Bringing IRR into the "Total Force"

[wink]

I am aware of the Army making this work for them, albeit on a smaller scale. And it was before social media and more robust IT. In the mid 80's when I was an officer programs recruiter I had an applicant for NUPOC that was a former Army Special Forces medic. After a time when he hadn't returned my phone calls he resurfaced and told me he had been on active duty. The dude was in a rock band and he stood before me with hair as long as the last time I saw him. And I knew he was IRR. He said he was part of a special good deal. No drills, no uniforms, no hair cut. Every few months they flew him to Ft Benning to jump for qual and shoot some weapons. All this just in case they needed him for something special.

Fast forward to the late 90s. LT Wink is CDR Wink and an LNO for CINCUSNAVEUR to EUCOM for a big exercise. I meet a great guy, active duty Army Special Forces LTC, Medical Service Corps. I tell him about my applicant and his story. He confirmed that the Army did run such a program. He had a break in service and as a SELRES back home he was tasked with administering a program he called the Rambo Program. When a Green Beret separated from active duty they were asked to participate in this program. They got to jump out of planes, shoot guns, get some refresher training and have no other obligation to the Army. In return, the Army kept an extensive digest of their quals, If the Army needed a black guy that could speak French, had a pilots license and had experience in civil engineering, they would look for the guy in this program. It was this LTC's job, when a SELRES, to identify the guy or guys and go knock on their doors at home, have a private conversation and offer them a temporary "job". He said his offers were only rarely turned down.

 

[Flash]

I am aware of the Army making this work for them, albeit on a smaller scale....Rambo Program. When a Green Beret separated from active duty they were asked to participate in this program...

That wasn't the Army, that was the Green Berets. The Army definitely utilized their IRR's at the height of the war in Iraq, they tagged quite a few officers that didn't even realize they were still IRR. Everyone signs up for 8 years but if you got off active duty before then you are in the IRR until then, for enlisted their contract expires at 8 years and they don't have to do anything but officers have to resign and many didn't realize that and stayed on the books well beyond 8 years.

 

[wink]

That wasn't the Army, that was the Green Berets. The Army definitely utilized their IRR's at the height of the war in Iraq, they tagged quite a few officers that didn't even realize they were still IRR. Everyone signs up for 8 years but if you got off active duty before then you are in the IRR until then, for enlisted their contract expires at 8 years and they don't have to do anything but officers have to resign and many didn't realize that and stayed on the books well beyond 8 years.

It certainly appeared to be a Special Force only program, but they don't operate outside the Army when it comes to active duty orders, mob regulations/laws etc. It had Army approval all the way, let alone knowledge there of. My point was, if the Green Berets could do it with note cards, telephones, and basic computing power in 1984, then big Army and Navy could do it today. Start with smaller designators and NECs and expand from there. No reason a guy in the IRR for a couple years can't take voluntary orders for a few weeks or months to be a LNO, instructor, tour guide/minder, interpreter, gate guard or security. None of those jobs require anything in the way of currency or extensive additional training. New civ experiences, education and training changes to medical or physical condition, can be updated with a reply to an email or letter. Go to this web site or click on this link, and fill in a few blocks. The overall value of a total force IRR can be debated. But to say it is too hard is a cop out. That includes changes to laws and regs.

Oh, and the recall thing for officers not resigning their commissions, extends to retirees as well. My father in law, retired Army O-6, actually had a "mobilization" billet pre assigned as a retiree. Some desk in the pentagon, which took advantage of his two tours there and his PhD in Management and second career and a professor of Public Administration.

 

[shift_DAWG]

Maybe I'm just a jaded cynic, but as soon as I read this, I recalled some articles from earlier this year about how some tech giant companies were holding back severance pay for laid-off employees, unless those employees signed an agreement to be "on call" for two years. Sounded a lot like private sector IRR.

But at the same time, we know how the DoD (and the Navy especially) love to play the "we're a corporation" game, so I could see this Total Force thing actually getting some traction ... especially if they get buy-in from those guys in the O-6 to O-8 range who think that they're CEOs because they went to school and got an MBA as their post-Dept Head shore "duty." Hell, I bet there are already some draft PPTs and white papers started by some ambitious fool on the Millington NMCI servers right now.

