**STATEMENT OF**

ADMIRAL ROBERT F. WILLARD, U. S. NAVY

**VICE CHIEF OF NAVAL OPERATIONS**

**BEFORE THE\
**

**COMMISSION ON NATIONAL GUARD AND RESERVES\
**

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####### March 9, 2006 

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**[Introduction]{.underline}**

Chairman Punaro and distinguished members of this committee, it is my
privilege to appear before you today to testify on the current and
future roles and missions of the Navy Reserve.

The men and women of the Navy Reserve are performing exceptionally well
in thousands of locations around the world, conducting a wide array of
critical missions. The combat readiness required to win the Global War
on Terror remains Navy's top priority, and our reserve component is an
important factor in sustaining that readiness. Our Navy Reserve is not
only ready, it is operational, and therefore it is aligned with the
precepts of the Department's most recent Quadrennial Defense Review.
Deployed around the globe and around the clock -- our Navy Reserve
provides the agility, precision, and persistence necessary to prevail in
a long and irregular war.

# Operational v. Strategic

As we fight extremism on a global scale, the Navy Reserve continues its
transformation from a predominately strategic force to an increasingly
operational one. The imperative for this transformation is outlined
within the 2006 Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR), which defines the
operationalization of our reserve force as a key element in the
overmatch of our adversaries.

Fiscally, we have made progress toward operationalizing our Reserve
Component (RC) via legislation within the 2006 National Defense
Authorization Act, which provided Navy with several of the tools
necessary to shape our Total Force. Congress has also passed laws giving
the services the flexibility to transfer funds from Reserve annual
training accounts to Reserve active duty accounts. These changes enabled
Navy to employ more Reserve Component (RC) Sailors at operational
commands, thereby increasing Navy's contribution to the Joint Force.

To further define Total Force requirements, Fleet Forces Command
conducted a Reserve Zero-Based Review (RZBR) in 2004. The RZBR
thoroughly examined fleet mission requirements, then developed a reserve
force manpower structure to match those requirements. The RZBR resulted
in the reduction of 14,686 billets, and a corresponding reduction in
manpower, both of which will help economize the RC's operational
transition. Many of the remaining billets are already being filled by
Navy Reservists. Examples are numerous within CENTCOM, where 50 percent
of the Navy's individual augmentee (IA) requirement is being met by RC
Sailors.

**[Sustainability]{.underline}**

Efforts like the Zero Based Review are charting the Navy Reserve's
transition from a largely strategic to a more operational force. In
today's global context, the traditional distinction between war and
peace is less clear, as is the requirement for a predominately strategic
reserve. For the foreseeable future we can expect to face large and
small contingencies at unpredictable intervals while simultaneously
prosecuting the GWOT. To respond to these exigencies, Joint Force
Commanders need improved access to the Total Force, and the RC in
particular.

Operationalizing the Navy Reserve, then, is about the Navy making its
Reserve Component more accessible to the Joint Force. This increased
accessibility will in no way preclude a general mobilization in support
of major combat operations.

For example, as of March 1^st^ of this year, Navy had 5,279 of its
72,667 reservists mobilized, which left 67,388 RC Sailors available for
homeland security, disaster relief, or other missions as needed. We can
expect this mobilized level of support to continue in the future, as RC
units and individuals continue to relieve stress on the Joint Force.

In order to sustain this level of operational support, it is imperative
that the Navy Reserve be fully integrated, both administratively and
operationally, within the Active Component. Administrative integration
aims to create a continuum of service by easing the transition between
reserve and active status. Operational integration involves the
homogenization of training and equipment. Furthermore, it recognizes the
unique skill sets and abilities resident in the RC and uses them
periodically and predictably as part of the Total Force. A number of
initiatives are underway to achieve this level of integration.

Navy's newly established Navy Expeditionary Combat Command integrates
the RC expeditionary and combat support capability under one Total Force
command. The Naval Construction Force has 139 units compromised of AC
and RC Sailors. Naval Coastal Warfare also continues to balance mission
capabilities between the AC and the RC. The Maritime Civil Affairs Group
has 150 Active and Reserve Component Sailors structured into two AC and
two RC teams per Combatant Commander.

Fleet Replacement Units (FRU) are directly integrated with active
aviation commands. FRU personnel maintain and operate the same equipment
as fleet personnel, in support of the Fleet Response Plan (FRP), by
providing fully qualified and experienced reserve Sailors. Since FRUs
integrate active and reserve components with like equipment and
configurations, training costs are significantly reduced.

