We are embracing modern business practices to streamline our operations, reduce waste and enhance performance. We have eliminated thousands of civilian jobs, closed scores of military installations, and reduced the size of our military forces by thirty percent. And all the while we have had to face declining budgets and an increasing work load. I would urge you, as Secretary Cohen recently urged an audience at the US Chamber of Commerce, to strike that term from your lexicon. Our Reserve Components are today in the midst of a profound paradigm shift.
Reservists are no longer the force of last resort.
And now in Bosnia, they are out front, re-serving side by side with the Active force. That s the equivalent of adding nearly 35,000 personnel to the end strength of the Active force. And that is likely to be the pattern for the future. Our growing national reliance on the Reserve components means that employers of Reservists are sometimes faced with the likelihood of losing key employees for extended periods, up to six, eight or even nine months at a time. Reservists have legal protections that prevent them from losing their jobs or being denied promotion as a result of military service, but they also have clear obligations to work with their employers to minimize disruptions.