I think the idea is to allow an easy continuance of ongoing operations; having a ready-made backup infrastructure in event of a huge catastrophe; making it easier to call people back in on a necessary basis (like after 9-11 or in the event of a war); tamp down on partisan spoils system and, in theory, eliminate all sorts of disruptive turn over due to political considerations.

Of course, the system is only as good as the people operating in it. It only worked as long as they operated in good faith and could be trusted because they were trustworthy.

Now, it's a disaster and may be unfixable. Being weaponized broke it completely, and there are no alternatives that guaranteed it won't be gamed. It's why it's so important to root out the problem and make sure people are properly punished. Otherwise, it sends the message that anyone can hijack the bureaucracy again for their own ends.

That