Army to transform IRR

[jonSlack]

Army to transform IRR

WASHINGTON (Army News Service, April 4, 2006) – Individual Warriors will be the new label for Soldiers serving in the Individual Ready Reserve.

Simultaneously, the new name will lead to a cultural shift away from the unstructured group of inactive individuals into a cohesive group of Soldiers who are trained, aware and ready to augment Army missions when called upon.

...

“While the mission of the IRR is to provide a pool of previously trained Soldiers who are ‘individually ready’ for call-up, our culture and past management of the IRR has made it difficult for many to accept that call-ups will become common practice,” said Maj. Nadine Kokolis, a mobilization officer in the Army’s G-1.

[Ken White]

hokey is that. Where do they come up with these ideas...

Trying to make a bunch of independent Americans serving full time into a "Cohesive Group Of Soldiers" is somewhat difficult. Trying to make those serving part time into a "CGOS" is understandably slightly more problematic. Trying to make those who are inclined to think they've done their part and are not now serving -- but who still overwhlemingly react responsibly and capably to mostly unliked and disruptive call ups -- should be great fun for someone...

[SWJED]

... don't address the root cause of any problem - just create a new organization or rename an old one. Mission accomplished. Personally, I would take it as an affront to be labeled an individual warrior when I signed up to be part of a Band of Brothers.

Moreover, we need to drop the warrior moniker for every Dick, Tom, Harry and Jane. Some are warriors and some are not - the term has long lost any "real meaning". Besides, we are asking our guys and gals to be much more than warriors these days - diplomats, reconstruction engineers, humanitarian aid providers, etc...

[MattC86]

... don't address the root cause of any problem - just create a new organization or rename an old one. Mission accomplished. Personally, I would take it as an affront to be labeled an individual warrior when I signed up to be part of a Band of Brothers.

Moreover, we need to drop the warrior moniker for every Dick, Tom, Harry and Jane. Some are warriors and some are not - the term has long lost any "real meaning". Besides, we are asking our guys and gals to be much more than warriors these days - diplomats, reconstruction engineers, humanitarian aid providers, etc...

Sometimes you wonder . . . like when Gen. Schoomaker, who seemed to have an impressive record, spent a good deal of time and effort making sure every "soldier" had a capital S.

Why fix the problem when you can just make it sound better instead?

Matt

[Rob Thornton]

No matter what you call the apples in the barrel, ultimately - if you want more apples you need a bigger barrel.

What might be more handy is to keep a data base of skill sets beyond those of MOSs that allows those who have served to update their education and civilian experience post military service so that if recalled to active service they can be associated with the right job in the right place - vs. see a hole fill a hole - probably could do it right through AKO - this might free up AC and RC soldiers to fill other roles. The term "individual warrior" engenders "filler" - and haphazard personnel practices that waste talent.
Best, Rob

[SWCAdmin]

If this is nothing more than a new bumper sticker, then "transform" is too strong a word. But the article does speak to several initiatves. If anyone has any substance on what they might be, please pile on.

Either way, the press release is a bit disappointing.

[selil]

Am I the only one who noticed the article was from 2006? I wonder how things are getting along with this proposal eighteen months later?

[Ken White]

Am I the only one who noticed the article was from 2006? I wonder how things are getting along with this proposal eighteen months later?

implemented in, lessee, 2006 plus 37 chops -- about May 2009 ± a year...

Actually, I didn't notice the date; got so hacked off at the dumb name I couldn't see the date for the froth pouring outa my mouth. Maybe it died a well deserved death. On the 23d chop.

[jonSlack]

I did not look at the date on the press release. I assumed that because it was specifically listed on the main Reserve page on the HRC site that it was a new initiative, not one from a year and half ago. My mistake. The phrase "individual warrior" drew my attention away from date on the release.

At the same time, with this program supposedly being a year and a half old, I would hope that HRC would be able to provide a little more information on rather than just linking to the original press release from April '06.

Or maybe, like Ken White speculated, it died a well deserved death. However, if it did get killed, why is it still being linked to on the main Reserve page on the HRC page?

[SWCAdmin]

Am I the only one who noticed the article was from 2006? I wonder how things are getting along with this proposal eighteen months later?

Maybe!! I sure missed it.

[TheCurmudgeon]

The IRR goes back long before the "warrior" moniker. Everyone in the Army enlists for eight years. If thier active time is less, then, when they get off active duty, they can either go to an "drilling" Guard or Reserve unit or they get put in the Individual Ready Reserve. The only difference now is that many of these soldiers that have recently gotten out have combat experience. Makes them more valuable. I had several of these guys (and a gal) with me in my last deployment. Worked out well for me.

