Strained Army Reserve blocks officer departures

Strained Army Reserve blocks officer departures
By Will Dunham

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Army Reserve, strained by the Iraq war, has blocked hundreds of officers who have finished their voluntary service commitment from leaving the military, officials said on Thursday.

The Army Reserve has been applying a policy preventing officers from resigning their military commissions if it has a personnel shortage in their particular specialty or if they have not yet been deployed for duty in Iraq, Afghanistan or in a homeland defense mission, officials said.

"There is a global war on terrorism going on. We have shortages in certain fields. We do what we do for the needs of the country," said Army Reserve spokesman Steve Stromvall.

Roughly 400 officers have had their resignations rejected under the policy, put in place in 2004, the Army Reserve said.

A small number have filed court challenges, saying that while they are proud of their service, the Army Reserve's policy is unlawful and breaches the concept of an all-volunteer military.

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