Army Reserve force finishes 100th year ‘strong’

As our force begins its second century of service to our nation, I can report that the state of the Army Reserve is strong.

Since Sept. 11, 2001, almost 193,000 Army Reserve Soldiers have mobilized to serve in Iraq, Afghanistan and more than a dozen other countries.  

Today, about 26,000 Army Reserve Soldiers serve on active duty in support of the Global War on Terrorism. About 17,000 serve overseas, while another 8,000 support homeland defense missions at training centers, mobilization sites, and medical centers.  

Today’s Army Reserve contributes to the accomplishment of every Army mission, and it complements the joint force with the skills our Warrior-Citizens bring from their civilian professions.

Recruiting during this period of protracted war is one of the greatest challenges in the history of the all-volunteer force.  Although we faced a tough recruiting environment in 2007, young Americans continued to make the commitment to serve, and we achieved our annual recruiting mission for the first time since 2004.

We also exceeded our reenlistment objective for first-term Soldiers achieving 155 percent of the goal – the highest rate in a decade – and careerist reenlistments finished at 103 percent of goal.

To re-enlist at a time of war is a powerful commitment.  It says a great deal about our noncommissioned officers and our Army. Soldiers don’t re-enlist in an Army at war for monetary incentives or college benefits. They do it because they believe in the mission, because they trust in themselves, their units and their leaders.

The current operational tempo has placed unprecedented strain on our Warrior-Citizens, their Families and the employers of this nation. We must understand that we’re asking more of our Soldiers today, and we must ensure the quality of life that our Soldiers and their Families enjoy matches the quality of service they give the nation.

Family support programs remain a top Army priority.  Full attention to these programs is crucial to the Army Reserve’s retention goals and to sustaining the All-Volunteer Force.

We’ve launched a number of initiatives and programs to assist those who are holding down the home front when their Soldiers deploy, and we have expanded programs that recognize the unique pressures on the children of our Soldiers when their parents deploy.   

At the same time, we are engaging employers from both large and small businesses to ensure they understand their stake in the fight and to enhance understanding and build support that will allow us to sustain our force.  

In April, we launched two unique employer partnerships that will allow both organizations to recruit, train and employ young people interested in both serving the nation and pursuing civilian careers.

As we continue to evolve into an operational force, we remain committed to a system that will establish predictability for our Soldiers, their Families and their employers.  The system is in place aligning our organizations to the one year out of five for deployment so that our Soldiers, Families and employers have an ever increasing predictable timeframe for making important life plans and knowing when they could deploy.

When we launched Operation Enduring Freedom, we could not predict the battle would continue six years later.  This sustained combat has also taken a toll on the equipment we train on at home and operate in theater.

Our fiscal year 2007 budget demonstrated the Army’s recognition of the Army Reserve as an operational force, and funding from supplementals has been extremely important in filling shortages and replacing the non-deployable equipment.

Our structure is new.  As FY 2008 began, 78 percent of Army Reserve units have been realigned from legacy regional command and control centers to command and control under operational and functional commands.  

As we complete our new structure, we are rebalancing the force to reduce operational tempo for active and reserve components and to beef up functional capabilities in high demand by combatant commanders.  

Building the right force is crucial for success.  The result of transforming our force will be an increase in ready, deployable assets to defend our nation and our freedoms.

Gone are the days when Army Reserve Soldiers committed one weekend per month and two weeks in the summer to Soldiering duties.  The weekend warrior is no more.

Today’s Army Reserve is no longer a strategic reserve; instead, it is an operational force and an integral part of the world’s greatest Army. Today’s units are prepared and available to deploy with a full complement of trained Soldiers and equipment when the nation calls.  

Army Reserve Soldiers are members of the best trained, best led, and best equipped fighting force any nation has fielded.  

The Army Reserve is ready for the next one hundred years.

Stultz is commanding general of the U.S. Army Reserve.