Two other things. The term "drilling" is in quotes above because that term is no longer used for Guard or Reservist on there weekend duty. It is now a "Battle Assembly". While I think that one is a little hard to take, I did appreciate the "Warrior" idea, particularly the adoption of the "Warrior Ethos". Being a Deployed Reservist during OIF1 (before we knew it was OIF) I cringed when the captured reservist said he was just a mechanic. The idea of trying to bring the Marines view that every soldier is a riflemen first is not a bad thing.

[selil]

I got an EMAIL two years ago this Christmas. It said in general that the Navy had noticed that I had been a Marine and received a medical discharge in 1986 (broken back, broken neck, partial decapitation, multiple other injuries, but that is another story)... Anyways they made a strong suggestion that since I'm an expert at information assurance and security and have multiple degrees in computer science (very direct email not spam) that I consider either seeking a commission in the Navy or I would likely be processed back into the Marines to finish the last three years of my enlistment. That was an interesting Christmas. Looking at my waistline I'd not make a very good corporal. I wonder if we will see a RIF in a few years or if this is a trend in resource needs digging deeper and deeper into the reserves.

[120mm]

What might be more handy is to keep a data base of skill sets beyond those of MOSs that allows those who have served to update their education and civilian experience post military service so that if recalled to active service they can be associated with the right job in the right place - vs. see a hole fill a hole - probably could do it right through AKO - this might free up AC and RC soldiers to fill other roles. The term "individual warrior" engenders "filler" - and haphazard personnel practices that waste talent.
Best, Rob

HAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!! Whew! You tell some good ones, Rob!

Since when would the army GAS about what your qualifications outside of Army Schools? (And sometimes INSIDE as well). while you'd think that it would make sense, most times it seems the Army figures out what your qualified or wanting to do, and works as hard as possible to prevent that from happening.

I'm a civilian Aircraft Mechanic, as well as being Chem Off. qualified, but, despite being underemployed the last 6 months in country during OIF I, the "powers that be" seemingly fought like hell to keep me off of "Task Force Bullet". Instead, they tasked some FA guys to recover, de-boobytrap and render safe various aircraft systems in the infamous buried and hidden aircraft scattered throughout the Iraqi countryside.

After a brief conversation, the EOD guys were screaming for me to help them screen aircraft, but no freaking way; the CoC wouldn't hear of it.

Ironically, every 3 months I get threatening e-mails from AKO to update my civilian quals. And every 3 months I update them, and immediately after, AKO "loses" the update, so 3 months later, they start threatening me to update my civilian quals.

It's a nice idea, but the Army is too friggin' stupid, stiff-necked and risk averse to ever let it happen.

[Tom Odom]

No matter what you call the apples in the barrel, ultimately - if you want more apples you need a bigger barrel.
... Best, Rob

Now Rob that depends on how you define "apple" does it not?

I mean they could be old, dried up apples and you could put lots of them in there, especially if you called them "special apples"

[Old Eagle]

I resemble that remark.

[Penta]

I am increasingly left to think that the United States Government is composed of 99.99% complete and utter morons.

This depresses me deeply, because I had hoped we'd survive the next 20 years, not walk lemming-like off a cliff.

[Ron Humphrey]

I am increasingly left to think that the United States Government is composed of 99.99% complete and utter morons.

This depresses me deeply, because I had hoped we'd survive the next 20 years, not walk lemming-like off a cliff.

right now with things the way they are we may walk off the virtual cliff first which might ,(I repeat) might get somebodys attention

[Happyshooter]

When I was a guardsman I got a little sheepish sometimes. I averaged one ribbon per six months, and I declined to wear any of them sticking with the ones I earned in my Marine service. With the exception of two of them, I simply hadn't earned an award.

I got out right before we had to start wearing the ranger beret that I hadn't earned, and was glad of it. I would feel really bad to have to call drills 'battle assembly'.

Plus, "individual warrior" sounds a lot like 'virgin whore' or 'honest thief'.

[snoddy]

The ribbons? you get ribbons for doing your job and if you were a good soldier and after a certain amount of time in the guards you get more ribbons granted they are National Guard ribbons so they go to the bottom of the rack. As for civi exp and or job exp having anything to do with your MOS is simply wrong, most people join the guard to get away from their everyday mundane 9-5 cubicle life.
i wouldnt want a good soldier taken off the line to help build a house, anyone joe can swing a hammer.

[Happyshooter]

Yep. I got two army achievements for staying awake on shift and arresting drunks when they would swerve all over the road in front of me. Then there were the weird awards for showing up for drill for two years or one for just going to germany on a call up.

The ribbons? you get ribbons for doing your job and if you were a good soldier and after a certain amount of time in the guards you get more ribbons granted they are National Guard ribbons so they go to the bottom of the rack. As for civi exp and or job exp having anything to do with your MOS is simply wrong, most people join the guard to get away from their everyday mundane 9-5 cubicle life.
i wouldnt want a good soldier taken off the line to help build a house, anyone joe can swing a hammer.