Order Code RL30637
CRS Report for Congress
Received through the CRS Web
Involuntary Reserve Activations For U.S. Military
Operations Since World War II
August 14, 2000
(name redacted)
Analyst in National Defense
Foreign Affairs, Defense, and Trade Division
Congressional Research Service ˜ The Library of Congress

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Involuntary Reserve Activations For U.S. Military Operations
Since World War II
Summary
Since World War II, reservists have been involuntarily ordered to active duty for
military operations nine times: during the Korean War (1950-1953), the Berlin Crisis
(1961-62), the Cuban Missile Crisis (1962), the Vietnam War (1968-1969), the Persian
Gulf War (1990-91), the intervention in Haiti (1994-1996), the Bosnian peacekeeping
mission (1995-present), the Iraqi conflict (1998-present), and the Kosovo conflict and
peacekeeping mission (1999-present). This report provides a summary of the
circumstances surrounding the activation, the statutory authority used to activate the
reservists, the dates of activation, the number of reservists activated, and the number and
types of units activated.
Reservists have also volunteered to serve on active duty during the above mentioned
operations, and many other operations. Additionally, reservists – especially those in the
National Guard – have often been involuntarily activated to respond to domestic
disturbances (i.e., riots and natural disasters) and to execute the laws of the land (notably
with respect to desegregation). Furthermore, many reservists have participated in training
exercises or operational missions as part of their two-week long annual training
requirement. However, this report does not include any data on these activities; its focus
is exclusively on involuntary activations of reservists for military operations.

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Contents
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Format . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Data Sources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Caveats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
The Korean War: Background . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
The Berlin Crisis: Background . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
The Cuban Missile Crisis: Background . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
The Vietnam War: Background . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
The Persian Gulf War: Background . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
The Intervention in Haiti: Background . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
The Ongoing Bosnian Peacekeeping Mission: Background . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
The Ongoing Conflict with Iraq: Background . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
The Kosovo Conflict and the Ongoing Kosovo Peacekeeping Mission:
Background . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
List of Tables
The Korean War: Personnel and Units Activated . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
The Berlin Crisis: Personnel and Units Activated . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
The Cuban Missile Crisis: Personnel and Units Activated . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
The Vietnam War: Personnel and Units Activated . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
The Persian Gulf War: Personnel and Units Activated . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
The Intervention in Haiti: Personnel and Units Activated . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
The Ongoing Bosnian Peacekeeping Mission: Personnel and Units Activated . . . . . . 21
The Ongoing Conflict with Iraq: Personnel and Units Activated . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
The Kosovo Conflict and the Ongoing Kosovo Peacekeeping Mission:
Personnel and Units Activated . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

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Involuntary Reserve Activations For U.S.
Military Operations Since World War II
Introduction
The purpose of this report is to provide information on involuntary activations of
reservists for U.S. military operations since World War II. During that time, reservists
have been involuntarily ordered to active duty for military operations nine times: during the
Korean War (1950-1953), the Berlin Crisis (1961-62), the Cuban Missile Crisis (1962),
the Vietnam War (1968-1969), the Persian Gulf War (1990-91), the intervention in Haiti
(1994-1996), the Bosnian peacekeeping mission (1995-present), the conflict with Iraq
(1998-present), and the Kosovo conflict and peacekeeping mission (1999-present). This
report provides a summary of the circumstances surrounding the activation, the statutory
authority used to activate the reservists, the dates of activation, the number of reservists
activated, and the number and types of units activated.
Reservists have also volunteered to serve on active duty during the above mentioned
operations, and many other operations. Additionally, reservists – especially those in the
National Guard – have often been involuntarily activated to respond to domestic
disturbances (i.e., riots and natural disasters) and to execute the laws of the land (notably
with respect to desegregation of schools in the South). Furthermore, many reservists have
participated in training exercises or operational missions as a part of their two-week long
annual training requirement. However, this report does not include any data on these
activities; its focus is exclusively on involuntary activations of reservists for military
operations.
Format
There is a separate section for each of the nine involuntary activations. Within each
section, there is a brief description of the circumstances surrounding the activation, the
statutory authority used to activate the reservists, the date on which involuntarily activated
reservists began to enter active duty, and the date when the last involuntarily activated
reservists were released from active duty. This is followed by a table which lists the
number of reservists who were involuntarily activated, along with the number and types of
reserve units activated. The data are broken down by the seven individual reserve
components – Army Reserve, Army National Guard, Naval Reserve, Air Force Reserve,
Air National Guard, Marine Corps Reserve, and Coast Guard Reserve. A figure for the
combined number of involuntarily activated reservists is also provided.

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CRS-2
Data Sources
A wide variety of sources were used to compile the tables in this report. Open
sources were the principal sources used to construct the commentary and tables for the
Korean War, the Berlin Crisis, and the Cuban Missile Crisis activations. For subsequent
activations, open source data were combined with official data provided by the
Department of Defense and the various military services to construct the commentary and
tables.
Caveats
The statistics in this report are subject to revision based on additional research in
primary sources or the availability of more comprehensive data. It should also be noted
that the data in this report may not precisely match that found in earlier press and
journalistic accounts, which may have been based on expectations or less complete
information. Additionally, the data presented on units activated must be interpreted very
cautiously.
Providing data on units activated was exceptionally problematic for two reasons.
First, when activating a unit, the services often did not activate the entire unit. For
example, the historical record may have shown that the Air Force activated a reserve
fighter wing, yet it was rarely clear which (if any) of that wing’s subordinate elements were
activated with it. Thus, the indication in this report that a given unit was activated should
not be taken to mean that the unit was activated in its entirety. The unit may have been
activated in its entirety, or it may have been activated with only some of its subordinate
units, or it may have had only its headquarters section activated.
The difficulty of determining the precise composition of activated units leads to the
second problem with the unit data: the double counting of units. For example, the historical
record may have shown that during a given activation, the Army activated a reserve
infantry battalion and four reserve infantry companies. As an infantry battalion normally
has four to five infantry companies assigned underneath it, one might suspect that those
infantry companies were really subordinate units of the infantry battalion. However, absent
clear evidence that those infantry companies were indeed subordinate units of the infantry
battalion, this report lists the activation of both the battalion and the companies. This
methodology creates a high probability that units are “counted” twice; however, it also
minimizes the likelihood that units are not counted.
Two final caveats are in order with respect to the data contained in the tables. First,
in addition to activating units, the various military services often activated individual
reservists who were not part of a unit or selectively activated individual reservists within
a unit. Thus, there is not necessarily a correlation between the units activated and the
number of reservists activated. Second, for three of the activations mentioned here (the
Bosnian peacekeeping mission, the Iraqi Crisis, and the Kosovo conflict and peacekeeping
mission), reservists are still being ordered to active duty. The personnel and unit data
presented for these three operations is current as of February 3, 2000, but will change
over time. This report will be updated periodically to reflect those and other changes.

