that take it one step farther, write their congressman, show up on the local news, etc.... and they arrive at the unit kicking and screaming.... I mean, grow up and face your responsibilities.

46Driver, I would like to see where it says that I can retire, keep my pension, and resign my commission to stay out of the Fleet Reserve before 30 years are up.
 

46Driver

"It's a mother beautiful bridge, and it's gon
I'm doing some checking on that retirement thing. The brief we received was that when you reach 20 years in the reserves, you can either retire and go to the IRR or retire and then basically resign. The difference was that your pension was calculated differently between the two. I'm overseas but I'll see what I can find.

This is how bad it is:
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tm...&u=/ap/20040709/ap_on_re_us/reservist_lawsuit

It is also in the news that the Army is giving $10k bonuses to Air Force and Navy enlisted for interservice transfers so they can go to OIF.


New York Times
July 9, 2004
Pg. 1
Army Looks For Airmen And Sailors
By Eric Schmitt
WASHINGTON, July 8 - The Army is looking for a few good sailors and airmen. Actually, more than just a few.
In what some military experts see as another sign of how the Army's commitments in Iraq and Afghanistan have strained it, the service for the first time will soon begin aggressively recruiting thousands of sailors and airmen who are otherwise scheduled to leave the Navy and Air Force because of cutbacks.

Under a new program called Operation Blue to Green, the Army plans to offer bonuses of up to $10,000, in some cases, and four weeks of extra training to airmen and sailors willing to trade in their dress-blue uniforms for Army green fatigues. The Army is especially interested in men and women who have jobs that are readily transferable to Army positions, like mechanics and logisticians.

Many details must still be worked out and final Pentagon approval is still pending, but Army officials say the new program is a marriage of convenience. The Army is temporarily increasing its ranks by 30,000 soldiers by 2006, and will need to recruit at least 77,000 soldiers this year and 80,000 next year to meet that goal.

Meantime, the Navy and Air Force are shrinking. The Air Force intends to cut its forces by 22,500 next year, the Navy by 7,900.

"This is an opportunity for all the services to work together," said an Army officer who is working on the new program. "It's a way to make sure those men and women who want to serve can continue to serve."

If all goes according to plan, the program will begin around Oct. 1, Army officials said Thursday. While the program has not been formally announced, the Army two weeks ago posted details about the program on its Web Site, www.goarmy.com. So far, officials said, more than 100 people have already expressed interest in switching services.

"Operation Blue to Green will allow you to continue to serve your country, to maintain the benefits of military service, and to expand your horizons by gaining new training and trying new things," said a description of the program on the Web site.

Army officials said transferring enlisted personnel from one service to another would require a change in Pentagon policy, but could also save as much as $10,000 per service member in training and recruiting costs.

On Capitol Hill, senior House and Senate leaders, including Senator John W. Warner, the Virginia Republican who heads the Senate Armed Services Committee, endorse the plan. Representative John M. McHugh, a New York Republican who heads the House Armed Services total force subcommittee, said the concept kept valuable service members in the armed forces, although in a different branch.

"Is it wise to just let those folks go with those kind of skills just because they are caught up in downsizing?" Mr. McHugh said in a telephone interview. "This is common sense."

But some military personnel experts said the move was yet another last resort by the Army to fill its ranks. In recent weeks, the Army has said it will call up 5,600 members of the Individual Ready Reserve, former soldiers who have left the Army and not joined the Reserves. The Pentagon has extended the tours of thousands of soldiers bound for Iraq or Afghanistan who had been scheduled to retire or leave the service. And, for the first time, the military deploying combat troops to Iraq from South Korea.

"It's further evidence of the strain the Army is undergoing," said Richard I. Stark Jr., a retired Army colonel who is a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. "There is a short-term manpower crunch in the Department of Defense, especially in the Army."

Army officials insist that recruiting and retention for active-duty, Reserve and National Guard forces remain strong and, in some cases, have exceeded goals for the year to date.

But at a House Armed Services Committee hearing on Wednesday, Democrats and Republicans assailed the Pentagon's top personnel official, David S. C. Chu, and a panel of senior generals for wearing out active-duty and reservist soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan.

"How do we keep it up, Dr. Chu?" asked Representative Ike Skelton of Missouri, the senior Democrat on the committee. "How do we keep going and meet the rigid requirements?"

The "blue to green" program, was first reported in the current issue of U.S. News & World Report, was conceived by mid-level Army personnel officials in February. But the idea was so novel, it took several weeks for it to catch on with senior Pentagon officials, Army officers said on Thursday. "We're in uncharted waters here," said one officer.

Under the plan, airmen and sailors, typically with fewer than eight years' experience who are leaving the military with honorable discharges, would be eligible for the program. Most applicants would be enlisted personnel, but junior officers could also apply. Applicants who switched services would remain at the same rank. Air Force and Navy personnel would be required to take a modified, four-week Army basic-training course, officials said.

Additional training would depend on how similar the new Army job was to the Navy or Air Force job, officials said. Service members transferring to the Army would be required to serve a minimum of three years, according to an internal Air Force personnel notice that advertised the new program.

Small numbers of officers now switch services - doctors are common, for instance - but Army officials said they were still working out recruiting projections for the new program.

Navy officials said about 3,200 sailors and officers who are leaving or have left the service for various reasons in the past year might be eligible for the program. "The Navy believes this offers a unique opportunity for a departing sailor or officer to continue to serve for his country," said Cmdr. John Kirby, a Navy
 

Fly Navy

...Great Job!
pilot
Super Moderator
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And they're still downsizing the military...

One hand doesn't know what the other is doing, that is for sure!
 
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