WASHINGTON - Beginning July 6, the Army will begin notifying approximately 5,600 Individual Ready Reserve (IRR) Soldiers of their pending mobilization to active duty in support of the Global War on Terror (GWOT).

Current plans call for IRR Soldiers to be brought on active duty over an extended period in several phased groups, from July through December 2004. The Soldiers will be assigned to designated mobilizing Army Reserve and National Guard units based upon the needs of the Army. Soldiers will be given a minimum 30 days advance notice to report.

The IRR Soldiers will be called up for a minimum of 18 months under Partial Mobilization authority as outlined in Title 10 of the U.S. Code. However, actual periods of service may be adjusted based on the needs of the Army for service of up to 24 cumulative months.

The IRR consists of over 111,000 trained Soldiers (as of May 31, 2004), who are eligible to be called upon to fill vacancies in Army units and may replace Soldiers in Active and Reserve Component units. Part of the Army’s Ready Reserve, the IRR includes individuals who have had training and served previously in the Active Component or the Selected Reserve (such as a member of an Army Reserve unit). Unlike new recruits, these are seasoned, experienced Soldiers who can contribute significantly to Army readiness and operational capabilities. Congress under Title 10 of the U.S. Code mandates the IRR.

Although the Secretary of Defense authorized an involuntary mobilization of IRR Soldiers in January 2004, the Army has made every effort to minimize the call-up’s impact by first contacting individual IRR Soldiers and soliciting volunteers, prior to initiating mandatory call-ups. To date, over 1,000 IRR Soldiers have volunteered to mobilize in support of the GWOT. However, all IRR members may be called upon to serve, at any time, subject to the needs of the Army.

This is not the first time the IRR has been called. During the Gulf War, over 20,000 IRR Soldiers were mobilized and deployed. Since then, there have been several other voluntary and involuntary IRR Soldier call-ups, including 2,533 IRR Soldiers mobilized since Sep. 11, 2001 in the GWOT (226 of which were involuntary mobilizations). The all-volunteer Army is entering one of the most demanding periods in its modern history. Sustained operations are the norm and the need to organize and balance the force between the active and reserve components is critical to meet current mission requirements.

Media questions should be referred to Office of the Chief, Public Affairs, 703-692-2000, opt #1, or Human Resources Command - Alexandria at 703-325-9904. Additional questions and answers regarding this will be placed at a later date on the HRCSTL website: www.hrc.army.mil.

If Soldiers in the IRR desire to volunteer to join a Reserve unit, they may call the Army’s Human Resources Command–St Louis at 1-800-318-5298, or send an email to the appropriate office through the volunteer link on the HRC-STL Web site at www.hrc.army.mil. Soldiers can also contact HRC-STL for a variety of other reasons, for example to update their records, determine their remaining MSO, and learn where vacancies exist in their grade and specialty.

Army Family Online (www.wblo.org) offers one-stop access to information valuable to Soldiers and their families before, during and after deployment. The toll-free information line (1-800-833-6622) provides useful resources and referral services.

Congressional inquiries should be directed to Maj. Craig Greene, Office of Congressional Legislative Liaison, (703) 697-1244.