Lest we get complacent with all the "good news."

Interesting article linking Y2K, terrorism, Reservists and the National Guard.

Again.

Diane

Reservists are still crucial
John F. Berry
SPECIAL TO THE EXAMINER
April 11, 1999
)1999 San Francisco Examiner

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/examiner/archive/1999/04/11/CAREER22.dtl

Now more than ever, everybody in the workplace - employers, employees and their families and co-workers - could lose a lot more than a good worker or a few days pay when reservists surrender their part-time occupations because they can't make their military and civilian careers mesh.

During the days of the Cold War, sharing an office with co-workers in the reserves meant they got two predictable weeks off each summer to serve their country. Co-workers, none of whom have been subject to the draft since 1972, grumbled about picking up the slack. But strict federal laws and the patriotic leanings of the boss were usually enough to ensure workplace stress wouldn't force reservists to chose between careers.

But a new and lethal threat, caused by the likelihood of terrorists armed with chemical and biological weapons inside the United States, now means the lives of everybody at the office might depend on perishable skills of the reservist in the next cubicle. Bay Area commuters need only look at Tokyo to see what can happen when terrorists let loose with canisters of lung-searing sarin gas on crowded mass transit. On March 20,1995, the Aum Shinri Kyo doomsday cult killed 12 and sickened thousands when they attacked commuters on the Tokyo subway.

Keeping good soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines in the reserves means employers, co-workers and families will have to be even more supportive and understanding of the pressures reservists juggle to keep two careers going simultaneously. Sure, federal laws help, but they won't eliminate sore feelings among co-workers who pick up the slack for a soldier called away for extended periods.

"What we're having to do now is informing employers that reserve service may involve more time," Defense Department spokesman Lt. Col. Terry Jones said.

"The force isn't what it used to be." Since the Cold War ended in 1989, the American military has shrunk from 2.5 million to 1.5 million people. That occurs in an era when peacetime deployments have skyrocketed, taxing the reserves at an increasing rate. "As we move along, we have to make better use of the reserves," Jones said.

"It's possible, and quite likely, they will be going into more defense work. Reservists even help us with the Y2K problem." National Guard units are being trained to deal with possible consequences of the Y2K computer bug. In Washington state, National Guard soldiers will be on duty instead of out partying on New Year's Eve because of anticipated phone outages and chaos.

The Ohio National Guard will hold an exercise in May to deal with potential communications failures. Defending against anthrax attacks and eradicating the Y2K bug are just two advantages of having a reservist at work.

Those benefits don't reflect a drug-free employee who is schooled in leadership, adheres to teamwork and can take orders without a lot of guff. But more missions for the regular forces means more demands on the reserves - a pressure which could cause reservists to leave in greater numbers unless the office proves to be something more than a sympathetic ear.

Co-workers keeping complaints to a minimum, front office kudos thanking the reservist for public service and the boss granting extra time off for training without a hassle would alleviate a lot of anxieties that force reservists to exit the military. Secretary of Defense William Cohen is worrying and wargaming about how the military will respond to domestic biological and chemical attacks.

Cohen has already penciled in the reserves and National Guard as the first line of defense.

And with good reason: All soldiers are equipped for and trained in detecting and defending against such threats. In addition, the reserves are stocked with units specifically designated to deal with the threats of nuclear, biological and chemical attacks. The military is spending an additional $49.2 million this year to equip 10 new Rapid Assessment Initial Detection teams of 22 soldiers each, drawn from the reserves and National Guard.

These teams will be spread throughout the United States and assist local authorities in case of biological and chemical attacks. And a massive sarin gas attack in the Bay Area could overwhelm local authorities in a cloud of lethal gas. So if a reservist needs extra time off to train, everybody from the board room to the front desk to the next cubicle should smile and be thrilled somebody is going off to defend their homes and families - not at a far-flung war zone like Bosnia, but at a location as close as the nearest BART station.

Sgt. 1st Class John F. Berry is an Army Reservist who recently studied Arabic at the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Training Center in Monterey. You can reach him at john_f_berry@hotmail.com. His views do not necessarily represent those of the Army or Army Reserve.

-- Diane J. Squire (sacredspaces@yahoo.com), April 12, 1999

Answers

Gee, what happens if there is a computer programmer working on an important Y2K remediation project who is also in the reserves (Well, it could happen :-) ). Which way does he go?

-- a (A@AisA.com), April 12, 1999.

Excellent catch of an article, Diane!
A, doesn't your hypothetical programmer have to go where the military orders him/her to?

