Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!wuarchive!cs.utexas.edu!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!att!cbnews!military From: gatech!prism!gt0818a@gatech.edu (Paul E. Robichaux) Newsgroups: sci.military Subject: Re: Reserve Call-Up Message-ID: <1990Aug28.030842.21916@cbnews.att.com> Date: 28 Aug 90 03:08:42 GMT References: <1990Aug22.025527.16670@cbnews.att.com> Sender: military@cbnews.att.com (William B. Thacker) Organization: Georgia Tech College of Computing Lines: 60 Approved: military@att.att.com From: gatech!prism!gt0818a@gatech.edu (Paul E. Robichaux) In article <1990Aug22.025527.16670@cbnews.att.com> wmartin@STL-06SIMA.ARMY.MIL (Will Martin) writes: > > >From: Will Martin >Just what are the mechanics and procedures for a call-up of Reserves in >the US? Is Presidential authority required for any such actions, or can >the services do it on their own as they see fit, or is there some >lead-time notification of Congressional oversight committees required, >or what? Does this vary with the extent of the call-up, and can such a >call-up be as limited or as general as the services wish, or do they >have to comply with restrictions? That is, can a single individual, or >a small group, be called up, or does an entire unit have to be called up >at once? If the latter, how small or big is a "unit"? > To call up an entire unit, Presidential authorization is required. The President can activate up to 200k reserve troops for up to 180 days without Congressional permission. Calling up individuals and small groups is generally at the services' discretion; for example, MAG-49 here in Atlanta activated its reserve operations officer "just in case." >I would think that there would be many similar units in the Reserves >scattered throughout the states. How is it decided which particular >unit(s) are called up? Are they all ranked by readiness and equipment >availability, so the ones at the top of the list are called first, or >is it just a political issue? ("Ohio voted Democrat in the last >Presidential election, so call up all the Ohio units first." or >something like that? :-) I only have first-hand knowledge of Marine Reserve procedures. In our case, we undergo periodic mobilization tests. Presumably, the "best" units will be called. Then again, the USMCR has many fewer reserve units than the Army or Air Force, and our reserves aren't affiliated with particular commands. US Army Reserves and Army National Guard units "belong" with specific active-duty units; in fact, the active-duty units *REQUIRE* their reserve components to be at full strength. This accounts for the proportionate shares of reserves to be called, with the Army in the lead. Also, my understanding is that many of the Army's depot- and higher-echelon maintenance/transport/support units are reserves; this would also explain why they're being called. > >Regards, Will >wmartin@st-louis-emh2.army.mil OR wmartin@stl-06sima.army.mil >*** "Fire and Forget" means never having to say you're sorry... *** -- Paul E. Robichaux | "Talk about the cutting edge of high BEST: gt0818a@prism.gatech.edu | technology all you like, but remember, OK: ...!gatech!prism!gt0818a | someone's got to hold the knife." Of course I don't speak for Tech. | -Tom Maddox