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Tuesday, June 29
 

US Soldier
With involuntary callups on
the rise, many fear military
drafts are on the horizon.

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You're in the Army Now (and Forever)
The U.S. Army is planning to call up close to 6,000 reservists, who will
likely be shipped off to Iraq or Afghanistan later this year. Many of the
troops will be drawn from the Individual Ready Reserve, which was last
tapped en masse more than a decade ago during the first Gulf War.

The IRR is comprised of former full-time soldiers who still have time
remaining on their military commitments. When Army hopefuls sign their
enlistment contracts, they are agreeing to an eight-year stint in the
service. After four years or so, soldiers who do not wish to become lifers
are given discharges and return to the civilian world. But they're still on
the hook as IRR reservists and are supposed to keep the Army apprised
of their whereabouts.

Unlike members of the National Guard and Reserve, individual reservists
do not perform regularly scheduled training and receive no pay unless
they are called up.

Why conscription won't improve the military
There's a draft bill floating around Congress, but it's difficult for the
government to figure out how many soldiers we really need.



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