More Reserve Troops Could Go Active

Report: Pentagon Weighs Mobilizing Another 10,000

(CBS)  The Pentagon could soon activate as many as 10,000 National Guard troops as part of a build-up to possible war with Iraq, a newspaper reported Thursday.

The troops would join more than 50,000 National Guard and Reserve troops already on duty as a result of heightened homeland security and other assignments, and would be the vanguard of a massive mobilization in the event of war breaking out, the New York Times reported.

In the 1991 Gulf War, some 265,000 reservists went on active duty; a similar number would be called for any new military offensive.

The decision to call-up reservists would depend on the progress of United Nations weapons inspections now under way in Iraq, the Times reported. Some military planners are loath to call up the reservists before the holidays if they are not immediately needed, and the order activating the next 10,000 could be delayed until the New Year.

"If you call them up before Christmas and don't give them something meaningful to do, that's dumb," one senior military official told the Times.

Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, and Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Richard B. Myers review possible mobilizations about twice a week, the paper quoted officials as saying.

According to the newspaper, the next round of mobilizations would affect reservists with military police experience to assist with security at installations in the United States and overseas. During any war, reservists would also handle security at non-military sites that represent possible terrorist targets, like power plants.

Because of the expertise sought by the Pentagon, any potential call-up would put strain not only on reservists and their families, but also America's cities and states because many reservists have regular jobs providing essential government services.

"Many of the activated troops hold full-time positions as law enforcement officers, border patrol agents, prison guards and medical personnel," said a recent report by the National Council of State Legislatures. "Among its 414 sworn officers, for example, the Montgomery, Ala., police department has 74 military personnel."

"Of the total 528 Colorado State Patrol staff, 52 are members of the military reserves. In Texas, 763 prison system employees serve in the National Guard or reserves," the report continued.

According to Pentagon figures released Wednesday, the bulk of reservists now on duty are from the Army National Guard and Army Reserve — about 25,000 strong. They join roughly 16,000 Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve personnel, a Navy Reserve contingent of just over 5,000, Marine Corps reservists numbering 3,800 and 707 Coast Guard Reserve members.

Some of those on active duty are part of entire units that have been mobilized, while others have been called up individually. The total number of reservists on active duty has fallen slightly in the past month.

There are about 1.2 million reservists, comprising just under half of the United States' total military force. The president can call up to 200,000 reservists to active duty without declaring a national emergency or asking for Congressional permission.

If the president were to activate more than that, he would have to declare an emergency. If he authorized a full mobilization — more than a million reservists called up — Congressional authority would be required.