Bush calls up army reserves

For the first time in more than a decade, the US army is forcing thousands of former soldiers back into uniform, a reflection of the strain on the service of long campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Army officials said that about 5,600 former soldiers – mostly people who recently left the service and have up-to-date skills in military policing, engineering, logistics, medicine or transportation – will be assigned to National Guard and Reserve units starting in July.

Many of them will find themselves in Iraq by the end of the year.

They are in a rarely used pool of reservists known as the Individual Ready Reserve.

They are distinct from the National Guard and Reserve because they do not perform regularly scheduled training and are not paid as reservists.

It is the first sizeable activation of the Individual Ready Reserve since the 1991 Gulf War, though several hundred people have voluntarily returned to service since the September 11, 2001 terror attacks.

The Army is targeting its recall on those who recently left the service and thus have fresher skills than retirees.

Rick Larsen, a member of the House Armed Services Committee, said that dipping into the Individual Ready Reserve amounts to conscripting people to fight in Iraq.

“If there was any doubt that this administration was conducting a pseudo-draft, this call-up should dispel that doubt,” Larsen said.

The US Army said the Individual Ready Reserve members who are recalled will be given at least 30 days’ notice to report for training.

The Army is so stretched for manpower that in April it broke a promise to some active-duty units, including the 1st Armoured Division, that they would not have to serve more than 12 months in Iraq.

It also has extended the tours of other units, including some in Afghanistan.