While the Ukraine conflict rages on and rumors run rampant about France potentially deploying up to 2,000 troops to Ukraine, according to Russian intelligence, the US Army yesterday issued a “Utilization of the Army Retiree Recall Program.”
On March 20th, the US Army Publishing Directorate published ALARACT 017/2024. The title of the form is “Utilization of the Army Retiree Recall Program” and it cites Executive Order 13223 under “References”. Executive Order 13223 is a Bush-era EO from September 14, 2001 titled “Ordering the Ready Reserve of the Armed Forces to Active Duty and Delegating Certain Authorities to the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Transportation.”
The 18-page PDF for the ALARACT, which stands for “All Army Activities”, contains a slide titled “Directorate of Military Personnel Management.” Under the first slide, it states:
“What is a Retiree Recall? -A recalled retiree is a retired Soldier who is ordered to active duty from the Retired Reserve or the retired list under 10 USC 688/688a, 12301(a), or 12301(d) and serves in his or her retired status. Retiree Recall is not an extension of your MRD.
Who can approve a Retiree Recall? -The Assistant Secretary of the Army (ASA) of Manpower and Reserve Affairs (M&RA) is the authorized approver to recall retired Soldiers.”
The ALARACT does reference “peacetime operations”:
1.E. (U) AR 601-10, Management and Recall to Active Duty of Retired Soldiers of the Army In Support of Mobilization and Peacetime Operations.
It appears the last time a Retiree Recall was instituted was in May, 2020 when volunteers among 800,000 Individual Ready Reserve and retired Soldiers were sought to help with the COVID pandemic response. According to the 2020 publication, “retiree recalls” were also conducted during Desert Storm, on 9/11, and during Operation Iraqi Freedom.
In July 2023, The Gateway Pundit reported a Presidential Action issued by Joe Biden authorizing, if necessary, the activation of 3,000 Reservists and 450 from the Individual Ready Reserves, to serve in Operation Atlantic Resolve.
