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54–509 PDF 2009

S. HRG. 111–226 

RESERVE COMPONENT PROGRAMS 

HEARING 

BEFORE THE

SUBCOMMITTEE ON PERSONNEL 

OF THE

COMMITTEE ON ARMED SERVICES 

UNITED STATES SENATE 

ONE HUNDRED ELEVENTH CONGRESS 

FIRST SESSION 

MARCH 25, 2009 

Printed for the use of the Committee on Armed Services 

( 

COMMITTEE ON ARMED SERVICES 

CARL LEVIN, Michigan, Chairman 

EDWARD M. KENNEDY, Massachusetts 

ROBERT C. BYRD, West Virginia 

JOSEPH I. LIEBERMAN, Connecticut 

JACK REED, Rhode Island 

DANIEL K. AKAKA, Hawaii 

BILL NELSON, Florida 

E. BENJAMIN NELSON, Nebraska 

EVAN BAYH, Indiana 

JIM WEBB, Virginia 

CLAIRE McCASKILL, Missouri 

MARK UDALL, Colorado 

KAY R. HAGAN, North Carolina 

MARK BEGICH, Alaska 

ROLAND W. BURRIS, Illinois 

JOHN MCCAIN, Arizona 

JAMES M. INHOFE, Oklahoma 

JEFF SESSIONS, Alabama 

SAXBY CHAMBLISS, Georgia 

LINDSEY GRAHAM, South Carolina 

JOHN THUNE, South Dakota 

MEL MARTINEZ, Florida 

ROGER F. WICKER, Mississippi 

RICHARD BURR, North Carolina 

DAVID VITTER, Louisiana 

SUSAN M. COLLINS, Maine 

RICHARD D. DEBOBES, Staff Director 

JOSEPH W. BOWAB, Republican Staff Director 

SUBCOMMITTEE ON PERSONNEL

E. BENJAMIN NELSON, Nebraska, Chairman 

EDWARD M. KENNEDY, Massachusetts 

JOSEPH I. LIEBERMAN, Connecticut 

DANIEL K. AKAKA, Hawaii 

JIM WEBB, Virginia 

CLAIRE McCASKILL, Missouri 

KAY R. HAGAN, North Carolina 

MARK BEGICH, Alaska 

ROLAND W. BURRIS, Illinois 

LINDSEY GRAHAM, South Carolina 

SAXBY CHAMBLISS, Georgia 

JOHN THUNE, South Dakota 

MEL MARTINEZ, Florida 

ROGER F. WICKER, Mississippi 

RICHARD BURR, North Carolina 

DAVID VITTER, Louisiana 

SUSAN M. COLLINS, Maine 

(II) 

C O N T E N T S 

CHRONOLOGICAL LIST OF WITNESSES 

RESERVE COMPONENT PROGRAMS

MARCH 25, 2009

Page 

Hall, Hon. Thomas F., Assistant Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs ........ 6 

Vaughn, LTG Clyde A., ARNG, Director, Army National Guard ........................ 21 

Wyatt, Lt. Gen. Harry M., III, USAF, Director, Air National Guard ................. 39 

Stultz, LTG Jack C., USAR, Commanding General, U.S. Army Reserve Command ..................................................................................................................... 40 

Debbink, VADM Dirk J., USN, Chief of Navy Reserve; and Commander, 

Navy Reserve Force ............................................................................................. 77 

Bergman, Lt. Gen. John W., USMC, Commander, Marine Forces Reserve; 

and Commander, Marine Forces North .............................................................. 84 

Stenner, Lt. Gen. Charles E., Jr., USAF, Chief, Air Force Reserve; and Commander, Air Force Reserve Command ................................................................ 96 

May, RADM Daniel R., USCG, Director of Reserve and Training, U.S. Coast 

Guard Reserve ...................................................................................................... 104 

(III) 

(1) 

RESERVE COMPONENT PROGRAMS 

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 25, 2009 

U.S. SENATE, SUBCOMMITTEE ON PERSONNEL, COMMITTEE ON ARMED SERVICES, Washington, DC. 

The subcommittee met, pursuant to notice, at 2:30 p.m. in room 

SR–232A, Russell Senate Office Building, Senator E. Benjamin 

Nelson (chairman of the subcommittee) presiding. 

Committee members present: Senators E. Benjamin Nelson, 

Hagan, Begich, Burris, Chambliss, Graham, and Thune. 

Committee staff members present: Leah C. Brewer, nominations 

and hearings clerk; and Jennifer L. Stoker, security clerk. 

