ad info

CNN.com
 MAIN PAGE
 WORLD
 ASIANOW
 U.S.
 LOCAL
 POLITICS
 WEATHER
 BUSINESS
 SPORTS
 TECHNOLOGY
 NATURE
 ENTERTAINMENT
 BOOKS
 TRAVEL
 FOOD
 HEALTH
 STYLE
 IN-DEPTH

 Headline News brief
 daily almanac
 CNN networks
 CNN programs
 on-air transcripts
 news quiz

  CNN WEB SITES:
CNN Websites
 TIME INC. SITES:
 MORE SERVICES:
 video on demand
 video archive
 audio on demand
 news email services
 free email accounts
 desktop headlines
 pointcast
 pagenet

 DISCUSSION:
 message boards
 chat
 feedback

 SITE GUIDES:
 help
 contents
 search

 FASTER ACCESS:
 europe
 japan

 WEB SERVICES:
US

Cohen: 'Significant' U.S. reserve call-up planned

graphic


 ALSO

Yugoslav prisoner of war in U.S. custody

New wave of refugees sweeps out of Yugoslavia

Clintons applaud Kosovo aid effort

 MESSAGE BOARD

Crisis in Kosovo

RELATED VIDEO
CNN's Rym Brahimi gives viewers a look inside a NATO AWAC surveillance plane (April 16)
Windows Media 28K 80K

U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Strobe Talbott discusses his recent visit to Balkan region (April 16)
Real 28K 80K
Windows Media 28K 80K
 

Clinton to meet with captured soldier's family

April 16, 1999
Web posted at: 12:52 p.m. EDT (1652 GMT)


In this story:

Number based on 'military necessity'

Biggest call-up since Gulf War

RELATED STORIES, SITES icon



WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Defense Secretary William Cohen said Friday the Pentagon planned to request a "significant number" of U.S. military reservists and National Guard members be called up to bolster the NATO war against Yugoslavia. But he said the specific number of personnel needed, which sources have put as high as 33,000, had not yet been decided.

President Clinton is expected to approve the request, administration sources said.

Clinton, meantime, was scheduled to meet on Friday with the family of U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Christopher Stone, one of three U.S. soldiers captured last month by Serb forces along the Yugoslav-Macedonian border.

The meeting will take place at Selfridge Field Air National Guard Base in Michigan, where Clinton will also visit military personnel. Michigan is Stone's home state.

Number based on 'military necessity'

The Pentagon's planned call-up could total 33,000 reserves, mostly air personnel, sources told CNN. The actual number would be based on "military necessity," the sources said, adding that it may not reach 30,000.

"That has not yet reached my desk," Cohen told reporters at the Pentagon when asked about how many reservists would be requested. He said he was meeting with Army Gen. Henry Shelton, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and other officials to discuss the matter.

"I think it will be a significant number," Cohen said. "I'm not in a position to say how large the number will be at this point."

There was no immediate word on how long the activated personnel would serve.

Most of those called up would be in the Air Force Reserve or the Air National Guard, to handle duties such as refueling, aircraft maintenance and ground logistics.

While many will be pilots or crew members for tankers, cargo planes or other support aircraft, some will operate fighter jets, including F-16s and A-10s, the New York Times reported on Friday.

The newspaper also said the Army is expected to call up a large contingent of reservists, many of them to support the deployment of two dozen Apache helicopter gunships to Albania.

Army reservists also would be assigned to medical, food handling and mail support duties.

Biggest call-up since Gulf War

The call-up would be the biggest since more than 200,000 reservists were activated during the Persian Gulf War.

The U.S. military relies heavily on reservists, sometimes called "citizen soldiers," for almost any large operation.

Many of the Air Force refueling aircraft in the Balkans already are operated by members of the Air National Guard. Nine Air Guard refueling wings from nine states already are participating in the NATO missions, as are KC-135 refueling units from five Air Force Reserve wings in five states.

The call-up of additional forces would follow a major buildup of U.S. and other NATO aircraft in the effort to halt Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic's campaign against ethnic Albanians in Kosovo province.

Correspondents John King, Jamie McIntyre and Gene Randall contributed to this report.



RELATED STORIES:
Cohen regrets convoy deaths, defends NATO pilot
April 15, 1999
NATO searches for answers in Kosovo convoy killings
April 15, 1999
Greece working on urgent humanitarian effort for Kosovo
April 15, 1999
Kosovo or bust, KLA guerrillas ready to fight
April 15, 1999

RELATED SITES:
Related to this story:
  • Selfridge Air National Guard Base

Extensive list of Kosovo-related sites:
  • Kosovo

Yugoslavia:
  • Federal Republic of Yugoslavia official site
      • Kesovo and Metohija facts
  • Serbia Ministry of Information
  • Serbia Now! News

Kosovo:
  • Kosova Crisis Center
  • Kosova Liberation Peace Movement
  • Kosovo - from Albanian.com

Military:
  • F-117s arrive at Aviano to support possible NATO operations
  • NATO official site
  • BosniaLINK - U.S. Dept. of Defense
  • U.S. Navy images from Operation Allied Force
  • U.K. Ministry of Defence - Kosovo news
  • U.K. Royal Air Force - Kosovo news
  • Jane's Defence - Kosovo Crisis


Relief:
  • U.S. Agency for International Development (Kosovo aid)
  • Doctors of the World
  • InterAction
  • International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies
  • International Committee of the Red Cross
  • Kosovo Humanitarian Disaster Forces Hundreds of Thousands from their Homes
  • Catholic Relief Services
  • Kosovo Relief
  • ReliefWeb: Home page
  • The Jewish Agency for Israel
  • Mercy International


Media:
  • Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty
  • Independent Yugoslav radio stations B92
  • Institute for War and Peace Reporting
  • United States Information Agency - Kosovo Crisis

Other:
  • Expanded list of related sites on Kosovo
  • 1997 view of Kosovo from space - Eurimage
Note: Pages will open in a new browser window
External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.

 LATEST HEADLINES:
SEARCH CNN.com
Enter keyword(s)   go    help

Back to the top   © 2001 Cable News Network. All Rights Reserved.
Terms under which this service is provided to you.
Read our privacy guidelines.