The Pentagon says 14,370 Utahns in the National Guard and military reserve units are eligible to be called into active duty under orders that President Bush issued Wednesday.
However, President Bush's Wednesday call-up of reserve component troops to active duty did not specify what the mix will be between the two elements of the reserve component - the Reserves and the National Guard. (See story on A1.)Utah National Guard troops were the first reserve component soldiers from the state to be called to voluntary service in the Middle East, although Army Reserve troops in Utah have yet to be called to active duty. No Guard unit call-ups have been announced yet.
The distinction between Reserve troops and National Guard troops - both of which fall under the umbrella of the "reserve component" - becomes increasingly important as Utahns watch to see which of their friends, family members and employees who don a uniform on weekends will be affected by orders from the Pentagon.
As of Thursday morning, both sides of the reserve component were waiting for more specific orders.
"Nobody at this level knows right now" which troops from Utah could be called up, said Maj. Bob Nelson, public affairs officer for the Utah National Guard. "The order that went out yesterday did not result in a directive to activate separate units."
National Guard officials were awaiting more specific instructions Thursday, but the Wednesday statement by White House Press Secretary Marlin Fitzwater indicated the kinds of troops the Pentagon will be looking for: cargo handling, airlift, food and water handling, surface transportation, medical services, construction and intelligence.
"If you stack that up against the kind of units that are in the Utah National Guard inventory and the Army Reserve inventory, you get a pretty good idea of the kinds of units that could be activated," Nelson said.
Both the Guard and Reserve in Utah have hospital units, construction engineers, military intelligence linguists and other specialties mentioned.
"Nobody will know until we get the order. That may come today and it may not. But we are ready," Nelson said.
According to Utah officials, all four branches of the military and the CoastGuard are represented in Utah by Reserve soldiers. The National Guard, on the other hand, is represented by only Air Force and Army branches.
Two weeks ago, about 30 Utah National Guard members, most of them members of aerial refueling tanker units, were called into voluntary active duty and are still serving in capacities and locations that have not been made public.
Because the National Guard functions as the state militia with Gov. Norm Bangerter acting as commander in chief, Bangerter was notified that his consent was required before the individual National Guard members were taken into federal service. The governor's consent will be requested if or when additional National Guard soldiers are asked to volunteer for active duty, Nelson said.
But while the governor has consent authority involving individual activations, the governor's consent would not be required if entire National Guard units were activated. "The governor would certainly be briefed prior to a call-up," Nelson said, "But his consent is not necessary" if entire troop units are federalized.
Reserve troops, on the other hand, do not have an accountability to the state and are controlled entirely through federal channels.
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On call
The numbers of people in Utah units who would be eligible for activation under orders Bush issued, according to Maj. Doug Hart, which were accurate as of the end of fiscal 1989, are:
- Army National Guard: 6,365 total, including 880 officers and 5,485 enlisted personnel.
- Air National Guard: 1,595 total, including 179 officers and 1,416 enlisted personnel.
- Army Reserve: 2,941 total, including 559 officers and 2,382 enlisted personnel.
- Air Force Reserve: 2,136 total, including 275 officers and 1,861 enlisted personnel.
- Navy Reserve: 1,159 total, including 104 officers and 1,055 enlisted personnel.
- Marine Corps Reserve: 174 total, including eight officers and 166 enlisted personnel.