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CRS-3
The Korean War: Background
On June 25, 1950, the North Korean Army launched a massive invasion of South
Korea. Shortly thereafter, President Truman authorized General Douglas MacArthur,
Commander-in-Chief of the U.S. Far East Command, to commit U.S. forces to the
defense of South Korea. Under Public Law 81-599, Truman had the authority to order
units and individual members of the Organized Reserve Corps and units of the National
Guard of the United States into active federal service for up to 21 months (later extended
to 24 months). On July 19, Truman notified Congress that he had exercised this authority.1
Reservists began to enter active duty on July 31, 1950.2 An armistice agreement was
signed on July 27, 1953, and a cease fire went into effect on that day. With the exception
of those reservists who voluntarily chose to stay on active duty, all involuntarily activated
reservists had been released from active duty by December 1, 1953.3
1 Harry S. Truman. Message to Congress, July 19, 1950. U.S. Code Congressional
Service. Volume 1, 1950, 1384. Jim Dan Hill. The Minuteman in Peace and War.
Stackpole Company, Harrisburg, 1964, 506.
2 Ernst H. Giusti. Mobilization of the Marine Corps Reserve in the Korean Conflict,
1950-1951. Headquarters, U.S. Marine Corps, 1967, 10.
3 Charles J. Gross. Prelude to the Total Force: The Air National Guard 1943-1969.
Office of Air Force History, United States Air Force, 1985, 185. Dr. Gross provided further
data directly to the author of this report.

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CRS-4
The Korean War: Personnel and Units Activated
Componenta
Personnel
Units
971 company sized units; most Army Reservists
Army Reserve
240,500b
were called as individuals and assigned to regular
Army units.c
Army National
8 Infantry Divisions, 3 Regimental Combat Teams,
138,600d
Guard
and 714 company sized units.e
Four “mothballed” aircraft carriers were
recommissioned and staffed with largely reserve
Naval Reserve
198,000f
crews; 22 Naval Reserve Fighter Squadrons; most
Naval Reservists were called as individuals and
assigned to regular Navy units.g
20 Troop Carrier Wings and 5 Light Bomber Wings;
Air Force
146,683h
most Air Force Reservists were called as individuals
Reserve
and assigned to regular Air Force units.i
11 Fighter-Bomber Wings, 3 Fighter-Interceptor
Wings, 1 Tactical Fighter Wing, 1 Tactical
Reconnaissance Wing, 10 Air Control and Warning
Groups, 3 Fighter-Bomber Groups, 1 Fighter-
Air National
45,594j
Interceptor Group, 46 Air Control and Warning
Guard
Squadrons, 36 Fighter-Bomber Squadrons, 16
Fighter-Interceptor Squadrons, 5 Tactical
Reconnaissance Squadrons, 1 Tactical Fighter
Squadron, 1 Fighter Squadron.k
138 Organized Reserve (Ground) units and 32
Organized Reserve (Aviation) units were activated;
Marine Corps
88,500l
however, all but five aviation units were immediately
Reserve
deactivated upon reporting and individual reservists
were assigned to regular Marine Corps units.m
Coast Guard
0
None.
Reserve
Total
857,877
Personnel
a Technically, until 1952, each of the reserve components was known by different terminologies –
including the term “Organized Reserve Corps” – than at present. Thus, during the Korean War,
it is more accurate to say that the 240,500 personnel were activated from the Organized Reserve
Corps of the Army, rather than the Army Reserve. However, to maintain consistency in the
designation of the reserve components throughout the report, the terms Army Reserve, Air
Force Reserve, Naval Reserve, Marine Corps Reserve, and Coast Guard Reserve are used here.

b James T. Currie and Richard B. Crossland. Twice the Citizen: A History of the United States Army
Reserve, 1908-1995. United States Government Printing Office, Washington D.C., 1997, 99.
c Martin Binkin and William W . Kaufmann. U.S. Army Guard and Reserve: Rhetoric, Realities, Risks.
The Brookings Institute, Washington, D.C., 1989, 60. Jim Dan Hill. The Minute Man in Peace
and War. Stackpole, Pennsylvania, 1964, 506.

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CRS-5
d Major General Ellard A. Walsh. Testimony before House Armed Services Subcommittee No. 1.
February 18, 1957. Cited in Eilene Galloway. History of United States Military Policy on the
Reserve Forces 1775-1957. United States Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C., 1957,
469.
e Galloway, 469.
f Galloway, 469.
g Harry J. Summers. Korean War Almanac. Facts On File, New York, 1990, 189-90.
h Gerald T. Cantwell. Citizen Airman: A History of the Air Force Reserve, 1946-1994. United States
Government Printing Office, Washington D.C., 1997, 115.
i Compiled from unpublished data provided to CRS in 1973 by the various services and reserve
components to respond to a congressional inquiry; material in CRS analyst’s files. See also
Cantwell, 87-119.
j Gross, 64.
k Gross, 177-185. Dr. Gross provided further data directly to the author of this report based on his
review of Air National Guard Unit Data Cards contained in the National Guard Bureau Archives.
l Robert V. Aquillina. “A Brief History of the Reserves,” in Marines, August, 1995, 10.
m Compiled from unpublis hed data provided to CRS in 1973 by the various services and reserve
components to respond to a congressional inquiry; material in CRS analyst’s files.

