Reminds one of "Hell no, we won't go!"
Sweeten the pot
With the prospect that citizen soldiers will be doing more of the duty in Iraq next year, there's disturbing news that the Army Reserve and National Guard can't fill their ranks.
More so than in the past, citizen soldiers play a critical role in today's U.S. defense policy, augmenting the all-volunteer armed forces of 1.4 million troops during crises.
About 20 percent of the troops in Iraq are reservists or Guard members. Next year, these troops will total 40 percent of the force.
The regular military has had no recruiting problems, but some reserve and National Guard organizations have missed re-enlistment and recruiting targets. Long stints overseas may be a factor. For many part-time soldiers, call-up can mean huge reductions in income and strains on families left behind.
A recent Denver Post report found the Army Reserve missed its national retention goal by 6.7 percent in the fiscal year that ended in September.
Overseas operations, such as those in Iraq or Afghanistan, suggest the U.S. fighting machine may be a tad too lean, with troops going quickly from one deployment to the next.
After the Cold War ended, the Armed Forces were sharply downsized. Nobody foresaw the need that has emerged since Sept. 11. Some observers say that, unless active-duty forces are expanded so more troops are available for rotation, the reserve components may see a mass exodus of members as enlistments end.
When the nation still had a draft, reserve units had no trouble filling their ranks, but most of today's reservists are driven by a sense of duty to the country. They should receive something in return for their sacrifices.
Congress should explore sweetening the pot for reserve members, such as providing tax credits for those employers who make up the difference between a worker's civilian pay and military salary when there's a call-up. (To their credit, many employers have done this of their own volition already.) The price of serving one's country shouldn't require being plunged into poverty.
Right now, a "stop-loss" order is keeping regulars on active duty for the time being, depriving the reserves of a principle source of new members. But what about troops whose enlistments expired in the last couple years? An additional stripe and other benefits might induce them to join the Guard or reserve.
Also, Congress should look at the entire military pay and benefits package -- especially as it applies to specialized occupations that are in high demand in the civilian sector.
We wouldn't advocate returning to the huge armed forces of the past, but an emaciated military isn't going to do the job.
ldnews.com
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