Sourcing perception warriors

Joint Force Quarterly, April, 2008 by C. Glenn Ayers, James R. Orbock

Regarding the first issue, RAND published a study concerning the activation and income of Reservists mobilized in 2001 and 2002. (7) The study concluded that the data show that "72 percent of the more than 100,000 troops surveyed saw their earnings jump 25 percent when called to active duty. Their average pay hike amounted to about $10,000 a year." (8) Additionally, "reservists who served for 270 or more days in a year saw their earnings jump by an average of 44 percent over normal pay." (9) It is often the transition from a civilian income source to an Active pay status that causes the most turmoil as household budgets must be reworked.

Second, by mobilizing Soldiers for a 2-year period, they can choose to move to permanent duty stations with their families. The benefit is that families can then create support groups that provide a social network while the Soldiers are deployed during their second year of mobilization. The additional benefit to the military is reduced financial costs by dependents using already established service centers such as medical facilities in lieu of more remote medical treatment providers.

Third, the 2-year mobilization increases the dwell time for CA and PSYOP units. Although there is a 2-year mobilization, only 1 year is an extended deployment cycle apart from family members; the other year is at a U.S.-based military installation. Once complete, it is 5 years and 4 months before the Soldier is mobilized again under the current force structure. By establishing an additional Reserve CA command and PSYOP group, the dwell time increases. Moreover, since there are standing forces to meet the conventional force requirements, Reservists in nonmobilized units can focus on professional development and maintain a scheduled 2-week annual training period. The result is a decrease in the operational pace of the average Reserve unit.

The first month of mobilization includes the administrative requirements involved in transitioning Solders to an Active status. The next 9 months allow for Soldiers to train at U.S. military bases, be ready for immediate deployment to support contingency operations, establish unit reporting procedures, and enhance their professional skill sets. This period also allows for rotations to combat training centers, such as the Joint Readiness Training Center in Louisiana and the National Training Center in California. The next 30 days are vacation time in preparation for the next 12 months of deployment. Once complete, the last 30 days include demobilization and vacation time.

The additional advantage of a 2-year mobilization is that Reserve units not filled to complete manning can have Soldiers from other units cross-leveled to fill shortages. These additional fills can then get the needed specialized training to ensure effectiveness while deployed. Types of training can include language training, cultural awareness courses, and regional studies.

Finally, employers can adjust to a 2-year mobilization better than to multiple short-term mobilizations. When hiring Reservists, employers have little idea when these employees are to be mobilized. Second, to backfill the employee-Soldier position, the recruiting effort is for a temporary hire of 1 year. From a civilian recruiting perspective, 2-year fills are easier to find and offer continuity in the workplace.