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CRS-6
The Berlin Crisis: Background
The Berlin Crisis of 1961 (not to be confused with the Berlin Airlift of 1948-49)
occurred in the early days of the Kennedy administration. Since the end of World War II,
Berlin had remained under control of the four Allied powers (Britain, France, the Soviet
Union, and the United States). Berlin, however, was located entirely within East Germany,
which was controlled by the Soviets. In 1958, Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev called
for the termination of British, French, and U.S. occupation rights in Berlin, although none
of these nations complied. On June 3, 1961, Khrushchev met with President Kennedy
and declared that the status of Berlin would be resolved during 1961 with or without the
cooperation of the United States. Tensions mounted in the following weeks. On July 26,
Kennedy asked Congress for authority to order up to 250,000 reservists to active duty.
Congress responded with the passage of Public Law 87-117, which was enacted on
August 1. The law gave the president authority to call up to 250,000 reservists to active
duty for a period not to exceed twelve months. On August 13, communist forces began
construction of the Berlin Wall in order to seal off West Berlin. On August 25, Kennedy
authorized the activation of certain reserve units, which began entering active duty on
September 25. Individual reservists were also activated as “fillers” for undermanned units.
A stalemate of sorts was reached: the autonomy of West Berlin was preserved, but the city
was sealed off from East Berlin and East Germany by the Berlin Wall. With the exception
of those reservists who voluntarily chose to stay on active duty, all involuntarily activated
reservists were released from active duty by August 31, 1962.

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CRS-7
The Berlin Crisis: Personnel and Units Activated
Component
Personnel
Units
1 Training Division, 10 Engineer Battalions, 4
Artillery Battalions, 2 Logistics Commands, 2
Army Reserve
69,263a
Security Battalions, 1 Military Police Battalion and
273 company sized or smaller units.b
1 Armored Division, 1 Infantry Division, 1 Armored
Cavalry Regiment, 8 Artillery Battalions, 7 Signal
Army National
44,091c
Battalions, 5 Engineer Battalions, 4 Armor Battalions,
Guard
3 Military Police Battalions and 114 company sized
or smaller units.d
Crew for 40 Naval Reserve Destroyers and
Naval Reserve
8,000e
Destroyer Escorts; 18 Anti-Submarine Warfare
Naval Air Squadrons. f
Air Force
5,613g
2 Troop Carrier Wings.h
Reserve
5 Tactical Fighter Wings, 2 Air Transport Wings, 1
Air National
21,067i
Tactical Reconnaissance Wing, 1 Air Base Group, 6
Guard
Aircraft Control and Warning Squadrons.j
Marine Corps
0
None.
Reserve
Coast Guard
0
None.
Reserve
Total Personnel
148,034
a Compiled from unpublished data provided to CRS in 1973 by the various services and reserve
components to respond to a congressional inquiry; material in CRS analyst’s files.
b Compiled from unpublished data provided to CRS in 1973 by the various services and reserve
components to respond to a congressional inquiry; material in CRS analyst’s files.
c Compiled from unpublished data provid ed to CRS in 1973 by the various services and reserve
components to respond to a congressional inquiry; material in CRS analyst’s files.
d Compiled from unpublished data provided to CRS in 1973 by the various services and reserve
components to respond to a congressional inquiry; material in CRS analyst’s files.
e William R. Kreh. Citizen Sailors: The U.S. Naval Reserve in War and Peace. David McKay
Company, New York, 1969, 248.
f Kreh, 248-9.
g Cantwell, 180.
h Compiled from unpublished data provided to CRS in 1973 by the various services and reserve
components to respond to a congressional inquiry; material in CRS analyst’s files.
i Gross, 128.
j Gross, 187-90.

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CRS-8
The Cuban Missile Crisis: Background
On September 1, 1962, the Soviet Union announced a new treaty with Cuba under
which Cuba would receive Soviet arms and technical assistance. Public Law 87-736 was
enacted on October 3, authorizing the President to mobilize any unit or member of the
Ready Reserve for up to twelve consecutive months, provided that no more than 150,000
reservists were involuntarily serving under this authority at any given time. On October 16,
President Kennedy reviewed photographs which indicated that offensive missiles were
being installed in Cuba. At the direction of the President, a naval quarantine of Cuba
began on October 24. On the evening of October 27, President Kennedy ordered the
mobilization of certain Air Force Reserve units to support possible ground, air, or naval
action against Cuba. These units and their personnel entered active duty on the morning
of October 28.4 Later that day Soviet Premier Khrushchev told President Kennedy that
he would remove the missiles and accept U.N. verification of the removal. With the
exception of those reservists who voluntarily chose to stay on active duty, all involuntarily
activated reservists were released from active duty by November 28, 1962.5
The Cuban Missile Crisis: Personnel and Units Activated
Component
Personnel
Units
Army Reserve
0
None.
Army National
0
None.
Guard
Naval Reserve
0
None.
Air Force
8 Troop Carrier Wings and 6 Aerial Port
14,200a
Reserve
Squadrons.b
Air National
0
None.
Guard
Marine Corps
0
None.
Reserve
Coast Guard
0
None.
Reserve
Total Personnel
14,200
a Cantwell, 191.
b Cantwell, 189.
4 Cantwell, 189.
5 Cantwell, 191.

