Reserve Component, Civilian Response Corps

"A second task we can take on together is to design and establish a volunteer Civilian Reserve Corps. Such a corps would function much like our military reserve. It would ease the burden on the Armed Forces by allowing us to hire civilians with critical skills to serve on missions abroad when America needs them. And it would give people across America who do not wear the uniform a chance to serve in the defining struggle of our time."

– President Bush’s State of the Union Address, January 23, 2007

In both the 2006 National Security Strategy and the 2007 State of the Union address, the Administration has proposed the creation of a civilian equivalent of the military reserves in order to help fill the serious gap in the U.S. Government’s civilian Reconstruction and Stabilization (R&S) capacity. The Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction (SIGIR), the RAND Corporation, the Defense Science Board, and other experts have also strongly recommended the creation of such an organization. Recent efforts to field civilian personnel for missions in Iraq and Afghanistan have shown the need to create a pre-selected, trained, and prepared expert civilian corps, ready to go when called, and to function as U.S. Government (USG) personnel when deployed. This capacity is important to meet the growing demand for technical expertise to answer R&S needs.

In responding to this need, the State Department is leading an interagency effort to establish a standing U.S. civilian response capacity. The core of this capacity will be the Civilian Response Corps (CRC), which will have Active, Standby, and Reserve Components. In its budget proposal for Fiscal Year 2009, the Administration has requested $248.6 million for this purpose through the Civilian Stabilization Initiative.

If authorized and funded by Congress, the Reserve Component of the CRC will draw upon civilians outside the United States Government with critical skills either absent in the federal workforce, or present in insufficient numbers. Civilian Reservists will apply their expertise in public administration, justice and security, transitional economics and governance, energy, transportation, public affairs, education, health care, and other sectors to provide effective and informed R&S assistance. They will advise, mentor, and strengthen host-government capacity to govern and rebuild conflict and post-conflict states and put them on a sustainable path toward peace, democracy, and economic growth.

The USG, UN, and other international organizations, think tanks, and NGOs have identified a number of countries as being at imminent risk of falling into conflict and disarray. These crises may erupt suddenly, posing a number of stabilization challenges, particularly in the areas of peace and security, delivery of essential services, and effective governance. In cases in which U.S. national security interests are at stake, the U.S. government needs to be prepared to respond quickly.

Civilian Reservists will be hired by the Department of State (DOS) as General Schedule, intermittent employees and provided the same scope of benefits as deployed DOS employees (life insurance, health insurance, disability, post-differentials, hardship/danger pay, leave accumulation, etc). Civilian Reservists will earn their salary and benefits only when training or deployed. In order to qualify for the Reserve Component, applicants must be U.S. citizens, and obtain a Secret Level security clearance and medical clearance; more senior level Reservists will also require a Top Secret Level clearance.

Civilian Reservists will enter into an agreement with the Department of State to serve for 4 years, during which time they will be expected to deploy for one year. They will be given the option to end their service upon returning from their one year deployment or to extend their service for another 4 years, if they performed at a satisfactory level. Upon entering the Reserve Component, they will be required to attend 2-3 weeks of orientation training, and will receive 10-15 days of pre-deployment training prior to each deployment. In addition, they must attend 5-10 days of annual training throughout their service. Refusal to deploy or to attend mandatory training will result in their removal from the CRC and they will be required to repay the government for the full cost of their training, including related travel, lodging, pay, and per-diem.

The Civilian Response Operations Division of the Office of the Coordinator for Reconstruction and Stabilization (S/CRS) will support the recruitment, hiring, training, equipping, administration, management, and deployment of Civilian Reservists.

Gives Americans a Unique Opportunity to Serve

Many Americans within and outside the U.S. Government have made invaluable contributions in conflict environments like Iraq, Afghanistan, Kosovo, and Sudan. The Civilian Response Corps, including its Reserve Component, provides dedicated individuals with the opportunity to share their talents and assist people struggling to end decades of conflict, or recover from an unexpected crisis.

Facilitates the Transition from U.S. Troops to Trained Civilian Experts

The Departments of State and Defense, USAID, and others have been working closely to strengthen civilian planning, training, and deployment capabilities, and to improve harmonization of civilian and military activities. Establishing, training, and providing resources for a pool of civilian specialists allow the military to focus on its core responsibilities, with the assurance that civilian experts will be available to address critical reconstruction and stabilization tasks.

Expands International Pool of Deployable Civilian Experts

Many countries and international organizations have mechanisms to tap civilian expertise. Examples include the UK’s Stabilisation Unit, Canada’s CANADEM, the Australian Federal Police Force, the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations, the European Union, NATO, and others.