Citizen warriors

the long version

Citizen Warriors, by former Assistant Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs Stephen M. Duncan, is a personalized account of the distinguished modern history of America's reserve and National Guard forces. It also provides a startling prescription to help ensure our national security well into the twenty-first century. Following his examination of the service of America's reservists and national guardsmen during the Gulf War, Duncan initiates a provocative debate about the new, and he feels grossly misdirected, responsibilities of our citizen warriors. These include many social tasks, the performance of which dangerously undermines the combat readiness of all our armed forces. He spells out when military forces should, and should not, be used, and proposes fundamental principles that can be used for the effective training and best use of our reserve warriors in the future.