Military

A military or military force (n., from Latin militarius, miles "soldier") has seen many different incarnations throughout time. Early armies may have been just men with sharpened sticks and rocks, through time they have included advancements such as men mounted on horses, men wielding swords and other metallic weapons, the bow and arrow, seige weapons, to the advance of the musket which form the roots of the armed force of most nations we know today. In modern times people use vehicles and guns.

Military reserve

:Main article: Military reserve

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Military reserve refers to specific trained pre-organized forces operating as an on call basis from the main military force.

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In the United States, the Reserves forces such as the Army Reserves, the Air Force Reserves, and the Naval Reserve, plus Militia units of the Army National Guard and Air National Guard (both under joint State and Federal control), are preorganized with command staffs, equipment and facilities, but which are composed of citizen soldiers, mostly and normally personal that have left the 'regular forces' for a mainly civilian life interspersed with a regular commitment to train and drill for a contracted mininum period of each year.

Related Topics:
United States - Army Reserves - Air Force Reserves - Naval Reserve - Army National Guard - Air National Guard

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In the US, a governor of a state can mobilize his National Guard Forces for a variety of domestic emergenies ranging from natural disasters (Flood, Earthquake, Forest Fires) to civil policing (riots, wilderness searches, medical pandemics), but such forces may be also called up by the National Command Authority (NCA) via The Pentagon to be deployed as additional forces available on an as needed basis.

Related Topics:
National Guard Force - National Command Authority - The Pentagon

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Many reserve forces have specific training and specialized talents filling a preallocated unit mission profile (e.g. Many 'Military Police' trained regular reserve units and 'National Guard units' were mobilized during the Iraq War, as were units specializing in supply, transport, engineering, et al.) These various volunteer manned units are always 'on call' and refered to as the ready reserves but might be augmented by the Inactive Reserves in time of dire emergency or total war under the United States model— the inactive reserve is composed of all former serving members of any of the US Armed Forces of military age. Individuls in this class are former members of the regular and ready reserve forces, that have opted to discontinue service in any of those organized bodys; in general, the inactive reserves are not an organized force, but a resource of trained manpower that can be mobilized similar to calling up a levy but in theory with the training of a militia. Individuals in the inactive reserves with specialized talents are from time to time also recalled into service, albeit rarely, one exception being the ongoing current need for Military Police and Quartermasters in Iraq.

Related Topics:
National Guard - Iraq War - Ready reserve - Inactive Reserve

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