Defense and national security

Executive Order 13076: Ordering the Selected Reserve of the Armed Forces to Active Duty

President: Bill Clinton

Authorized Defense and, for the Coast Guard, Transportation to call Selected Reserve units and members to active duty for operations in and around Southwest Asia.

Status: In effect. Is Executive Order 13076 still in effect? Yes. Executive Order 13076 remains in effect. See Executive Order 13286: Amendment of Executive Orders, and Other Actions, in Connection With the Transfer of Certain Functions to the Secretary of Homeland Security, Federal Register record.

What does Executive Order 13076 do?

EO 13076 determined that reserve augmentation was necessary for operations in and around Southwest Asia and invoked 10 U.S.C. §§121 and 12304. It authorized the responsible secretaries to order Selected Reserve units and certain individual members to active duty. The order permitted call-ups within statutory limits; it does not by itself establish which personnel were activated. EO 13286 later changed the Coast Guard reference.

Administration position: The order authorized call-ups; it did not identify every member, set an unlimited deployment or displace statutory duration and strength limits.
SignedFebruary 24, 1998
RegionSouthwest Asia
Statutory authority named10 U.S.C. §§121 and 12304

Authority labels repeat this guide’s cited legal analysis. How authority is labeled →

Before and after

Before the order

Active forces preparing for Southwest Asia operations required possible reserve augmentation.

After the order

Defense and the Coast Guard’s then-parent department could issue individual activation orders within statutory limits.

Who had to do what

Agency / officeActionTiming / position
Defense SecretaryOrder covered Selected Reserve forces to active dutyHistorical operation
Transportation SecretaryExercise the authority for the Coast Guard when applicableHistorical operation
Military departmentsIssue and administer activation orders when directedActual call-ups not established by the cited sources

What happened next

EO 13076 authorized reserve activation.

EO 13286 changed the Coast Guard delegation after its transfer to Homeland Security.