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
-
Commentary
National Security Human Capital
The Kid Rock Flyby Controversy and the Erosion of Military ProfessionalismAdherence to high standards and a willingness to conduct investigations when those standards may have been violated are a feature of the American military and contribute in no...
By Dr. Jason Dempsey
-
Podcast
National Security Human Capital
Beyond the Selective Service MythsThe debate over resuming the draft often resurfaces during global tension, yet its complexities remain misunderstood. Editor-in-Chief JP Clark sits down with experts William T...
By Katherine L. Kuzminski
-
Video
National Security Human Capital
Hegseth Accused of ‘Lying to the American Public’ About War in IranPentagon chief Pete Hegseth and top general Dan Caine faced lawmakers for the first time since the Iran war began, as the Trump administration seeks a record $1.5 trillion def...
By Katherine L. Kuzminski
-
Video
National Security Human Capital
What the New Draft Registration Rule Means for YouA new rule will automatically register men between 18 and 25 for the Selective Service starting in December. How will that work? PBS News’ Tim McPhillips spoke with Katherine ...
By Katherine L. Kuzminski