More clues and piece of the puzzle fitting exactly where we'all speculated months ago, eh. The lull hasn't blottoed out the reality of Y2000 marching down upon us.

xxxxxxxx xxxxxxxx xxxxxxxx xxxxxxxx xxxxxxx

-- Ashton & Leska in Cascadia (allaha@earthlink.net), April 12, 1999.

Heard on a local radio station today, local man got activated. He runs a tank. Kosovo? No! " y2k ". Cannot confirm this. FYI only.

-- SCOTTY (BLehman202@aol.com), April 12, 1999.

Always wanted to join the reserve, but once I got out of school and into corporate life, I learned my lesson. Recently my company had big layoffs. Everyone in the reserves got the boot. I heard one of the managers saying, "Hey, he was in Bosnia for 5 months and we didn't even notice him gone." Job security is thin enough, never mind being in the military.

-- Jim (retro50@snet.net), April 12, 1999.

A Reservist who is a programmer could well be exempt from a call-up, due to the critical nature of the work. As a Reservist, all I can say is that the normal requirements of work and home are being swamped by the ever-increasing demands of the Reserves. We are virtually full-time. The funding is minimal and employer support is dwindling (hey, they are under pressure too!). To my brothers and sisters, full-time, Guard, or Reserve...HANG IN THERE! We may be needed, SOON, and above all, we must never quit!

-- Mr. Mike (mikeabn@aol.com), April 13, 1999.

Mr. Mike, We all may be needed soon and the men trained will likely be the leaders of Americans willing to defend this nation.

-- gunbunny (donemytime@germany.army), April 13, 1999.

As part of the Guard activation for Y2K issue, I still wonder if Guard units will be available for state governors to call upon. The way things are going, an awful lot of units are going to be called up by the President and Federalized before the end of the year. I hope that the states aren't counting on their Guard members, 'cause the well may be dry when the governors look to the guard units for help.

With the annoncement that the US is going to send THREE HUNDRED MORE combat and support aircraft to the Balkans, you can bet your sweet bippy that a bunch of the flight crews and support personnel will be Air National Guard and AF Reserve.

Three hundred aircraft could require well upwards of ten thousand personnel, if an entire support package is needed for a long-term stay. In fact, three hundred aircraft and personnel is a large chunk of the current structure of the US Air Force, no matter how you cut it: active duty, reserve or guard.

On the active duty side, I personnaly fear that the rubber band may be getting very close to the breaking point. Some folks I know, who are just back from their umpteenth ninety day rotation to the Persian Gulf are going to be sent to the Balkans, well before their ninety day "rest and re-train" period at home is over.

This situation of guys in the Air Force spending more time gone from home than the Navy is causing a lot of grief to people. I know too many folks who've had family lives destroyed over the stress of separation. The Navy is built around this kind of operation but the Air Force isn't. Where Navy personnel and families have support functions in-place for duty separation, the Air Force has never had to face the situation it has for the past few years. It's taking its toll and no doubt that soon it's going to show.

Mass departures of trained personnel from the active duty force are going to thrust more of the burden on the guard and reserve than they now carry. At some point, those people are going to respond by leaving, too. Who knows, by the end of this year we may see a decimated Air Force which is unable to effectively perform any really large-scale mission when Y2K rolls around.

WW

If the militay is crying about poor retention rates now, wait till this bunch of people gets their next chance to find the door.

-- Wildweasel (vtmldm@epix.net), April 13, 1999.

Perhaps companies will then re-hire them for corporate protection forces and the pilots to fly in company supplies?

Diane

-- Diane J. Squire (sacredspaces@yahoo.com), April 13, 1999.

Diane: After reading your post my mind went back to when we were all trying to fit some of these pieces together (after your first trip to see Lesak and Ashton I think). Seems like this article confirms that the Forum (especially you) put the right puzzle pieces in the right places.

-- Rob Michaels (sonofdust@com.net), April 13, 1999.

Sorry Leska :(

-- (sonofdust@com.net), April 13, 1999.

Now *why* is THIS up on AP Breaking News now?

8/10/99 -- 2:16 PM

Revisiting the Draft

Some figures on registration and the draft:

Number of men, 18 to 25, currently registered: 13.5 million.

Number of men drafted into the military for major 20th-century conflicts:

-World War I (1917-1918) - 2,666,867.

-World War II (1940-1946) - 10,110,114.

-Korea (June 1950-June 1953) - 1,529,537.

-Vietnam (August 1964- February 1973) - 1,766,910.

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-- Ashton & Leska in Cascadia (allaha@earthlink.net), August 10, 1999.