The army in June announced it was calling up 5,674 members of the Individual Ready Reserves (IRR) to fill gaps in combat support units deploying to Iraq and Afghanistan.

Former soldiers who serve less than eight years and do not join national guard or reserve units are put in the IRR, a pool that is rarely used except in national emergencies.

As of November 20, the army has sent out mobilization orders to 4,024 IRR members, said Lieutenant Colonel Pamela Hart, a Pentagon spokeswoman.

"Of that number there are only 628 soldiers who we are still trying to make positive contact with, either to ensure they received the order or understand the process," she said.

Another 1,855 have asked that their return to active duty be delayed or that they be exempted altogether, she said.

Of those, 1,044 requests have been approved, 750 are still pending and 61 were denied, she said.

Among the reasons given for requesting delays or exemptions are medical conditions, financial hardship, problems with arranging family care or to complete higher education studies, she said.

Former soldiers who get mobilization orders are given 30 days to deploy after which they risk being declared absent without leave.

But the army has opted to try to persuade people to report for duty voluntarily.

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