Operation Just Cause... ...for as long as it takes
By Charles L. Cragin, Acting Assistant Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs
WASHINGTON -- President Clinton recently authorized
Secretary of Defense William Cohen to order some 33,000
members of the National Guard and Reserve to active duty in
support of NATO operations in and around the former
Yugoslavia.
Nearly 6,000 have already been called to duty.
The 1.4 million men and women who serve in our Reserve
components-the Army and Air National Guard, Army Reserve,
Naval Reserve, Air Force Reserve, Marine Corps Reserve, and
Coast Guard Reserve-represent one-half of our nation's
total military might, and they are an integral and vital
part of today's Total Force. But that was not always the
case, as evidenced by the terminology used to describe
reservists during the Cold War, when those who served in
reserve were often referred to as "weekend warriors."
During the Cold War, when the term was arguably more
suitable, our forces were easily identified as being either
active or reserve. Around the world and around the clock,
the active forces were the ones we relied on to get the job
done. Meanwhile, our reserve forces were simply that: they
waited in reserve, ready for re-call to active duty if or
when our adversaries struck in Europe or Asia.
But times have changed dramatically since the Cold War
ended, and today reservists are standing tall around the
globe, courageously defending our interests in an uncertain
world. In Bosnia, over 20,000 men and women of the National
Guard and Reserve have helped bring peace to a divided and
devastated land.
In Central America, thousands are helping our southern
neighbors recover from the awful aftermath of two
destructive hurricanes, drilling wells and building roads,
bridges, schools and clinics.
In Southwest Asia, they are helping enforce the no-fly
zones over Iraq.
In the post-Cold War era, we have come to rely heavily on
our National Guard and Reserve, not just as reserve forces
in waiting but as critical contributors to the work of the
Total Force. As a result, we don't really have a reserve
anymore.
Although we can use the same word, there should now be a
different emphasis on the syllables-a different emphasis to
reflect a different type of force, a force that is composed
of people who "re-serve" on a continual basis. The men and
women of the National Guard and Reserve have re-served in
the Persian Gulf, in Somalia, in Haiti and in Bosnia. And
now, in the skies over Kosovo, they are out front, re-
serving side by side with the active force.
Last year, those who "re-served" contributed over 13
million duty days to active component missions and
exercises, which is the equivalent of adding nearly 35,000
personnel to the active force, or two Army divisions.
This is the fifth presidential call-up of reserves since
the Cold War ended. President Clinton authorized a reserve
call-up in 1994 for humanitarian operations in Haiti; in
1995 for peacekeeping operations in Bosnia; and in 1998 for
the enforcement of no-fly zones over Iraq. President George
Bush invoked a similar authority in August 1990 for
operations during the Gulf War.
These are compelling facts and figures any way you view
them, but what they ultimately show is that we cannot
undertake sustained operations anywhere in the world
without the National Guard and Reserve.
Every day around the globe thousands of active duty men and
women in uniform risk their lives and make tremendous
sacrifices in the national interest.
Increasingly, reservists are there alongside, serving
extended tours away from their homes, families and jobs.
These absences place great strains on the relationships
between employers and their employees who serve our nation
in uniform. The Department of Defense continues to seek new
ways to reach out to employers, and is working hard to
minimize the disruptions and hardships associated with
reserve service.
At a time when we are calling reservists to active duty, we
should all be grateful for the patriotism and support shown
by their civilian employers-and we should remember that the
increased reliance on the Guard and Reserve in the post-
Cold War era has helped dictate the demise of the weekend
warrior.
Sent in by Veterans News and Information Services
Special to the American Forces Press Service
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