Executive Order 13529: Ordering the Selected Reserve and Certain Individual Ready Reserve Members of the Armed Forces to Active Duty
President: Barack Obama
Authorized activation of selected reserve and Individual Ready Reserve personnel to support the US response to Haiti’s 2010 earthquake.
Status: Completed/expired. Is Executive Order 13529 still in effect? No. Executive Order 13529 is completed or expired. See Federal Register record.
What does Executive Order 13529 do?
EO 13529 authorized the Defense Secretary and Homeland Security Secretary for the Coast Guard to order limited numbers of reservists to active duty under 10 USC 12304. It supported Operation Unified Response after the Haiti earthquake. Mobilizations were temporary and the operation ended later in 2010.
Later evidence reviewed September 23, 2026: US Southern Command ended Joint Task Force–Haiti. Defense Department — Operation Unified Response. This later record documents the stated step; it does not by itself establish every downstream agency action or legal outcome.
Before and after
Before the order
Active forces and volunteers began disaster relief without this additional reserve activation authority.
After the order
Defense and Coast Guard leaders could call designated reserve personnel for transport, medical, logistics and security support.
Who had to do what
| Agency / office | Action | Timing / position |
|---|---|---|
| Defense Secretary | Order eligible reservists to active duty | Completed |
| Homeland Security Secretary | Activate Coast Guard reserve personnel | Completed |
| Military departments | Issue individual orders and demobilise forces | Completed |
What happened next
A catastrophic earthquake struck Haiti.
EO 13529 authorized reserve call-ups.
US Southern Command ended Joint Task Force–Haiti.
Legal and source detail
How it works legally
Title 10 supplied the mobilization limits, service protections and duration rules. Individual duty orders, not the EO alone, placed members on active duty.
Sources by type
If a source is unavailable, first check the cited publisher or another official repository. The cited publisher remains the authority.
Primary and official sources
Orders, laws, court records and official implementation material.
- U.S. Code — 10 USC 12304 (opens in a new tab) Official record
How we checked this
Last checked against the sources above on September 23, 2026. How we research →