Blurring Lines

Since Vietnam, we've integrated the reserve components with the active components to a larger degree. At first, it was just a reliance on Army reserve forces to support active component combat forces. In the Persian Gulf War, this system got a work out and proved itself. But no combat units from the National Guard (and there is one Army Reserve infantry battalion, oddly enough) were committed to combat. The first Guard combat brigade was certified as ready for deployment as the war was ending, too late to be sent into battle.

In the Iraq War, from the beginning Army National Guard combat units were used. The Army began to speak of the reserves as being an "operational" reserve rather than a "strategic" reserve. That is, rather than the active forces carrying out usual peace and small war missions with the reserves only called up for a big war, the Army relied on the reserves routinely. Today, many tens of thousands of Army reservists from the National Guard and Reserves are on duty all the time. Our total of all reserves in all services is over 90,000 right now.

So the line between active and reserve has blurred.

Now the distinction between Reserve forces and National Guard is being blurred:

Legislation being considered by both houses of Congress could provide the Army Reserve broader authority to call up troops for homeland security and also allow the force to deploy units for operations lasting 120 days or less.

Chief of the Army Reserve Lt. Gen. Jack C. Stultz said last week that the legislation would grant authority to call up as many as 60,000 Reservists per year from all services, for unnamed contingencies, both inside and outside the country. He spoke to reporters about the proposed expansion of Title 10 authority following a seminar Oct. 11 at the Association of the 2011 U.S. Army Annual Meeting and Exposition.

"For homeland use, current law says you can only use your Title 10 Reserve in the homeland in instances of weapons of mass destruction," Stultz said, adding that the Army Reserve isn't trying to insert itself or replace the National Guard.

The Guard and governors don't seem worried that this move steps on their toes. That's good. More flexibility is good to have. Reserves have basically had federal responsibilities while the Guard has dual responsibilities to support the federal government's forces when mobilized and to respond to their home state governor's need for military forces in emergencies. Now the federal government will have more ability to call up Reserve forces for domestic duties.

I hope that efforts to more efficiently use what we have don't extend into gutting the capabilities we've built. Failing to pay in money now just means we pay in blood later.