Survey: Almost 80% of Individual Ready Reserve officers saying no to deploying

A soldier gets instruction on how to take a compass reading during an IRR training class at the South Carolina Army National Guard’s McCrady Training Center. In July, 2004, the Pentagon began involuntary callups of the Individual Ready Reserve for service in Iraq and Afghanistan.

WASHINGTON — Only about one-fifth of 10,000 veteran officers in the Army's Individual Ready Reserve say they're willing to be deployed overseas, an Army survey shows. It suggests souring attitudes within the military toward U.S. wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The rest of the officers are either quitting, retiring or being let go for failing to respond to Army questions about their readiness to deploy. The Army provided the survey results to USA TODAY.

The Individual Ready Reserve is one of the last resources the Army taps for manpower. It consists of former active-duty, National Guard and reserve soldiers who have moved into the Ready Reserve and lead virtually civilian lives. They neither drill nor train, although they remain part of the Army.

Read the rest at USA Today

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