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CRS-9
The Vietnam War: Background
From 1961 to 1973, U.S. forces were directly involved in military operations to
suppress the Viet Cong communist insurgency in South Vietnam and to repel the infiltration
of soldiers from communist North Vietnam. The principal purpose of this involvement was
to prevent the spread of communism to South Vietnam and neighboring states such as
Cambodia and Laos. Between 1964 and 1973 – the peak years of U.S. military
involvement – about 3.4 million members of the U.S. armed forces served in the Southeast
Asia Theater.6 Despite this substantial military involvement in Vietnam, only two minor
reserve activations occurred, both in 1968.7 These activations were carried out by
President Lyndon B. Johnson under the authority granted to him by a provision in PL 89-
687, the FY 1967 defense appropriations bill. The provision allowed the president to call
to active duty, without declaring a state of emergency, any organized unit of the Ready
Reserve and certain individual members of the Ready Reserve.8 The first reserve
activation, announced on January 25, 1968, was not directly related to the war in Vietnam.
Rather, it was a response to the capture of the U.S. Navy intelligence ship Pueblo by
North Korea and the subsequent reinforcement of U.S. forces in South Korea. Most of
the units activated remained in the United States or were deployed to Korea, but some
were stationed in Vietnam.9 These units entered active duty on January 26, 1968, and the
last units were released from active duty on June 18, 1969. The second reserve activation
was announced on April 11, 1968 – just two months after the Tet Offensive in South
Vietnam – and was intended “to meet the needs of the Vietnam war and strengthen the
depleted Active Strategic Reserve.”10 These reservists began to enter active duty on May
13, 1968. With the exception of those who voluntarily chose to stay on active duty, all of
them were released by December of 1969.
6 Harry G. Summers. Vietnam War Almanac. Facts On File, New York, 1985, 351. The
Southeast Asia Theater is defined as Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia, as well asa flight crews
based in Thailand and sailors in the South China Sea.
7 Although the reason for this is not entirely clear, one study suggested that Johnson resisted
activating the reserves because it would have undermined his attempts to portray Vietnam
as “a limited war of short duration which could be fought with little domestic dislocation....”
Lawrence M. Baskir and William A. Strauss. Chance and Circumstance: The Draft, the
War, and the Vietnam Generation. Alfred A. Knopf, New York, 1978, 50.
8 Congressional Quarterly Weekly Report. “Johnson Uses New Authority to Activate
Reservists.” Number 5, February 2, 1968, 176.
9 Summers, Vietnam War Almanac, 252.
10 Neil Sheehan. New York Times. “U.S. Calls 24,500 Reserves.” April 12, 1968, 1.

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CRS-10
The Vietnam War: Personnel and Units Activated
Component
Personnel
Units
1 Infantry Battalion, 1 Ordnance Battalion, 1
Quartermaster Battalion, 1 Maintenance Battalion, 3
Army Reserve
7,640a
Medical Hospital units, 24 company sized or smaller
units.b
2 Infantry Brigades, 3 Artillery Battalions, 1 Engineer
Army National
12,234c
Battalion, 1 Cavalry Squadron, 9 company sized or
Guard
smaller units.
6 Aviation Squadrons, 2 Construction Battalions
Naval Reserve
1,621d
(Seabees).e
2 Military Airlift Wings, 5 Military Airlift Groups, 1
Tactical Airlift Group, 3 Aerial Port Squadrons, 1 Air
Air Force
5,472f
Rescue Squadron, 1 Tactical Air Squadron, 1
Reserve
Medical Evacuation Squadron, 1 Medical Services
Squadron.g
2 Tactical Fighter Wings, 1 Tactical Reconnaissance
Air National
10,676h
Wing, 10 Tactical Fighter Groups, 3 Tactical
Guard
Reconnaissance Groups, 1 Medical Airlift Group.i
Marine Corps
0
None.
Reserve
Coast Guard
0
None.
Reserve
Total Personnel
37,643
a Compiled from unpublished data provided to CRS in 1973 by the various services and reserve
components to respond to a congressional inquiry; material in CRS analyst’s files.
b Compiled from unpublished data provided to CRS in 1973 by the various services and reserve
components to respond to a congressional inquiry; material in CRS analyst’s files. See also
Currie and Crossland, 203.
c Compiled from unpublished data provided to CRS in 1973 by the various services and reserve
components to respond to a congressional inquiry; material in CRS analyst’s files. See also
Binkin and Kaufmann, 61.
d Summers, Vietnam War Almanac, 252. Sheehan, 1.
e New York Times, “Text of Order on Callup,” January 26, 1968, p. 6. New York Times, “List of Units
Ordered to Active Duty,” April 12, 1968, p. 5.
f Cantwell, 215, 221.
g Compiled from unpublished data provided to CRS in 1973 by the various services and reserve
components to respond to a congressional inquiry; material in CRS analyst’s files. See also New
York Times, “Text of Order on Callup,” January 26, 1968, p. 6, and “List of Units Ordered to
Active Duty,” April 12, 1968, p. 5. The latter article erroneously lists the 82nd Aerial Port
Squadron twice and omits mention of the 71st Tactical Air Squadron from Bakalar Air Force Base,
Indiana.
h Department of Defense. FY 1968 Annual Report, 10.
i Department of Defense. FY 1968 Annual Report, 82-84. See also New York Times, “Text of Order on
Callup,” January 26, 1968, p. 6, and “List of Units Ordered to Active Duty,” April 12, 1968, p. 5.

