The National Guard helps combat the labor crisis

While employers in the US have been facing an unprecedented shortage of labor and supply chain issues, politicians are looking at every opportunity to keep the economy moving and one option is the US military. 

The National Guard has filled up gaps to help with covid testing, healthcare and distribution of personal protective equipment. In some states like Massachusetts, the National Guard has also helped with bus driving for schools amid the driver shortage and states such as Texas have been deploying the soldiers to the border to help immigration enforcement. Davis Winkie, a reporter for Army Times says, "We also do see other senior guard leaders pushing back on some of these second-order pandemic-linked missions that are coming up. Like school bus driving, or, you know, filing unemployment claims or filling in for poll workers, the food bank support — the list of second-order Covid-effects missions keeps growing."

Another mission the guard could be asked to take on is supporting port operations and general logistics to ease the supply chain delays facing the nation. Scott Lincicome, senior fellow in economic studies at the Cato Institute says, "They might do a little bit around the edges, but it’s not gonna solve the issue. You’re talking about a drop in the bucket in what’s a tidal wave of import volumes and associated logistics and supply chain pressures. It’s just not going to be the change that the system really needs — although it might, you know, maybe get a few extra Christmas presents here in time."

Source: CNBC