WASHINGTON — If the United States goes to war with Iraq, a large part of the military burden will be shouldered by civilians.
By the tens of thousands, they will leave their jobs and families to serve with the U.S. military for as long as they’re needed, which in some cases might mean a year, or possibly two, away from home.
Though some call them “the new draft,” they are not conscripts but civilian volunteers — members of the Army, Air Force, Navy, Marine and Coast Guard Reserves, and the National Guard and Air National Guard. Today, America cannot wage a major war without them.
The Pentagon on Tuesday refocused attention on the near-certainty of a large call-up. Thomas Hall, assistant secretary of defense for reserve affairs, said some Guard and Reserve members might get advance notice of mobilization. “We’re looking at a full range of options.”
Though they normally lead civilian lives, the declining strength of the active duty military, the increased demands for an American military presence around the world and the war on terrorism have dramatically increased Reservists’ roles in defending the nation.
Some 83,000 Guard and Reserve personnel were on active duty at the height of the Afghanistan war, and about 51,000 still are. An estimated 100,000 Guard and Reserve troops may be needed in a war with Iraq.
The Guard and Reserve represent 47 percent of the total force the Pentagon counts as the U.S. military. Army National Guard and Army Reserve troops outnumber those of the active-duty Army, 550,000 to 480,000. Yet reserve forces consume only about 8 percent of the military budget, providing the Pentagon with a huge, relatively inexpensive force.
A generation ago, they were often derided as “weekend warriors” who fulfilled their military obligation mostly by attending monthly meetings. Now, personnel in the Guard and Reserve are an integral part of the U.S. military.
The increased use of reserves has raised questions about whether it is sound policy to rely so heavily on civilians, who may be ill-prepared and unwilling to interrupt their lives for such long periods.
Jay Farrar, vice president of Washington’s Center for Strategic and International Studies, said the country should do a better job of explaining the burden.
“It’s not a matter of reservists being undertrained or incapable,” he said. “It’s that we’re inadequately telling them and our country that they’re now callable … for extensive periods of time.”