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CRS-11
The Persian Gulf War: Background
On August 2, 1990, Iraq invaded Kuwait and declared it had annexed the formerly
sovereign nation. In response, the United States led a multi-national coalition to protect
the neighboring nation of Saudi Arabia (Operation Desert Shield) and, subsequently, to
expel Iraq from Kuwait (Operation Desert Storm). The buildup of U.S. forces in the
region necessitated the largest call-up of reservists since the Korean War. On August 22,
invoking the authority granted to him by Title 10, Section 673(b) of the United States
Code, President George Bush authorized the Secretary of Defense “to order to active duty
units, and individuals not assigned to units, of the Selected Reserve.”11 This activation
authority allowed the president to order members of the Selected Reserve12 to active duty,
but with certain restrictions: Each reservist could only be activated for up to 90 days, with
a possible 90 day extension, and the total number of reservists on active duty at any given
time could not exceed 200,000. The first calls to active duty were announced two days
later, on August 24, and the affected reservists began to enter active duty on August 27,
1990.13 On November 13, 1990, Bush authorized the Department of Defense to
implement the tour extension provision, thereby allowing activated reservists to serve on
active duty for up to 180 days.14 Finally, on January 18, 1991, the day after the air war
against Iraq began, Bush invoked his authority under Title 10, Section 673 of the United
States Code, “to order any unit, and any member not assigned to a unit organized to serve
as a unit, in the Ready Reserve to active duty...for not more than 24 consecutive
months....”15 Section 673 differed from Section 673(b) in three important ways: it
permitted the activation of members of the Ready Reserve,16 not just members of the
Selected Reserve; it allowed up to 1,000,000 reservists to serve on active duty at any one
11 President George Bush, Executive Order 12727, August 22, 1990. Printed in the Federal
Register, Volume 55, No. 186, August 27, 1990.
12 The Selected Reserve, a sub-element of the Ready Reserve, contains those units and
individuals most essential to wartime missions. Selected Reservists are generally required
to perform one weekend of training each month and two weeks of training every year.
13 Department of Defense. Conduct of the Persian Gulf War, An Interim Report to
Congress. July, 1991, 11-1
14 President George Bush, Executive Order 12733, November 13, 1990. Printed in the
Federal Register, Volume 55, Number 221, November 15, 1990, 47837.
15 President George Bush, Executive Order 12743, January 18, 1991. Printed in the Federal
Register, Volume 56, Number 15, January 23, 1991, 2661.
16 The Ready Reserve is made up of the Selected Reserve, the Individual Ready Reserve,
and the Inactive National Guard. The Selected Reserve contains those units and individuals
most essential to wartime missions. Selected Reservists are generally required to perform
one weekend of training each month and two weeks of training every year. The Individual
Ready Reserve is a manpower pool of trained individuals who generally have served
previously on active duty or in the Selected Reserve. They are not required to participate
in training as reservists in the Selected Reserve are, although they may voluntarily choose
to do so. The Inactive National Guard is made up of members of the National Guard in an
inactive status. They are not required to participate in training as National Guardsmen in the
Selected Reserve are; however, they are assigned to a National Guard unit and are required
to muster with the unit once a year.

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CRS-12
time, as opposed to 200,000; and it allowed the federal government to keep the reservists
on active duty for up to 24 consecutive months, rather than just 180 days. The war with
Iraq ended on February 28, 1991. Most reservists were released from active duty by the
end of June, 1991. With the exception of those reservists who voluntarily chose to remain
on active duty, all involuntarily activated reservists were released from active duty by
December of 1991.17
17 Michelle Chapman, Birmingham Post-Herald, “Alabama Guard Unit Is the Last to Leave
Saudi Arabia,” November 25, 1991.

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CRS-13
The Persian Gulf War: Personnel and Units Activated
Component
Personnela
Units
1 Military Police Brigade Headquarters (HQ) , 1
Engineer Brigade HQ, 1 Civil Affairs Brigade HQ,
1 Engineer command HQ, 1 Civil Affairs
command HQ, 1 Combat Support Group HQ, 8
Military Police Battalion HQs, 5 Adjutant General
Battalion HQs, 5 Quartermaster Battalion HQs, 2
Engineer Battalion HQs, 1 Infantry Battalion HQ,
1 Aviation Battalion HQ, 39 Transportation
Army Reserve
88,282
Companies, 38 Combat Support Companies, 24
Adjutant General Companies, 23 Military Police
Companies, 18 Quartermaster Companies, 8
Ordnance Companies, 8 Civil Affairs Companies,
6 Chemical Companies, 3 Engineer Companies,
and 451 miscellaneous and smaller sized units
including medical, reception, training, and
augmentation units.b
2 Infantry Brigade Headquarters (HQ), 1 Armor
Brigade HQ, 1 Artillery Brigade HQ, 10 Artillery
Battalions, 6 Infantry Battalions, 5 Armor
Battalions, 5 Military Intelligence Battalions, 3
Special Forces Battalions, 3 Engineer Battalions, 3
Combat support Battalions, 2 Aviation Battalions,
1 Signal Battalion, 62 Military Police Companies,
Army National
60,350
51 Transportation Companies, 31 Combat Support
Guard
Companies, 21 Medical Companies, 12
Quartermaster Companies, 11 Adjutant General
Companies, 10 Engineer Companies, 4 Ordnance
Companies, 2 Signal Companies, 2 Aviation
Companies, 3 Armored Cavalry Troops, 10
Hospital units, and 137 miscellaneous and smaller
sized units.c
All of the hundreds of units affected by the call-up
were fairly small in size (almost all had fewer than
100 people). They were primarily medical,
Naval Reserve
19,461
logistics, construction (Seabee), cargo handling,
military sealift, intelligence, and inshore undersea
warfare units.d