Another Active Reserve Integration (ARI) initiative is the Squadron
Augmentation Unit (SAU). SAUs provide trained flight instructors to
Fleet Replacement Squadrons. Reserve aviators with fleet experience and
expertise teach both active and reserve Sailors to maintain and fly
fleet aircraft.

**[Future Roles and Missions]{.underline}**

The diverse scope of irregular warfare will require the Joint Force to
carry out a variety of missions, from disaster response to major combat
operations, while also responding to any number of contingencies. Such a
broad scope of operations is best supported by a flexible manpower
system that allows for seamless transitions along the spectrum of our
workforce, including active duty, reserve, civilian, and contract
members. In particular, our reserves should be able to contribute
whenever and wherever there is a predictable and periodic demand signal.
In this regard, the experience and flexibility Navy Reservists bring to
the Joint Force cannot be overstated.

Experienced Navy Reserve Sailors provide direct support to the Global
War on Terror, both at home and abroad. The over 5,000 RC Sailors
currently mobilized are serving in critical capacities such as Customs
Inspectors, Cargo Handlers, SeaBees, and Corpsmen.

Mobilization alone, however, does not reflect the total contribution of
the Navy Reserve. On any given day, an additional 15,000 Reserve Sailors
actively serve in a variety of capacities, from flight instructor duties
to counter-narcotics operations, from watch standing on the Chief of
Naval Operations staff to relief support for Hurricane Katrina. During
the past year, Navy Reserve Sailors have provided over 15,000 man-years,
the equivalent of 18 Naval Construction Battalions or two Carrier Battle
Groups.

Navy's Reserve Component offers distinct advantages when it comes to the
prosecution of irregular warfare. By performing like missions at home
and abroad, the reserve Sailor remains fully-trained, experienced and
surge ready. Accordingly, a reserve Sailor assigned to patrol Boston
harbor will use those same skill sets to protect Iraq's only deep-sea
port at Umm Qasr. A Corpsman who acts as first responder to a
humanitarian crisis in the mountains of Pakistan, will bring those same
abilities to bear in hurricane-ravaged areas along the coast of
Louisiana. Complimentary skill sets such as these will remain relevant
far into the future, and will continue to sustain the overwhelming
combat capability of our Joint Force.

**[Homeland Security]{.underline}**

Navy's Reserve Component is uniquely positioned and trained to carry out
the homeland security mission. Stationed along coastal areas and within
concentrated populations all over the country, and trained in such key
specialties as civil engineering and search and rescue, the Navy Reserve
provides our nation with a formidable front line of defense. For proof
of this statement, look no further than the Navy Reserve's exceptional
response to hurricane Katrina.

Immediately following Katrina, RC crewed fixed-wing relief missions
delivered approximately 2.5 million pounds water, MREs, and emergency
equipment to New Orleans. Navy Reserve Construction Battalions returned
power and other necessary functions to storm ravaged towns, while RC
crewed helicopters evacuated over 6,000 people from disaster areas.

Lessons learned from Katrina highlighted the RC's ability to help secure
the homeland. It also demonstrated the need for changes to policy and
authorities in order to improve access to the RC in support of disaster
relief operations.

Until those changes are in place, Navy Reserve Commanding Officers are
highly encouraged to contact local law enforcement and disaster response
agencies to provide points of contact and capabilities descriptions for
use during disaster relief.

# Size and Structure

The total number of Navy Reservists, both SELRES and Full Time Support
(FTS), will be 73,100 at the end of Fiscal Year 2006. Based on Reserve
Zero Based Review (RZBR) projections, end strength will be 71,300 by the
end of FY-07.

To maintain end strength, Navy Reserve accessions are drawn from
multiple sources. The best RC accession is one that captures the
invested training and experience found in Navy veterans. The Navy is
actively pursuing means to foster a culture of continued service by
educating active duty Sailors on the benefits of reserve service.
Another accession source is the National Call to Service (NCS), with
contracts that require both AC and RC service as part of an initial
military obligation. The first wave of 2,800 NCS Sailors is now
beginning its transition from AC to RC.

Another manpower challenge is the need for a common pay and personnel
system between active and reserve. Ideally, transactions of this sort
will be accomplished via a secure online system. The Defense Integrated
Manpower and Human Resource System (DIMHRS) is one such system, but
implementation delays have produced capability gaps that may ultimately
affect our ability to execute our mission. An alternative is the Marine
Corps Total Force System (MCTFS), which provides an off-the-shelf
solution that would enable the Continuum of Service and greatly enhances
Active Reserve Integration (ARI).

