Pen and Phone: Obama may call on Reserves to Deal with Ebola in Africa

President Obama has issued an executive order allowing the Pentagon to call up reserve troops to combat the Ebola crisis in Africa.

The Pentagon said it had no immediate plans to send reservists or National Guard troops to Africa, saying that the order simply allows the military to begin planning for those forces in its overall response.

It "doesn't mean that we are deploying these forces, but it gives us the option to do so if we need to," said Air Force Lt. Col. Thomas Crosson, a Pentagon spokesman.

The Pentagon is identifying gaps that active-duty troops cannot fill, said a Defense Department official who was not authorized to speak publicly about the issue. Among the specialists that might be tapped: technical engineering, communication systems, logisticians, comptrollers and religious specialists.All reservists called to duty will be given proper training and medical-threat briefings, the official said.

Obama notified Congress of his order Thursday after phone calls with top congressional leaders of both parties. The order reads: "I hereby determine that it is necessary to augment the active Armed Forces of the United States for the effective conduct of Operation United Assistance, which is providing support to civilian-led humanitarian assistance and consequence management support related to the Ebola virus disease outbreak in West Africa.

Obama also met with top advisers on Ebola Thursday evening and was expected to make a brief statement afterward.

The White House said it didn't know exactly how many reserve troops would eventually be required.

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