Change��or become obsolete

Army values are sacrosanct--everything else Is on the table!

--GEN Peter Schoomaker, Army chief of staff, speaking on transforming the Army

The U.S. Army Reserve must change, or risk becoming obsolete. That mandate provides a great perspective to view the profound, enduring changes the Army Reserve is experiencing today.

It is important to keep in mind that the Reserve Components of the nation's armed services are established in law, just as the Active Components are. That law, Title 10, U.S. Code, states that our purpose is to "provide trained units and qualified persons available for active duty in the armed forces, in time of war or national emergency, and at such other times as the national security may require...."

When you read that, you see that there are no qualifiers, such as "the Army Reserve should only be mobilized for big wars, or with 30 days notice." However, even though the law makes it abundantly clear we need to be ready to be called to active duty whenever our national security may require it, many still want to qualify this by putting timeframes on readiness, or stating that the Army Reserve should not be used in the current war. These outdated notions are not consistent with the law and do not work in today's world.

Our forces were structured, trained, manned, and prepared for a set of conditions that no longer exist. We were ready for a large discrete war with a declared beginning and end, confined to one theater. And we were prepared to bring our forces to active duty over an extended period while we filled out units with equipment directly from production lines in our industrial base, and manpower from the Individual Ready Reserve. We included up to 60 days of post-mobilization training. And we prepared to operate on a linear battlefield where Army Reservists would operate in secure rear areas.

Such conditions no longer exist. The world has changed, and continues to change at unprecedented speed. The Army Reserve vision is: "An integral component of the world's best Army, complementing the joint force with skill-rich capabilities." To achieve that vision and to fulfill our role in achieving the Army vision of ready, relevant, and responsive land forces, the Army Reserve must change in deep, profound, enduring ways. We are doing this today.

Army Reserve Expeditionary Force

John Schaar, the futurist, said, "The future is not some place we are going to, but one we are creating. The paths are not to be found, but made." The Army Reserve Expeditionary Force (AREF), the center of gravity for our change, is our overarching strategy, guiding us as we build our paths to the future. We worked closely with the Army to ensure that AREF complements the Army Force Generation (ARFORGEN) model. As a result, AREF applies Army modular force doctrine to our programming decisions regarding training, equipping, leader development, personnel, and facilities. We are able to pursue packaged and cyclic resourcing of our capabilities instead of the outmoded tiered resourcing against a time-phased force deployment list. AREF is the unifying strategy by which our units and soldiers are organized, equipped, trained, and mobilized.

AREF consists of Army Reserve Expeditionary Force packages. Most of our units are assigned to one of these packages. The goal is to put the packages into a five-year readiness cycle, which ranges from reconstitution and training, to validation and employment. All deploying units will be fully equipped with the most modern equipment available. The remaining modern equipment will be allotted among the units' home stations, and various training sites and centers.

Our expeditionary force strategy enables us to provide sustained support to combatant commanders by adding rotational depth to our force; spread the operational tempo more evenly throughout our force; add predictability to the institutional processes that support our soldiers and their families. It also more efficiently allocates resources to deploying units and soldiers. The many changes the Army Reserve is undergoing directly support the AREF strategy. Following are some of the major initiatives.

BRAC 2005

The Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) 2005 recommendations provide an unprecedented opportunity to station Army Reserve forces in the most modern, up-to-date facilities possible and streamline our command, control, and support structure. Traditionally, BRAC was designed to gain efficiencies and save money. But this time, the secretary of defense added to the BRAC agenda the goals of transformation, joint basing, and improving training and mobilization capabilities.

Senior Army Reserve leaders participated fully and directly in the two-year BRAC planning process. The results are extraordinary. We are reshaping our force, enhancing joint operations, optimizing readiness, and realizing significant savings. I appreciate and respect the fact that at some local levels there are challenges. Some units will relocate, or, in some cases, inactivate, and some Soldiers may have to relocate, or learn a new specialty. But we must consider the health of our entire organization, while mitigating adverse effects to Soldiers, civilian employees, families, and communities. In the end, the Army Reserve will be better poised for the challenges of today and tomorrow, rather than the threats of yesterday.

As part of the changes, we are "leaning out" our command, control, and support structure. We will disestablish the 10 Regional Readiness Commands, or RRCs, that currently provide command and control, training, and readiness oversight to most of the Army Reserve units within their regions. We will establish four Regional Readiness Sustainment Commands, or RRSCs.

The new RRSCs will provide base operations, life support, and administrative support to most of the Army Reserve units in their geographic areas. These RRSCs will be fully operational by the close of FY08.

Also, for the first time, the Army Reserve will have all of its operational deployable forces commanded by operational deployable command headquarters. Some of the brigade-level units will include sustainment and maneuver enhancement brigades; engineer, combat support, chemical, and military police brigades

Another new element is the establishment of two new functional commands: the Military Intelligence Readiness Command (MIRC) and the Army Reserve Medical Command (AR-MEDCOM). MIRC is integrated with the Army Intelligence and Security Command (INSCOM); ARMEDCOM is integrated with the Army Medical Command and the surgeon general's office. This will provide better synergy and one-stop shopping. But the intent is also to achieve quantum levels of improvement in the readiness and responsiveness of these high-skilled, very important capabilities, much like the civil affairs and psychological operations units under the Civil Affairs and Psychological Operations Command.

