(CNN) The US Army has begun calling up members of the Individual Ready Reserve on a voluntary basis in order to help combat the spread of the novel coronavirus, another sign that the US military is seeking to bolster its medical capability as the pandemic continues to spread.

"On March 29, Human Resources Command sent messages regarding the voluntary recall to nearly 10,000 members of the (Individual Ready Reserve) with specific medical skills," Lt. Col. Emmanuel Ortiz told CNN in a statement. Military.com was first to report on the voluntary call up.

"Protecting our citizens from the coronavirus is a vital call to action. We need the help of many of our Individual Ready Reserve medical professionals. They possess valuable training, education, skills and talents necessary to win this fight," he said.

The US Army has played a major role in the response to the coronavirus, deploying and operating field hospitals in states such as New York and Washington, which have been some of those hardest hit by the pandemic.

In most cases, after concluding their military obligations, service members will enter into what is known as the Individual Ready Reserve.

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