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CRS-14
2 Numbered Air Forces, 2 Airlift Wings, 1 Aerial
Refueling Wing, 1 Air Reconnaissance Wing, 8
Combat Support Groups, 2 Medevac Groups, 1
Tactical Fighter Group, 28 Civil Engineering
Squadrons, 23 Medical Squadrons, 23 Airlift
Squadrons, 20 Aerial Port Squadrons, 18 Medevac
Air Force
Squadrons, 15 Combat Support Squadrons, 14
22,860
Reserve
Maintenance Squadrons, 12 Patient Staging
Squadrons, 3 Medical Services Squadrons, 3 Aerial
Refueling Squadrons, 2 Logistics Support
Squadrons, 2 Special Operations Squadrons, 1
Security Police Squadron, 1 Communications
Squadron, 12 Clinics, 5 Hospitals, and 17 smaller
units.e
4 Air Refueling Wings, 1 Airlift Wing, 1 Fighter
Wing, 8 Air Ref ueling Groups, 4 Airlift Groups, 1
Tactic al Reconnaissance Group, 1 Special
Operations Group, 1 Fighter Group, 1
Air National
10,456
Communications Group, 35 Services Squadrons, 27
Guard
Civil Engineering Squadrons, 7 Communications
Squadrons, 2 Aerial Port Squadrons, 2 Airlift
Squadrons, 1 Medical Squadron, 19 Clinics, 7
Hospitals, and 32 smaller units.f
1 Marine Expeditionary Brigade Command
Element, 1 Infantry Regimental Command
Element, 2 Inf antry Regimental Headquarters, 1
Brigade Service and Support Group, 9 Infantry
Battalions, 2 Tank Battalions, 1 Artillery Battalion,
Marine Corps
35,671
1 Light Armored Infantry Battalion, 1 Motor
Reserve
Transport Battalion, 7 Aviation Squadrons, 2 Civil
Affairs Groups, 11 Artillery Batteries, and
elements of Engineer, Reconnaissance,
Communications, Tank, Amphibious Assault, and
Combat Service Support Battalions.g
Coast Guard
3 Port Security units and 3 Harbor Defense
1,649
Reserve
Command units.h
Total Personnel
238,729
a The Coast Guard Reserve figure was provided by Lieutenant Commander Kevin Brown, Office of
Reserve Affairs, U.S. Coast Guard Headquarters. The Air National Guard figure was provided
by Charles J. Gross, Chief of Air National Guard History, National Guard Bureau. All other
personnel figures are from the Department of Defense, Office of the Assistant Secretary of
Defense for Reserve Affairs.
b Derived from listing of units provided by Dr. Lee Harford, U.S. Army Reserve Historical Division.
c Derived from listing of units provided by Lieutenant Colonel Stone, Army National Guard Readiness
Center.
d Technically, all orders were issued to individuals, rather than units; however, many Naval Reserve
units had all or most of their personnel activated. Correspondence from Jerry Barrett, Navy
Personnel Command, dated April 17, 2000. For types of units activated, see Reserve Forces
Policy Board, Reserve Component Programs Fiscal Year 1991, 29. See also Mel Chaloupka,

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CRS-15
Operation Desert Shield/Storm Reconstruct of Naval Reserve Call-Up , Appendices, Volume
III, Naval W a r College Center for Naval Warfare Studies, April 1991, D-VI-7 and D-VIII-3 through
D-VIII-61.
e Eliot Cohen, director, Gulf War Air Power Survey, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington,
D.C. , 1993, Volume V, 98-109.
f Cohen, Volume V, 110-113.
g Major General Mitch Waters, “Marine Corps Reserve Posture Statement,” 1992, 1-3.
h Lieutenant Commander Kevin Brown, Office of Reserve Affairs, U.S. Coast Guard Headquarters.

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CRS-16
The Intervention in Haiti: Background
In 1990, Jean-Bertrand Aristide was elected president of Haiti. Eight months after
being sworn in, he was overthrown in a military coup led by Lieutenant General Raoul
Cedras, who then assumed control of the Haitian government. In July, 1994, the United
Nations approved a resolution authorizing the use of all necessary means, including force,
to restore Aristide to power. On September 15, 1994, President Clinton announced that
the United States would lead a multi-national military coalition to depose Cedras, restore
Aristide, and supervise new elections in 1995.18
Earlier that same day, invoking the authority granted to him by Title 10, Section
673(b), Clinton authorized the Secretary of Defense “to order to active duty units, and
individuals not assigned to units, of the Selected Reserve.”19 This authority allowed the
president to order members of the Selected Reserve to active duty, but with certain
restrictions: Each reservist could only be activated for up to 90 days, with a possible 90
day extension, and the total number of reservists on active duty at any given time could not
exceed 200,000. Under this call-up, reservists began to enter active duty on September
20, 1994.
In the face of an imminent U.S. invasion, Cedras agreed to cede power. On
September 19, 1994, U.S. military personnel began to occupy Haiti to assist with the
restoration of the Aristide government and to help prepare the nation for new elections.
On October 5, 1994, Congress extended the duration of involuntary active duty under 10
U.S.C. 673(b) to a single period of 270 days. This extension applied to all reservists
called up under this authority, even those who had been activated before the law was
enacted. With the exception of those who chose to stay on active duty voluntarily, all
involuntarily activated reservists were released from active duty by May 1, 1996.
18 Congressional Quarterly, “Clinton Offers Justification for Invasion of Haiti,” September
17, 1995, 2605.
19 President William Jefferson Clinton, Executive Order 12927, September 15, 1994. Printed
in the Federal Register, Volume 59, No. 180, September 19, 1994.

