Marines Tag IRRs For Callup

President Bush has authorized the Marine Corps to call up Marines from the Individual Ready Reserve (IRR). The IRR includes 59,000 Marines who have completed their initial enlistment, but are still within a mandatory eight-year military service obligation. Up to 2,500 Marines may be on involuntary active duty at any time, but the actual number will depend on how many other Marines volunteer for deployments. Those earmarked will receive at least five months notice to report for an average of 12 to 18 months of active duty. Needed most are Marines in the combat arms, communications, intelligence, engineer and military police career fields. Excluded from the call up will be Marines in their first year of IRR service and those who have recently been in a combat zone. The Corps has established a Web site for IRR Marines and recent retirees to volunteer for war-on-terror assignments: https://mcmps.manpower.usmc.mil/MCMPS/GIDA/.