Originally Posted by
petaluma1
I found it amusing that the TSA, which considers itself to be a military-like organization, used the word "deploy" to describe sending employees to the border. It becomes even more amusing when one learns that TSA is asking for volunteers to go to the border. TSA is sending individuals to the border, not organized units, which could perhaps be considered a "deployment."
It doesn't strike me as odd. Military deployments aren't always based on a particular unit moving. Most military members in my career field deploy individually, without regard to their permanent organizational unit's status. In fact in this and related career fields, active-duty members are almost always assigned to organizations with a mixture of active-duty and civilian employees (often majority civilian), so their assigned unit would never deploy.
Also, in many civilian career fields, DoD civil service employees can volunteer for deployment on an individual basis (and I know a number who have done so).