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.

[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"