Peace Time: December 5, 2002

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Defense Secretary Rumsfeld has ordered a study of moving key missions from the reserve back to the active force. He was angered to learn that any serious overseas deployment of troops requires calling up reservists who are specialists in key logistics functions. The problem is that he will have to ask Congress for money for more active soldiers to fill these transferred jobs, and then will have to ask Congress to give up some of the National Guard slots which are regarded as a primary way of getting defense dollars into home districts. Thus there will be a lot of Congressional opposition to this new plan, but few in Congress will admit that it's all about pork. --Stephen V Cole