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CRS-17
The Intervention in Haiti: Personnel and Units Activated
Component
Personnela
Units
Elements of 10 Civil Affairs Brigades, 2
Psychological Operations groups, 1 Military Police
Army Reserve
1,897
command, 1 Transportation Battalion, 1 Engineer
Battalion, and 3 Adjutant General Companies.b
4 Special Forces Companies, 3 Military Police
Army National
845
Companies, 2 Aviation Companies, and 6 smaller
Guard
sized units.c
Naval Reserve
762
None, all personnel were activated as individuals.d
Air Force
0
None.e
Reserve
Air National
0
None.f
Guard
Marine Corps
16
None, all personnel were activated as individuals.g
Reserve
Coast Guard
2 Port Security units and 1 Harbor Defense
160
Reserve
Command unit.h
Total Personnel
3,680
a Army Reserve figure provided by Lieutenant Colonel Robert S. Lepianka, Branch Chief Current
Operations, Office Chief Army Reserve. Army National Guard figure provided by Lieutenant
Colonel Stone, Army National Guard Readiness Center. Air Force Reserve figure provided by
Charles F. O’Connell, Director of Historical Services, Headquarters, Air Force Reserve
Command. Air National Guard figure provided by Charles J. Gross, Chief of Air National Guard
History, National Guard Bureau. Coast Guard Reserve figure provided by Lieutenant Commander
Kevin Brown, Office of Reserve Affairs, U.S. Coast Guard Headquarters. The other personnel
figures are from the Department of Defense, Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for
Reserve Affairs.
b Derived from a listing of units provided by Lieutenant Colonel Robert S. Lepianka, Branch Chief
Current Operations, Office Chief Army Reserve.
c Derived from a listing of units provided by Lieutenant Colonel Stone, Army National Guard
Readiness Center.
d Correspondence from Jerry Barrett, Navy Personnel Command, dated April 17, 2000.
e Correspondence from Charles F. O’Connell, Director of Historical Services, Headquarters, Air Force
Reserve Command, dated April 20, 2000.
f Charles J. Gross, “Air National Guard (ANG) Participation in Operation Allied Force,” fact sheet
compiled by the Air National Guard Historical Branch, September 22, 1999, 1.
g Conversation with Lieutenant Colonel Lowell Grubbs, United States Marine Corps, May 17, 2000.
h Lieutenant Commander Kevin Brown, Office of Reserve Affairs, U.S. Coast Guard Headquarters.

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CRS-18
The Ongoing Bosnian Peacekeeping Mission: Background
On December 14, 1995, the presidents of Bosnia, Croatia, and Serbia signed an
agreement to end a three-year old civil war in Bosnia-Herzegovina, a region in the former
Republic of Yugoslavia. Enforcement of the peace agreement was assigned to a NATO-
led multi-national force which included a substantial U.S. military presence.
In anticipation of this peace agreement, President Clinton had authorized a reserve
call-up one week earlier. On December 8, 1995, Clinton had authorized the Secretary of
Defense to activate members of the Selected Reserve, invoking the authority granted under
Title 10, Section 12304 (formerly Section 673(b)) of the United States Code. This
authority allowed the president to order members of the Selected Reserve to active duty,
but with certain restrictions: Each reservist could only be activated for up to 270 days and
the total number of reservists on active duty at any given time could not exceed 200,000.
The first reservists called under this authority entered active duty on December 11, 1995.20
As of the date this report was published, this mission was still ongoing and reservists were
still being involuntarily activated for it. The data listed in the table below are accurate as
of February 3, 2000.
20 Information received from Lieutenant Colonel Robert S. Lepianka, Branch Chief Current
Operations, Office Chief Army Reserve.

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CRS-19
The Ongoing Bosnian Peacekeeping Mission: Personnel and Units Activated
Component
Personnela
Units
3 Transportation Companies, 2 Military Police
Companies, 1 Adjutant General Company, 1
Ordnance Company and 892 smaller units,
Army Reserve
12,652
primarily Civil Affairs, Public Affairs, Military
Intelligence, Medical, Postal, Mobilization Support,
Military Police and Transportation Detachments.
1 Area Support Group, 1 Military Intelligence
Battalion, 12 Military Police Companies, 3
Maintenance Companies, 2 Medical Companies, 1
Army National
5,567
Infantry Company, 1 Transportation Company, and
Guard
189 smaller units, primarily Public Affairs, Medical,
Finance, Artillery, Engineer, and Adjutant General
Detachments.b
Naval Reserve
739
None, all personnel were activated as individuals.c
Air Force
0
None
Reserve
Air National
8 Air Traffic Control and Combat Communications
264
Guard
units (all squadron size or smaller).d
Marine Corps
102
None, all personnel were activated as individuals.e
Reserve
Coast Guard
0
None
Reserve
Total Personnel
19,324
a Army National Guard figures provided by Lieutenant Colonel Stone, Army National Guard Readiness
Center. All other personnel figures are from the Department of Defense, Office of the Assistant
Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs.
b Lieutenant Colonel Stone, Army National Guard Readiness Center.
c Correspondence from Jerry Barrett, Navy Personnel Command, dated April 17, 2000.
d Charles Gross, “From Korea to Kosovo,” published in The On Guard , May, 1999, 15.
e Conversation with Lieutenant Colonel Lowell Grubbs, United States Marine Corps, May 15, 2000.

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CRS-20
The Ongoing Conflict with Iraq: Background
Since the end of the Persian Gulf War in 1991, the United States has maintained a
substantial military presence in the region in order to enforce the terms of the cease-fire
agreements. The United States has used this military force to compel Iraqi compliance
with the terms of the cease fire agreements on a number of occasions from 1991 to the
present.21 One of the most significant U.S. confrontations with Iraq began in late 1997,
in response to Iraqi interference in the conduct of U.N. weapons inspections. As tensions
with Iraq mounted, the United States began to build up its forces in the Gulf region. Since
then, a nearly constant low-intensity air war has been taking place in and over Iraq: Iraqi
anti-aircraft weapons fire on U.S. and allied aircraft; the allies respond by bombarding
these and other military targets.
In February of 1998, Secretary of Defense William Cohen asked President Bill
Clinton for the authority to call-up members of the Selected Reserve to support the
operations in the Gulf region. Secretary Cohen announced that he needed the reservists
to fill gaps in combat support and logistics operations.22 Clinton granted this request on
February 24, 1998, invoking the authority granted by Title 10, section 12304 of the United
States Code.23 This authority allowed the president to order members of the Selected
Reserve to active duty, but with certain restrictions: Each reservist could only be activated
for up to 270 days and the total number of reservists on active duty at any given time could
not exceed 200,000. The first reservists called under this authority entered active duty on
March 1, 1998. As of the date this report was published, this mission was still ongoing and
reservists were still being involuntarily activated for it. The data listed in the table below
are accurate as of February 3, 2000.
21 See (name r edacted), CRS Report to Congress 98-386F, Iraq: Post-War Challenges
and U.S. Responses, 1991-1998.
22 Jack Wehle, Army Times, “Reserve and Guard Units Called Up for Gulf Standby,” March
9, 1998, 26.
23 William Jefferson Clinton, Executive Order 13076, “Ordering the Selected Reserve of the
Armed Forces to Active Duty.” Printed in the Federal Register, Volume 63, No. 38,
February 24, 1998, 9719.