The hardest part about implementation -- as both the linked article and primary source (RFPB study) conclude is that significant changes to Title 10 U.S.C. will be required even to get a small part of this vision off the ground. That takes significant time. I bet I'll get my blue ID card before I'm eligible for an IRR CAC.

 

[Hair Warrior]

Reading all the comments, it seems that the critical success factor is not a robust IRR or any industry-like contract to keep people "on call."

The critical success factor is a database of personnel attributes/ skills/ qualifications/ knowledge. If the mission need is great enough (i.e. lots of $$ or a big war), then knowing whom to call when the need arises is 99% of the solution. The other 1% is the paperwork as a formality after you speak with them and convince them to help.

 

[Uncle Fester]

Reading all the comments, it seems that the critical success factor is not a robust IRR or any industry-like contract to keep people "on call."

The critical success factor is a database of personnel attributes/ skills/ qualifications/ knowledge. If the mission need is great enough (i.e. lots of $$ or a big war), then knowing whom to call when the need arises is 99% of the solution. The other 1% is the paperwork as a formality after you speak with them and convince them to help.

The 'paperwork' is the nightmare. It's not just "sign here and here and welcome back aboard, shipmate". Reactivating reservists isn't easy when they're drilling and you know they still fit into their uniforms and haven't developed a heart condition, let alone IRR guys who haven't seen the Navy in years.

 

[wink]

The 'paperwork' is the nightmare. It's not just "sign here and here and welcome back aboard, shipmate". Reactivating reservists isn't easy when they're drilling and you know they still fit into their uniforms and haven't developed a heart condition, let alone IRR guys who haven't seen the Navy in years.

But why is it so difficult? Really, do you believe it is necessary? Take a physical. Fill out the security update (could be maintained in a "total force IRR"). Update page 13
( again, could be routine maintenance for new IRR program). Removing the selection board and back ground check from the process, I could put a civilian in the Navy in one day when I was recruiting. All the BS briefings can be done via the web. All Navy paperwork is a nightmare. I don't see why this would have to be long and difficult though.

 

[Beans]

But why is it so difficult? Really, do you believe it is necessary? Take a physical. Fill out the security update (could be maintained in a "total force IRR"). Update page 13
( again, could be routine maintenance for new IRR program). Removing the selection board and back ground check from the process, I could put a civilian in the Navy in one day when I was recruiting. All the BS briefings can be done via the web. All Navy paperwork is a nightmare. I don't see why this would have to be long and difficult though.

Sir, your weapons of logic are useless here.

 

[Gatordev]

But why is it so difficult? Really, do you believe it is necessary? Take a physical. Fill out the security update (could be maintained in a "total force IRR"). Update page 13
( again, could be routine maintenance for new IRR program). Removing the selection board and back ground check from the process, I could put a civilian in the Navy in one day when I was recruiting. All the BS briefings can be done via the web. All Navy paperwork is a nightmare. I don't see why this would have to be long and difficult though.

I have not personally MOB'ed, but here's an anecdotal description of watching someone MOB:

Sailor was regularly on active duty orders, had an up-chit, and was a local driller so there was no travel to worry about and no OCONUS additional training for the MOB (ADSW).

- Checked in on a Tuesday. Indoc for MOB'ing is done on Mondays, so she can't complete that task for a week. And you can't possibly give the training more than once a week!
- Paperwork from her command was missing some items (because it wasn't entirely clear if she needed to fill it in). Fortunately she could run back over to me and I could sign it.
- GMT needed to be completed. Never mind it was the first day of the FY.
- In the standard one-size-fits-all Navy Reserve Way, the timeline was set up for people going OCONUS, so there was NO WAY she could report to her MOB (which was back over to us in the same city) until she had her Monday training.

Yes, there was a lot of buffoonery, but even with the "Monday training" issue, if someone was going from civilian to AFG to be a pool guy, and even assuming they were in standards and healthy, there is a lot of additional training needed to be done. Worthwhile training? Meh, I can't debate that, but required nonetheless. Even actively participating SELRES need to do that training and it takes time. Since it can't really be done by an IRR member until they show up to MOB, it's definitely more than a day's worth of work. Factor in an unhealthy IRR person, and the process would most likely take longer.

 

[Pags]

No bucks...no buck rogers.

I didn't see anything about paying IRR for their trouble which makes me think this proposal, if brought to fruition (unlikely), would be to make people either go SELRES or leave the IRR. Why would you put up with all the same overhead of a SELRES and not get the money?