WASHINGTON — The Obama administration is having trouble finding the hundreds of civilians it wants to bolster its troop buildup in Afghanistan, so military reservists might be asked to do many of the jobs.
In announcing its new strategy for the war last month, the administration said it would send several hundred civilians — such as agronomists, economists and legal experts — to work on reconstruction and development issues as part of the military’s counterinsurgency campaign.
But there’s a lack of quickly available workers with the right skills, and Defense Department press secretary Geoff Morrell said Thursday that the military is trying to find ways to fill the gap.
That would likely be with reservists, who often have the necessary skills because of the experience they have in their civilian lives, officials said.
The Pentagon has been asked to see whether it can find 200 to 300 reservists, and officials are canvassing the force to find the needed experts — educators, engineers, lawyers and others, said Bryan Whitman, a Defense Department spokesman.