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CRS-21
The Ongoing Conflict with Iraq: Personnel and Units Activated
Component
Personnela
Units
2 Chemical Companies; 8 smaller units, primarily
Army Reserve
268
Chemical, Civil Affairs, and Mobilization Support
Detachments.b
Army National
6 Infantry Companies, 19 Aviation Detachments
1,287
Guard
and 7 Infantry Detachments.c
Naval Reserve
131
None, all personnel were activated as individuals.d
Air Force
3
None, all personnel were activated as individuals.
Reserve
Air National
Elements of 2 Rescue Wings, 4 Air Control
328
Guard
Squadron, and 1 Weather Flight.e
Marine Corps
21
None, all personnel were activated as individuals.f
Reserve
Coast Guard
0
None.
Reserve
Total Personnel
2,038
a Army National Guard figure provided by Lieutenant Colonel Stone, Army National Guard Readiness
Center. Air National Guard figure provided by Charles J. Gross, Chief of Air National Guard
History, National Guard Bureau. All other personnel figures are from the Department of Defense,
Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs.
b Information received from Lieutenant Colonel Robert S. Lepianka, Branch Chief Current Operations,
Office Chief Army Reserve.
c Lieutenant Colonel Stone, Army National Guard Readiness Center.
d Correspondence from Jerry Barrett, Navy Personnel Command, dated April 17, 2000.
e Air National Guard Report, “IRAQ 1 MOBREP,” March 6, 2000.
f Conversation with Lieutenant Colonel Lowell Grubbs, United States Marine Corps, May 15, 2000.

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CRS-22
The Kosovo Conflict and the Ongoing Kosovo
Peacekeeping Mission: Background
On March 24, 1999, NATO began conducting air-strikes against targets in Kosovo
and Serbia, both provinces of the former Yugoslavia, in order to deter attacks by Serbia
on the Kosovars, to degrade the capabilities of the Serbian military, and to force Serbia
to withdraw from Kosovo. On April 13, General Wesley Clark, then the top U.S. and
NATO commander in Europe, asked the United States for 300 more aircraft to support
this air campaign.24 Shortly thereafter, Pentagon officials sent President Clinton a request
to call-up reserve forces to support the Kosovo mission.
On April 27, 1999, President Bill Clinton authorized the activation of members of the
Selected Reserve, invoking the authority granted by Title 10, section 12304 of the United
States Code.25 This authority allowed the president to order members of the Selected
Reserve to active duty, but with certain restrictions: Each reservist could only be activated
for up to 270 days and the total number of reservists on active duty at any given time could
not exceed 200,000. The first reservists called under this authority began entering active
duty on May 1, 1999.26
The air war officially ended on June 20, 1999, after Serbian forces had completed
their withdrawal from Kosovo. However, a NATO peacekeeping force was immediately
deployed to Kosovo. U.S. military personnel, including reservists, were part of that force.
As of the date this report was published, this mission was still ongoing and reservists were
still being involuntarily activated for it. The data listed in the table below are accurate as
of February 3, 2000.
24 Gross, “Air National Guard: Kosovo Chronology,” entry for 13 April, 1999.
25 William Jefferson Clinton, Executive Order 13120, “Ordering the Selected Reserve of the
Armed Forces to Active Duty,” April 27, 1999.
26 Gross, “Air National Guard: Kosovo Chronology,” entry for 1 May 1999.

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CRS-23
The Kosovo Conflict and the Ongoing Kosovo Peacekeeping Mission:
Personnel and Units Activated
Component
Personnela
Units
2 Military Police Companies and 48 smaller units,
Army Reserve
505
primarily Civil Affairs, Military Police, Mobilization
Support, and Finance Detachments.b
Army National
312
1 Engineer Company and 9 smaller units.
Guard
Naval Reserve
603
None, all personnel were activated as individuals.c
Elements of 3 Air Refueling Wings, 1 Rescue
Air Force
1,179
Wing, 1 Air Mobility Wing, 1 Air Refueling Group,
Reserve
and 1 Air Control Group.d
Elements of 9 Air Refueling Wings and 3 Fighter
Wings; 3 Combat Control Groups, 6 Combat
Air National
Communications Squadrons, 3 Air Control
3,266
Guard
Squadrons, and 3 Air Traffic Control Squadrons;
elements of 3 Intelligence Squadronsand 29
Weather units.e
Marine Corps
65
None, all personnel were activated as individuals.f
Reserve
Coast Guard
3
None, all personnel were activated as individuals.g
Reserve
Total Personnel
5,933
a The Army National Guard figure was provided by Lieutenant Colonel Stone, Army National Guard
Readiness Center. The Coast Guard Reserve figure was provided by Lieutenant Commander
Kevin Brown, Office of Reserve Affairs, U.S. Coast Guard Headquarters. All other personnel
figures are from the Department of Defense, Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for
Reserve Affairs.
b Information received from Lieutenant Colonel Robert S. Lepianka, Branch Chief Current Operations,
Office Chief Army Reserve.
c Correspondence from Jerry Barrett, Navy Personnel Command, dated April 17, 2000.
d Correspondence from Charles O’Connell, Director of Historical Service, Headquarter, Air Force
Reserve Command, dated April 20, 2000.
e Gross, “Air National Guard (ANG) Participation in Operation Allied Force,” 2-3. Charles J. Gross,
draft chapter for “The Air War Over Serbia Report,” United States Air Force.
f Conversation with Lieutenant Colonel Lowell Grubbs, United States Marine Corps, May 15, 2000.
g Lieutenant Commander Kevin Brown, Office of Reserve Affairs, U.S. Coast Guard Headquarters.

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