.comment-link {margin-left:.6em;}

Born at the Crest of the Empire

Tuesday, January 23, 2007

"Volunteer Civilian Reserve Corps"

I think I'm going to have to see more details on this, but doesn't this sound like a "nation building" National Guard equivalent?
A second task we can take on together is to design and establish a volunteer Civilian Reserve Corps. Such a corps would function much like our military reserve. It would ease the burden on the Armed Forces by allowing us to hire civilians with critical skills to serve on missions abroad when America needs them.


(After all the involuntary callups and deployment extensions, I think I would read the fine print on that contract pretty damn close, you know?)

posted by mikevotes at 10:10 PM

13 Comments:

  • My first reaction to this was that that it would finally shut up the bullshit artists who claim "I would join up if only I were not too old, alas." ;-)

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 7:25 AM  

  • Yes, and that was my second reaction - does volunteering for, say a year really mean a year or is it open ended?

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 7:26 AM  

  • Well, the acceptable age for the army is now 42, so alot of those "experts" are of age, but this would allow the Bob Novak's of the world to risk their gilded asses.

    Again, we have to wait for the outline on this. Is it truly a volunteer thing like a job, like the original group sent to assist Bremer who could leave at any time, or is it a contractual Peace Corps type thing.

    One of the concerns I had was the implication that this was a long term structure set up to allow "nation building" well into the future for the next foreign policy adventure. Is this a "Peace Corps" for wars?

    I also was wondering if this civilian corps is part of a previous plan for domestic response to disaster. A stop gap group to fill in for national guardsmen overseas.

    What specialties will they hold? How will they be equipped? Trucks, water purification? Engineering tools? If you look at the cost of expanding the army by 90,000, this sounds like its going to be hugely expensive.

    (I have a feeling this is largely DOA.)

    We'll have to wait for more.

    Mike

    By Blogger mikevotes, at 9:06 AM  

  • Is this a "Peace Corps" for wars?

    This was my reaction. The Peace Corps without the Peace.

    I should read the linked article, but how is this different from the National Guard?

    By Blogger -epm, at 10:52 AM  

  • The link is just to the speech.


    I don't know, except that it's another avenue to tap specialists. (Maybe some MOS not represented in the guard? Financial experts, political/government experts?)

    Mike

    By Blogger mikevotes, at 11:39 AM  

  • Heard on NPR that this really has to do with policing, first and foremost, then other nation building tasks that are specific to that transitional period between the military's taking down a nation and the time the new nation can stand alone in it's new American approved reconfiguration.

    Cynicism aside, this sounds an awful lot like the tasks the UN would normally perform. So, it's just another example of Bush unilateralism and distaste for the very concept of international cooperation.

    Also on the news: First ever Pentagon census of military contractors in Iraq (!), 100,000 (!!!) I'm concerned with the huge numbers here, operating an a fog of international law and jurisdiction. I further disturbed with the use of mercenary, i mean private security companies.

    By Blogger -epm, at 6:33 PM  

  • Yeah, I caught that NPR report tonight as well.

    I was also struck by its proponent/manager saying it was in last years budget and nothing has been done or would likely be done (Mars, Bitches.)

    I hadn't read on the contractors yet.

    I don't know how the numbers are broken out. Contractors as cooks or laundry or truckdrivers, etc aren't that big of a deal.

    Facility protection, force protection and bodyguards are.

    I heard the other day that at least one camp ha contractors guarding its front gate!!

    Mike

    By Blogger mikevotes, at 9:23 PM  

  • Here is original proposal:
    http://www.clark04.com/misc/003/

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 2:20 PM  

  • A Quick History of the 'Civilian Reserve' (to the best of my knowledge):
    2004
    The idea of a 'Civilian Reserve' appears to have first appeared in Wesley Clark's '04 bid for the presidency. Learn more about his plan to "Mobilizing the Citizenry in a Time of Need" here: http://www.clark04.com/misc/003/

    2006
    The idea was echoed by Carlos Pascual a year ago, when he served as coordinator for Reconstruction and Stabilization at the State Department. NPR interviewed him here: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=7004939

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 3:28 PM  

  • This idea was presented to the 108th and 109th congresses by Charley Rangel (D) New York. Sounds like a good way to go when something like Katrina happens. But then...anything proposed by the Pres has to be attacked where it stands. Doesn't it. 4th row

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 9:17 PM  

  • No uniforms? Maybe they can all just wear some brown shirts?

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 6:37 AM  

  • "Volunteer Civilian Reserve Corps."

    Why re-invent the wheel..??

    Several states already have what's called "State Defense Forces", "State Guards".

    I'm myself a Sr. Airman in the Texas State Guard, 4th Air Wing, 447 ASG and we are attached, help and support the 147th Fighter Wing ANG at Ellington Field JRB.

    We are all volunteers.

    www.txsgair.org

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 11:19 AM  

  • I know I am not cut out for the military (at all!), but I have technical skills that could be useful in situations like Iraq - where the military has essentially done its job, but they need people to take care of the logistics of rebuilding the infastructure and training locals, etc.

    This is something I would consider signing up for if it does happen.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 3:51 PM  

Post a Comment

<< Home