Rarely used reservists may go to Iraq

[Walt Starr]

From CNN Pentagon Producer Mike Mount
Thursday, June 24, 2004 Posted: 7:17 AM EDT (1117 GMT)


WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A group of Army Reserve soldiers rarely tapped for duty could soon be heading to Iraq, Pentagon officials said Wednesday.

The troops, part of the Individual Ready Reserve (IRR), could be called to fill holes in units deploying to Iraq as part of the upcoming rotation of troops later this year.

As many as 6,500 IRR troops could be called and would be chosen because of critical skills needed in Iraq, such as Military Police, infantry or engineers, Pentagon officials said.

<snip>

http://www.cnn.com/2004/US/06/24/pentagon.troops/index.html

BANG!

Draft is definitely on the way.

[pocket]

1. I know a few IRR guys who got called up in late 2001

One was a navy MP, the other was a jarhead of some sort.

[arcane1]

2. will there be anyone left to protect the actual country????

Our entire defense has been turned into offense, and since they are all leaving, who's protecting US?

:shrug:

[benburch]

3. And who...

... would protect the Bush Administration from an armed revolt?

Doesn't seem prudent to move 90% of the army offshore.

[arcane1]

4. $500-per-day mercenaries will, I suppose

with no legal reason not to shoot at the citizenry :grr:

[Occulus]

5. and no legal reasoning for the citizenry NOT to shoot back n/t

Aren't private armies illegal in the first place?

[arcane1]

6. amen to that!

:thumbsup:

[Bandit]

8. Illegal???? Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha ~ Aren't you paying attention

What does this Cabal do that is legal? ....... I'm serious. What do they do that is legal?

[teryang]

7. They are in so far over their capacity

...that radical manpower levies will be required to avoid a complete collapse of the Iraq mission. It won't be a tactical failure, it will be a logistical failure in basic resources, humans, if something huge, isn't done.

Their only trying to get by November. When an Army general admits that he is stretched for resources, you know it's bad. It is virtually an unwritten rule that you can't say that in the Army. He's trying to let the truth be known without getting fired.

Threre is an unfair competetion for budget dollars going on between the contractors who have an unfair advantage in Congress and the White House, and the ground forces, who have to make do with whatever allocation they can get. Also, tapping further in manpower resources will increase wage pressures. The new low wage slave job market might tighten up. In fact there are signs that it is already is. Local and state governments are starting to pay significantly highly wages for semi-skilled and skilled employees even here in Florida.

[bemildred]

9. I was betting they would not make it to June 30th.

Looks like I might be off, but maybe not by much.

[Mountainman]

10. Their skills lapsed a long time ago.

I was in the IRR for four years. I forgot everything I learned in the Army by then.