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 In a letter to leaders of the U.S. Congress, Obama said he had
determined it was necessary to augment the active duty military with
an unspecified number of reservists to help support the fight
against the Ebola virus in West Africa.
The Pentagon said the notification cleared they way for it to
activate members of the military reserves, many of whom are
specialists in skills that are available in only limited numbers in
the active duty military.
Those currently being sought included engineers, logistics staff,
communications specialists, civil affairs experts and religious
affairs personnel, a Pentagon spokeswoman said, adding that no
individuals or units had yet been identified for call-up.
"This expands the department's ability to look at the reserve
component for additional sources of the skills sets that aren't in
the active duty force" or are in short supply there, the spokeswoman
said.
The U.S. military is structured in a way that makes it common to
call up members of the reserves. The vast majority of engineers,
transport units, civil affairs personnel, military police and
medical units are in the reserves or National Guard, the state-based
militia.
Obama's notification to congressional leaders came as the White
House shifted into crisis mode over Ebola after the infection of two
nurses in Dallas who treated a man who had contracted the virus in
Liberia.
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The president canceled two days of planned political events just
three weeks ahead of critical midterm elections amid rising
criticism from Republicans who charge that he has been too slow to
protect Americans from everything from Ebola to Islamic State
militants in Iraq and Syria.
(Reporting By Steve Holland, Jeff Mason and David Alexander; Editing
by Sandra Maler and Tom Brown)
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