Troop drawdown & Res/Guard

[OR 5]

I am not in the military but wondered if some of you guys and girls can speculate on joining the Army Guard or Res and the deployment possibilities, Navy can speak too. Speculate on deploying to Afganistan, is it still on the table in 2015? Iraq? Korea? Interested in the outlook for Family Medicine or Internal Medicine. I realize your opinions are only speculation. Some of these deployment treads are 3 years old so I'm trying to get new info if possible.
If deployment isn't on the table so much, what would your job be like for Guard or Res ARMY? Navy can speak too. Would it be one weekend a month doing physicals if Family or Internal Medicine?

Thank you for your input

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[OR 5]

Anyone?

 

[colbgw02]

My speculation is that it's only a matter of time before the next conflict, whether it's back in Iraq/Afghanistan, on the Korean penninsula, in Syria, or some place most Americans have never heard about. Expect to deploy, and then if it doesn't happen, it's gravy. I also advise anyone who is unwilling to deploy to avoid the military.

 

[Gastrapathy]

Bingo. Don't join if you don't want to deploy. If you join, do your part or someone else gets to do his own part and your part.

 

[notdeadyet]

Ditto the above. Don't join an organization whose sole purpose is to prepare to deploy if you don't want to deploy.

Also, after nearly ten years of deployments and with the reserve corps supplying about half of the folks who served in combat, my personal opinion is that the threshold for deploying the reserve corps will be lower in the future than it was in the past.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Yellowstone]

Things have changed a lot in 3 years. I'm new to the Navy Reserve and there doesn't seem to be much going on deployment wise. Reserves are being asked to do their two weeks annual training at large hospitals in order to support the active duty who are deploying (on the hospital ships). I'm guessing that until the next major conflict (which could be in 10 days or 10 years), there won't be many opportunities to deploy. You might have to fight to deploy, especially for FP/IM. Navy Reserve seems intent on shrinking the force, as we are regularly reminded that we will be processed for separation for not doing x, y, z - although I suspect that they want to keep as many docs as they can.

 

[Fluidity of Movement]

I just recently got out of the Army Guard as enlisted. Word of mouth was that our state was going to be deploying in 2015, and though most scheduled deployments in 2014 were canceled, some still went through.

The general understanding from all of the NCOs on base is that we *are* going to war within the next 3-6 years. How large of a conflict or how long, nobody knows. But with all of the turmoil in the middle-east, and Americas track record, it seems pretty logical to assume that there will be boots on the ground at some point in 201X.


You being a doctor, I would speculate that you will be needed *somewhere* regardless of whether or not we go to war. So you will be deployed based on your unit's schedule. If not, you can always volunteer to deploy with another unit, but you will need permission.

Please correct me if I'm wrong. I don't know too much about commissioned Guards.

 

[SpinalFusion]

I just recently got out of the Army Guard as enlisted. Word of mouth was that our state was going to be deploying in 2015, and though most scheduled deployments in 2014 were canceled, some still went through.

The general understanding from all of the NCOs on base is that we *are* going to war within the next 3-6 years. How large of a conflict or how long, nobody knows. But with all of the turmoil in the middle-east, and Americas track record, it seems pretty logical to assume that there will be boots on the ground at some point in 201X.


You being a doctor, I would speculate that you will be needed *somewhere* regardless of whether or not we go to war. So you will be deployed based on your unit's schedule. If not, you can always volunteer to deploy with another unit, but you will need permission.

Please correct me if I'm wrong. I don't know too much about commissioned Guards.

Yikes. Scary prospect for my HSP friends.

 

[Red Lobster Actual]

The general understanding from all of the NCOs on base is that we *are* going to war within the next 3-6 years. How large of a conflict or how long, nobody knows. But with all of the turmoil in the middle-east, and Americas track record, it seems pretty logical to assume that there will be boots on the ground at some point in 201X.

Very true.

1945: WW2 end
1950 - 1953: Korea
~1960 - 1975: Vietnam
1983: Grenada
1989: Panama
1991: Gulf 1
1994: Haiti
2001...

 

[sonofva]

I just finished the emergency war surgery course and there were 6 navy folks, 4 of which were reserves preparing for deployment

 

[SpinalFusion]

I just finished the emergency war surgery course and there were 6 navy folks, 4 of which were reserves preparing for deployment

Not to derail, but that sounds like an insanely cool course!

 

[denali]

My speculation is that it's only a matter of time before the next conflict, whether it's back in Iraq/Afghanistan, on the Korean penninsula, in Syria, or some place most Americans have never heard about. Expect to deploy, and then if it doesn't happen, it's gravy. I also advise anyone who is unwilling to deploy to avoid the military.

Bingo. Don't join if you don't want to deploy. If you join, do your part or someone else gets to do his own part and your part.

So simple yet so many people can't grasp this.

We are spoiled now; there is no more compulsory military service. My father and uncles didn't get the opportunity to volunteer.

"But I know someone who didn't have to go ...", "The OPTEMPO is less now ...", "But the Guard and Reserves don't ..." Stop, just stop.

If you are not willing to deploy when, where, & why the military says, then do not join the military.

Simple as that.

 

[DD214_DOC]

Things have shifted from, "combat deployments" to, "operational deployments", although some of these are to areas like Iraq. All of us leaving residency were told to expect to be deployed within 12 months of leaving. Things HAVE slowed down, though. Operational deployments have always existed, so it's nothing new. There are many other places in the world to deploy besides Iraq and Afghanistan.