Proper maintenance of the Total Force depends upon solid recruiting
numbers and low attrition. Unfortunately, reserve recruiting has
suffered in recent years. In FY-05 the Navy Reserve accessed 85 percent
of its enlisted recruiting goal, and as of February 8^th^ of this year,
we've accessed just 26 percent of our FY-06 goal. We attribute these
shortfalls to multiple causes-the exigencies of the GWOT have diverted
recruits to the Army and Marine Corps; civilian unemployment rates
remain low; and public opinion influencers (i.e. family and friends) may
be less likely to recommend the Navy as a career. Attrition, however,
remains unaffected by these factors. Navy reserve attrition is currently
holding at 27 percent, where it has been since 2000.

# Mobilization

The number one difficulty with mobilization is in timely notification.
The Navy is addressing this issue via a data system called the Navy and
Marine Corps Manpower Processing System (NMCMPS). This data system
provides a single source mechanism to receive requirements from the
Combatant Commanders, source those requirements, and generate orders.
This streamlined process is designed to expedite the notification of
Reservists and the transmission of mobilization orders.

In addition to providing timely notification, the Navy Reserve must
continue to improve readiness in three areas: medical, physical, and
administrative.

The Navy Reserve is a leader in medical readiness. In 2002, the Navy
Reserve developed the Medical Readiness Reporting System (MRRS) as a
comprehensive tracking system for Individual Medical Readiness (IMR).
MRRS, a web-based application with a central aggregating database, links
with existing authoritative data systems to reduce data input
requirements and improve data accuracy. MRRS gives headquarters staffs
and leadership a real-time view of force medical readiness. It received
the 2005 DoN CIO IM/IT Excellence Award for Innovation and is being
adopted by the Department of the Navy as its IMR tracking solution.

Navy Reserve continues to be a leader among DOD components, both AC and
RC, in percent of personnel who are Fully Medically Ready. In October
2004 Navy Reserve reported 44 percent Fully Medically Ready personnel,
with an improvement in January 2006 to 73 percent per DoD IMR standards.

The second aspect of readiness is physical fitness. The Navy Reserve is
actively participating in Total Force solutions to address this issue.
The Chief of Naval Operations' "Fitness Board of Advisors" is exploring
methodologies for enhancing Navy's culture of fitness to ensure a ready,
fighting force. The Secretary of the Navy's "Health and Productivity
Management" group is addressing the impact of a fit force on work
productivity. Further, the Navy Reserve is working with BUPERS to revise
the Physical Readiness Information Management System (PRIMS) in order to
capture current and accurate fitness testing data.

Administrative readiness is maintained via the Type Commander (TYCOM)
Readiness Management System -- Navy Reserve Readiness Module, or
TRMS-NRRM. The TRMS-NRRM provides a scalable view of readiness from the
unit to fleet level. TRMS-NRRM has served as the prototype for the
Defense Readiness Reporting System (DRRS). The Navy Reserve Force has
been able to provide accurate data for all categories since 2003, and
can therefore provide readiness information for regions, units, and
individuals.

# Policy Recommendations

The Navy Reserve is evolving from a Cold War-era strategic force to the
more flexible, adaptive and responsive force required to fight the
Global War on Terror. Change of this magnitude requires the full support
of Congress as we promote and implement initiatives that align with QDR
mandates designed to streamline access to our Reserve Component.

Therefore, we should concentrate our efforts to the maximum extent
possible on the recommendations of 2006 QDR. Specifically, we should
promote initiatives designed to:

-   Increase the period authorized for Presidential Reserve Call Up from
    270 to 365 days

-   Focus reserve component competencies on homeland defense and civil
    support operations

-   Allow activation of RC for natural disasters in order to meet
    specific needs without relying on volunteers

-   Allow individuals who volunteer for activation to serve for long
    periods as individual augmentees

-   Develop select reserve units that train intensively and therefore
    require shorter notice for deployment

# Summary

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Our nation's victory in the Global War on Terror greatly depends upon
the Joint Force's ability to overmatch our adversaries. Contributing to
that overmatch is a reserve force that is ready, relevant and fully
integrated. The Sailors and families of the Navy Reserve sacrifice daily
to make that contribution, and they have rightly earned the respect and
admiration of the nation. On behalf of these brave men and women of the
United States Navy Reserve, I thank you for your continued support.