Obama authorizes military reservists for Ebola mission in Africa

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama authorized the use of American military reservists on Thursday to support humanitarian aid efforts against the Ebola outbreak in West Africa. In a letter to leaders of the U.S. Congress, Obama said he had determined it was necessary to augment the active duty military with an unspecified number of reservists to help support the fight against the Ebola virus in West Africa. The Pentagon said the notification cleared they way for it to activate members of the military reserves, many of whom are specialists in skills that are available in only limited numbers in the active duty military. Those currently being sought included engineers, logistics staff, communications specialists, civil affairs experts and religious affairs personnel, a Pentagon spokeswoman said, adding that no individuals or units had yet been identified for call-up. "This expands the department's ability to look at the reserve component for additional sources of the skills sets that aren't in the active duty force" or are in short supply there, the spokeswoman said. The U.S. military is structured in a way that makes it common to call up members of the reserves. The vast majority of engineers, transport units, civil affairs personnel, military police and medical units are in the reserves or National Guard, the state-based militia. Obama's notification to congressional leaders came as the White House shifted into crisis mode over Ebola after the infection of two nurses in Dallas who treated a man who had contracted the virus in Liberia. The president canceled two days of planned political events just three weeks ahead of critical midterm elections amid rising criticism from Republicans who charge that he has been too slow to protect Americans from everything from Ebola to Islamic State militants in Iraq and Syria. (Reporting By Steve Holland, Jeff Mason and David Alexander; Editing by Sandra Maler and Tom Brown)