WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Jacky Rosen (D-NV) and Joni Ernst (R-IA), both members of the Senate Armed Services Committee, announced the introduction of the Reservists Opportunity Act, bipartisan legislation that would provide soldiers in the Army National Guard and Reserve greater access to active duty opportunities to serve. Bipartisan companion legislation was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives earlier this year by Reps. Chris Jacobs (R-NY) and Tim Ryan (D-OH).
The Reservists Opportunity Act would allow Army National Guard and Reserve soldiers to securely access the Army’s Tour of Duty system, which serves as a military job board, from their personal devices. Currently, this portal is only accessible on Department of Defense (DoD) devices, limiting the ability for reserve component soldiers to volunteer for career-enhancing active duty opportunities during the 28 days of the month when they are not physically present at their duty station. This inaccessibility puts Guardsmen and Reservists at a career disadvantage and is a readiness problem for active duty units that have difficulty finding qualified soldiers to fill active duty slots. The bipartisan bill introduced by Senators Rosen and Ernst provides soldiers the option of securely accessing this system via their military ID common access cards, just as they can do to access other DoD websites.
“We can’t afford to have technological barriers and bureaucratic red tape stand in the way of our Army National Guard and Reserve soldiers in Nevada and across the country who want to volunteer for active duty assignments,” said Senator Rosen. “This commonsense legislation will remove unnecessary obstacles and allow soldiers to securely search for career-enhancing active duty opportunities from their personal devices, without having to do so during their one drill weekend a month when logged onto a DoD computer. Streamlining access to this important resource – as is the case with other DoD websites and email – will help the Army find existing talent within their ranks, grow soldiers professionally, and better serve the needs of the nation .”
“Army reservists in Iowa, and across the country, should be able to easily access information on opportunities to grow their careers and find positions that best match their skill sets,” said Senator Ernst. “This bipartisan effort will ensure reservists can securely utilize the Tour of Duty system, and in turn improve military readiness and retention.”
“The Reservists Opportunity Act is a commonsense piece of legislation that will improve our military readiness and retention by allowing members of our National Guard and Reserves to more easily access active-duty opportunities. I was proud to lead a bipartisan effort in the House alongside my colleague Representative Ryan. I commend Senator Rosen and Senator Ernst for leading this effort in the Senate,” said Congressman Jacobs. “With American adversaries, especially China, seeking to test our resolve, it is critical our military is fully prepared with the best our nation has to offer to face the challenges of the future.”
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