Individual Ready Reserve: Its Relevance in an Era of Strategic Change

摘要

The Individual Ready Reserve (IRR) is an individual manpower pool comprised principally of trained personnel. IRR soldiers are subject to recall to active duty during a declaration of partial mobilization; under current law IRR soldiers can be involuntarily called to active duty. Due to ongoing constrained financial resources funding for the management of this manpower pool has been limited in favor of improved readiness of the Selected Reserve. This calculated neglect has resulted in mismanagement and further skills degradation of IRR personnel. Although IRR soldiers were used quite extensively in Operation Desert Storm the senior civilian defense leadership were reluctant to authorize the use of the IRR soldiers during Operations Noble Eagle Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom. This SRP analyzes the current and future utility of the IRR.