I received this in email a few days ago and thought it was interesting reading:
TODAY'S FOCUS
Army Individual Ready Reserve What is it?
Individual Ready Reserve (IRR) Soldiers are a group of trained, experienced military professionals available to individually augment active duty, Reserve or National Guard units. They live, work and study in the civilian community, but they are military members who usually have an existing service obligation.
Every person who joins the Army incurs a statutory Military Service Obligation (MSO) of not less than six and not more than eight years. Soldiers typically serve two to four years on active duty, and then are transferred to the Reserve to fulfill the remainder of their obligation.
The IRR is just one of several Reserve categories that a Soldier can enter. Other categories include the Active Guard Reserve, the Troop Program Unit, and the Individual Mobilization Augmentee.
IRR Soldiers are required to meet minimum annual requirements that include updating personal contact information, attending muster duty, updating a readiness screening questionnaire online and responding to official military correspondence. They are also subject to involuntary mobilization. As IRR members, they can apply for active duty assignments, obtain professional development training and get promoted.
The use of the IRR is nothing new. IRR Soldiers were mobilized for the Berlin Crisis, the Vietnam War and for Operation Desert Storm. IRR Soldiers have mobilized and deployed for the war on terror since 9/11, and some have died as a result of combat action.
What has the Army done?
In 2005, the G-1 issued the IRR Transformation plan, which represents an integrated and systematic approach to human capital management that will reset and reinvigorate the IRR, improving readiness across the reserve component. The plan addresses IRR life-cycle management, outreach and culture. U.S. Army Human Resources Command-St. Louis (HRC-STL) is implementing the IRR Transformation plan.
Why is it important to the Army?
The IRR is the Army’s leading prior service talent bank. Our worldwide obligations require IRR Soldiers to actively participate in our nation’s defense. The Army accesses the forces and capabilities of the IRR as necessary to fight and win our nation’s wars.
What continued effort does the Army have planned for the future?
Annual musters are a key element of IRR Transformation. In fiscal year (FY) 2009, HRC-STL expects to muster about 14,000 IRR Soldiers, and will specifically muster those who have not completed the PDHRA. In FY 2008, 2,900 IRR Soldiers attending musters decided to transfer to Reserve units.
The web version of this BS can be found at the United States' Army Stand To Site.
You Can Resist Even if You are In The Military!