The former Army Reserve Personnel Command has been realigned as the Human Resource Command--St. Louis, and under BRAC will move to Ft. Knox, Ky., where it will be physically and organizationally integrated with the Army Human Resource Command (the former Total Army Personnel Command). This will provide greater efficiencies in manpower and costs, and the opportunity to provide all Army Soldiers world-class support.

As far as our facilities are concerned, we will close 176 Army Reserve facilities, and move into 125 new Armed Forces Reserve Centers (AFRCs), enabling us to better position our force where we live, where we train, and in locations that support recruiting and retention. We will occupy a host of new, improved, more highly capable facilities, training areas, and support structures to conduct our training and missions. The new AFRCs will be equipped with high technology distance learning and VTC capabilities, fitness centers, family readiness centers, enhanced maintenance, and equipment storage facilities.

Training

Under AREF, the Army Reserve has an overarching, long-range strategy for training Army Reserve Soldiers, leaders, and forces. It provides the foundation for training--guidance offered on an annual basis, which has undergone a seachange of focus. We will focus more on warrior tasks and battlefield survivability, in addition to technical-skill training, in a training environment replicating the contemporary operating environment. We are leveraging the experience of the veterans of the Army Reserve global war on terrorism in our training, concentrating on the warrior tasks and skills our Soldiers will need in combat. We replaced "weekend drills" with "battle assemblies," and now conduct convoy live-fire training. An observer/controller cadre and a challenging "opposing force" are part of a tough scenario that strengthens collective training skills and survivability of our units.

We combined the former Army Reserve Readiness Training Command with the 84th Division (Institutional Training) to activate the new 84th Army Reserve Readiness Training Command (84th ARRTC). We also sharpened the focus of the non-commissioned officer education system by consolidating our NCO academies under the Schools Directorate of the 84th ARRTC, another important step forward.

Equipping

Equipping is always a challenge. However, we have devised a dynamic new equipping strategy that is synchronized with AREF. As units progress through each year of the five-year AREF rotational cycle, their state of readiness increases. Units in the window for deployment receive full complements of modernized equipment compatible with the active Army. Some equipment, such as individual weapons and protective masks, is retained at home station, but most is centralized at training sites. Equipment to support deployments is maintained at strategic deployment sites (SDS), where it is kept in controlled humidity storage and shipped when needed. During reconstitution, equipment is returned to readiness standards. Our equipment goes where it is needed most: with the units heading out the door for an overseas deployment.

Leader Development

To develop officers and NCOs with the capabilities needed to lead in the 21st century, we are changing how we grow Army Reserve leaders. We began in 2004 with the implementation of the Army Reserve Leadership Campaign. This established a whole new system and climate for developing our leaders, including a senior leader training program, the company team leader development course (commander, first sergeant, and unit assistor), and leader development guides for officers and NCOs, with an emphasis on leader as opposed to "career": a mentorship program. The goal of the senior leader program is to develop the intellectual skills senior leaders need to implement change in the Army Reserve. We established firm standards for selecting who leads our Soldiers, introduced an Army Reserve combat leader validation program and systems to conduct command climate assessments.

We now emphasize and are enrolling more Army Reserve officers into the Army's leadership institutions. When the Army eliminated the Combined Arms Services Staff School (CAS3), the Army Reserve adopted this training in the form of the new 16-day combined arms exercise (CAX). In addition, every eligible Army Reserve major must now graduate from the new Intermediate Leadership Education-Common Core Course as a prerequisite to attaining the rank of lieutenant colonel.

Personnel

In the coming year, the Army Reserve will continue to work with the Department of the Army to update our personnel policies. We saw several improvements this past year (i.e., mobilized officers and Soldiers can be promoted; non-citizen Soldiers can extend their enlistments; and full-time Soldiers can now serve longer tours of duty). However, much remains to be done to transform existing authorities from the Cold War-era to better support the joint and expeditionary goals of the Army's future force.

Recruiting is still a challenge, but retention is strong. In fact, we exceeded our retention goal for FY05. We are aggressively improving Army Reserve incentives to gain and retain Soldiers. New enlistees are eligible to receive a bonus of up to $10,000. Reenlisting Soldiers are now eligible to receive up to $15,000, which greatly helps in retaining first-term Soldiers-our primary challenge. We offer selected Soldiers the opportunity to retrain into high-demand, critical-skill areas and receive a $2,000 conversion bonus. Focusing on officer incentives, we increased or added officer and warrant officer affiliation and accession bonuses. Our goal remains to provide more flexibility in how incentives are offered to meet readiness needs.

Every day, Army Reserve Soldiers demonstrate their "call to duty" and the honor they feel in serving, by reenlisting. Many of these Army Reservists are veterans of Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom (OEF/OIF). In fact, Army Reserve Soldiers who have served or are currently serving in OEF/OIF have reenlisted at a rate that is 32 percent above those who have not participated in OEF/OIF.

