May 11, 2017
We need legislation to cover the US Guard and Reserve
It’s time to be honest about the Guard and the Reserve — despite their name and low-commitment reputation, it’s been a long time since serving as a member of the Reserve component, or RC, has truly consisted of one weekend a month and two weeks of training in the summer.
The RC has been a consistent source of boots on the ground in Iraq and Afghanistan, used to ameliorate the operational tempo and strain on the active-duty force. However, rhetoric surrounding the “total force” concept is only now catching up with reality, and there’s a moral imperative for legislation and policy to do the same. Congress should update the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act, also know as USERRA, to reflect the increased training commitments of today’s force and consider additional tax benefits such as deductions for hiring reservists and tax exemptions for "differential pay."
Read the full article at Defense News.
More from CNAS
-
Video
National Security Human Capital
How America’s Military Shaped the Nation’s History and Evolved Over 250 YearsOver the last 250 years, the United States military has helped shape the nation's history – from the fight for independence to its emergence as the world's leading military po...
By Katherine L. Kuzminski
-
Commentary
National Security Human Capital
Myths of Battlefield Triumph Are Destroying the U.S. MilitaryIt is the narrative of triumph forsaken: The United States can still defeat Iran if only it has the will and endurance....
By Dr. Jason Dempsey
-
Congressional Testimony
National Security Human Capital
The Airpower We Need for Irregular WarfareWhy does providing aircraft to partner forces so often fall short of building an effective air force? Retired Lieutenant General Anthony Rock, Michael Horowitz, and Tobias Swi...
By Tobias Switzer
-
Reports
National Security Human Capital
Redrawing the MapExecutive Summary The United States is home to 17.3 million veterans in 2026—a population that has declined from 21.0 million in 2015, as older, conscription-era veterans have...
By Katherine L. Kuzminski
