http://msnbc.msn.com/id/14468245/
Marines to issue involuntary call-ups
Corps faces shortage of volunteers for deployments to Iraq, Afghanistan
Associated Press
Updated: 10:52 p.m. ET Aug. 22, 2006
WASHINGTON - The U.S. Marine Corps said Tuesday it has been authorized
to recall thousands of Marines to active duty, primarily because of a
shortage of volunteers for duty in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Up to 2,500 Marines will be brought back at any one time, but there is
no cap on the total number of Marines who may be forced back into
service in the coming years as the military battles the war on terror.
The call-ups will begin in the next several months.
This is the first time the Marines have had to use the involuntary
recall since the early days of the Iraq combat. The Army has ordered
back about 14,000 soldiers since the start of the war.
Marine Col. Guy A. Stratton, head of the manpower mobilization section,
estimated that there is a current shortfall of about 1,200 Marines
needed to fill positions in upcoming unit deployments.
The call-up affects Marines in the Individual Ready Reserve, a segment
of the reserves that consists mainly of those who left active duty but
still have time remaining on their eight-year military obligation.
Generally, Marines enlist for four years, then serve the other four
years either in the regular Reserves, where they are paid and train
periodically, or they may elect to go into the IRR. Marines in the IRR
are only obligated to report one day a year but can be involuntarily
recalled to active duty.
According to Stratton, there are about 59,000 Marines in the IRR, but
the Corps has decided to exempt from the call-up those who are either in
their first year or last year of the reserve status. As a result, the
pool of available Marines is about 35,000.
Up to two years on duty
The deployments can last up to two years, but on average would be 12 to
18 months, Stratton said. And each Marine who is being recalled will get
five months to prepare before having to report for duty.
President Bush authorized the recall on July 26. It is the first such
recall since early 2003, when about 2,000 Marines were involuntarily
activated for the initial ground war in Iraq.
“Since this is going to be a long war,” said Stratton, “we thought it
was judicious and prudent at this time to be able to use a relatively
small portion of those Marines to help us augment our units.”
He said the Marines may continue to tap into the IRR for as long as the
war on terror continues. Some of the military needs, he said, include
engineers, intelligence, military police, and communications.
© 2006 The Associated Press
Stupid fucks. That's right, run the military into the 666th
'subcellar.'
--
Fundies and trolls are cordially invited to
shove a wooden cross up their arses and rotate
at a high rate of speed. I trust you'll
be 'blessed' with a plethora of splinters.
.
|