In 2004, the Army Reserve implemented a trainees, transients, holdees, and students (TTHS) account, patterned after the active Army TTHS account, to increase unit personnel readiness. Selected Soldiers "unready" for mobilization and deployment are accounted for in TTHS and intensely managed by a cadre of personnel specialists who resolve their problems or initiate separation actions. Seven Army Reserve commands began TTHS operations in November 2004, and have returned almost 5,000 Army Reserve Soldiers to their units, ready and deployable. Now, commanders can focus their efforts on unit readiness and training. Eight additional Army Reserve commands were due to begin TTHS operations in November 2005.

Family Support

Our Soldiers have indicated their concern time and again about stress on their families during mobilization and deployment. The Army Reserve commitment to family programs revolves around supporting Soldiers and their families at all stages of the readiness cycle: pre-mobilization, deployment, and post-deployment, with the intent of minimizing disruption and anxiety. We continue to refine numerous initiatives. The Fundamental and Developmental Family Program Academy trains volunteers to maintain viable, functioning family-readiness groups at the unit level. Operation READY (Resources for Educating about Deployment and You) curriculum consists of resources that provide families with information about deployments. The Army Reserve now employs a Child and Youth Service (CYS) program manager and nine regional CYS coordinators who address Army Reserve childcare, youth development, and school transition through community-based programs. And, as noted earlier, the new AFRCs that we move into will have fitness centers and family readiness centers. Our Soldiers and their families deserve no less.

My stated Commander's Intent is: "Use the energy and urgency of Army Transformation and the GWOT to change from a technically focused, force-in-reserve to a learning organization that provides trained, ready, "inactive-duty" Soldiers poised and available for active service, as if they knew the hour and day they would be called."

In fact, during the past few months when Hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Wilma devastated portions of the United States, the American people demanded rapid response by federal, state, and local governments, including the military. The Army Reserve provided the 206th Transportation Company of Opelika, Ala.; the 647th Transportation Company of Laurel, Miss.; and 12 helicopters from Company B, 5th Battalion, 159th Aviation Regiment of Ft. Eustis, Va. We transported food and water, Soldiers and rescue workers, and helped remove debris from drainage lanes.

The bottom line is that our Soldiers and units need to anticipate being mobilized on short notice.

Army Reserve leaders and Soldiers at all levels must continue to adapt and improvise to meet the challenges they face. By doing so, the Army Reserve will continue to provide the best support possible to the Army and the nation.

Although many of the changes I've talked about address policy, structure, and facilities, it is our people--Soldiers, civilian employees, and families--who are the heart and soul of our institution. The Army Reserve will continue to focus on taking better care of its people while preparing for the challenges of this century.

We can never forget that Army Reserve Soldiers and their families are serving the nation with skill, courage, pride, and an inspiring dedication. They give us their best every day. We owe it to them to continue to change.

LTG James R. Helmly, Chief, Army Reserve, and Commander, U.S. Army Reserve Command

LTG James R. Helmly took command of the U.S. Army Reserve Command May 3, 2002, and became the chief, Army Reserve, May 25, 2002. A Vietnam combat veteran, General Helmly was assigned as the commanding general of the 78th Division (Training Support), headquartered in Edison, N.J., at the time of his selection as the chief, Army Reserve. He served as the deputy chief, Army Reserve, Washington, D.C., from June 1995 to June 1999. From June 1999 to August t999, he served as the commander of the joint task force conducting Operation Provide Refuge at Fort Dix, N.J. Until taking command of the 78th Division in May 2001, he was the military assistant, Manpower and Reserve Affairs (Individual Mobilization Augmentee), Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army, Washington, D.C., from October 1999 to May 2001.

A native of Savannah, Ga., General Helmty entered the Army as an enlisted soldier in 1966 and received his commission through Officer Candidate School in 1967. He served on active duty from 1966 to 1973 in a variety of company- and battalion-level assignments, including two tours in Vietnam with the 101st Airborne Division and command of an infantry company in Panama.

His military education includes the infantry Officer Basic and Advanced Courses, the Command and General Staff College, the Armed Forces Staff College and the Army War College. He has a bachelor's degree in liberal studies from the State University of New York in Albany.

Among his numerous awards and decorations are the Distinguished Service Medal, the Legion of Merit with one Oak Leaf Cluster, the Bronze Star with Valor Device and three Oak Leaf Clusters, the Meritorious Service Medal with silver Oak Leaf Cluster, the Army Commendation Medal with four Oak Leaf Clusters, the Combat Infantryman Badge, the Parachutist Badge, the Army Staff identification Badge, and the Ranger Tab. He was inducted into the Infantry Hall of Fame in 1996.

At the time of his selection, in his civilian occupation, General Helmly was serving as the assistant deputy chief of staff for operations at the Total Army Personnel Command, Alexandria, Va. Before becoming the deputy chief, Army Reserve, in 1995, he was a civilian supervisory program analyst at Headquarters, U.S. Army Forces Command, Fort McPherson, Ga. He has twice been awarded the Meritorious Civilian Service Medal.

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