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Frack me !!
Trump signs executive order to draft retired pilots back into military service
Trump’s Friday executive order would allow the military to institute a “mini-draft” on about 1,000 retired pilots
Section 1 of Executive Order 13223 is amended by adding at the end: "The authorities available for use during a national emergency under sections 688 and 690 of title 10, United States Code, are also invoked and made available, according to their terms, to the Secretary concerned, subject in the case of the Secretaries of the Army, Navy, and Air Force, to the direction of the Secretary of Defense."
So he’s referencing Bush's executive order, and then referencing sections 688 and 690 of the United States Code. If you go to those codes, you’ll see that title 10, section 688 of the United States Code says
Trump signs executive order to draft retired pilots back into military service
Trump’s Friday executive order would allow the military to institute a “mini-draft” on about 1,000 retired pilots
Section 1 of Executive Order 13223 is amended by adding at the end: "The authorities available for use during a national emergency under sections 688 and 690 of title 10, United States Code, are also invoked and made available, according to their terms, to the Secretary concerned, subject in the case of the Secretaries of the Army, Navy, and Air Force, to the direction of the Secretary of Defense."
So he’s referencing Bush's executive order, and then referencing sections 688 and 690 of the United States Code. If you go to those codes, you’ll see that title 10, section 688 of the United States Code says
Under regulations prescribed by the Secretary of Defense… a [retired member of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, or Reserve] may be ordered to active duty by the Secretary of the military department concerned at any time. … The Secretary concerned may, to the extent consistent with other provisions of law, assign a member ordered to active duty under this section to such duties as the Secretary considers necessary in the interests of national defense.
Section 688 (d) then states that certain retired officers — specifically, those who retired on “selective early retirement basis” — may not be ordered to active duty by the “Secretary of the military department.” Furthermore, in section (e), the code notes that members “ordered to active duty” under this code will be limited to 12 months of active duty.
But then, the final section of 688 states that the aforementioned two exclusions are “waived” in “periods of war or active emergency” — which is exactly what Trump has just affirmed exists right now.
This means that this executive order is a bit of a “micro-draft”: It allows the military to recall retired officers to active duty. A USA Today article about this executive order (or rather, this amendment to an existing executive order) noted that the Air Force has been particularly crucial in military operations against ISIS in Syria and Iraq. Moreover, the Air Force has had a pilot shortage brewing for over a decade. In September 2017, military leaders interviewed by United Press International (UPI) that the military was in a crisis. “We're 1,500 pilots short, and if we don't find a way to turn this around, our ability to defend the nation is compromised,” Gen. David L. Goldfein, Air Force Chief of Staff, told UPI. Likewise, a report by the RAND corporation, a think tank, stated that the shortage was partially because “employment opportunities are excellent in the private sector.”
Section 688 (d) then states that certain retired officers — specifically, those who retired on “selective early retirement basis” — may not be ordered to active duty by the “Secretary of the military department.” Furthermore, in section (e), the code notes that members “ordered to active duty” under this code will be limited to 12 months of active duty.
But then, the final section of 688 states that the aforementioned two exclusions are “waived” in “periods of war or active emergency” — which is exactly what Trump has just affirmed exists right now.
This means that this executive order is a bit of a “micro-draft”: It allows the military to recall retired officers to active duty. A USA Today article about this executive order (or rather, this amendment to an existing executive order) noted that the Air Force has been particularly crucial in military operations against ISIS in Syria and Iraq. Moreover, the Air Force has had a pilot shortage brewing for over a decade. In September 2017, military leaders interviewed by United Press International (UPI) that the military was in a crisis. “We're 1,500 pilots short, and if we don't find a way to turn this around, our ability to defend the nation is compromised,” Gen. David L. Goldfein, Air Force Chief of Staff, told UPI. Likewise, a report by the RAND corporation, a think tank, stated that the shortage was partially because “employment opportunities are excellent in the private sector.”