Majority staff members present: Jonathan D. Clark, counsel; 

Gabriella Eisen, counsel; and Gerald J. Leeling, counsel. 

Minority staff members present: Paul C. Hutton IV, professional 

staff member; Christopher J. Paul, professional staff member; 

Diana G. Tabler, professional staff member; and Richard F. Walsh, 

minority counsel. 

Staff assistants present: Ali Z. Pasha and Brian F. Sebold. 

Committee members’ assistants present: Ann Premer, assistant 

to Senator Ben Nelson; Jon Davey, assistant to Senator Bayh; Gordon I. Peterson, assistant to Senator Webb; Michael Harney, assistant to Senator Hagan; Clyde A. Taylor IV, assistant to Senator 

Chambliss; Adam G. Brake, assistant to Senator Graham; and 

Chip Kennett, assistant to Senator Collins. 

OPENING STATEMENT OF SENATOR E. BENJAMIN NELSON, 

CHAIRMAN 

Senator BEN NELSON. Good afternoon. The subcommittee meets 

today to discuss Reserve component programs of the Department of 

Defense (DOD). I welcome back my partner and good friend on the 

subcommittee, Senator Graham. We’ve worked together either as 

ranking member or chairman for a number of years, and it’s always good to work with you, Lindsey. 

Senator GRAHAM. Thank you, sir. 

Senator BEN NELSON. Thank you for all your support and your 

encouragement. 

To our witnesses, welcome. On the first panel, we welcome back 

Mr. Thomas F. Hall, the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Reserve 

Affairs, who is also currently serving as the acting Under Secretary 

of Defense for Personnel and Readiness. Mr. Hall has been the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs since October 2002, 

and has been Secretary Gates’ point man on the implementation of 

2 

the recommendations of the Commission on the National Guard 

and Reserves. 

I understand that Secretary Hall will leave government service 

next month, after completing more than 40 years of combined military and Federal civilian service. Secretary Hall and your wife, 

we’re delighted to have you here today, and we’re looking forward 

to your testimony one last time before you depart. We want to especially thank you for the past 7 years of tireless and dedicated 

service as Assistant Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs. 

We’re eager to hear your views of the recommendations of the 

Commission on the National Guard and Reserves, and we look forward to hearing your insights and recommendations based on your 

vast experience with our Reserve components. 

On our second panel, we’ll have the Directors of the Army and 

Air Force National Guard and Chiefs of each of the Reserve components. I’ll introduce each of them when we convene the second 

panel. 

The Reserve components have undergone a significant transformation in the past 8 years, from a Cold War-era strategic force 

to an operational force manned and equipped to face both the traditional and asymmetric threats of the 21st century. Despite the 

evolving operational nature of the Reserve components, there remains a strategic quality. The Reserve components respond when 

unforeseen events require even greater mobilization than the Active Duty can provide. 

Our Reserve components are engaged in all fronts of our operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. We know that our efforts in Afghanistan will not be successful by military force alone, but must 

also include a strong strategy for diplomacy, economic development, 

and sustainability. The 28th Forward Agribusiness Development 

Team, deployed from Nebraska to Afghanistan, is illustrative of an 

engagement strategy that promotes diplomacy and economic development. Our 52-member team from Nebraska is in Afghanistan to 

assist, teach, train, and educate farmers on better farming methods, to introduce the farmers to better and more sustainable crops, 

and to promote the eradication of the poppy trade. 

The agricultural team chief of the Nebraska unit, Eric 

Saddleburg, said it best to the National Guard Bureau: ‘‘Our goal 

in every mission is to improve relations with the locals. This type 

of mission will strengthen the bond between Afghanistan and the 

United States because we know that we’re here to help grow this 

nation, rather than destroy it.’’ 

This Nebraska unit is but one example of how the Guard and Reserve have transformed from a Strategic Reserve to an Operational 

Force. Our Reserve forces have risen to meet the new and constant 

challenges, but we must continue to monitor and assess this evolution to ensure that it is funded, manned, equipped, and trained 

so that it is ready and able to meet its missions while retaining the 

character and essence of the citizen-soldier. 

As we enter the ninth year of sustained combat, the stress on our 

All-Volunteer Force, Active and Reserve, is greater than ever. Last 

week we heard from the Vice Chiefs of the Services about the rising incidence of suicides, particularly in the Army and Marine 

Corps. Both General Chiarelli and General Amos pointed to the 

3 

stress on the Force, lengthy and repeated deployments, as a primary factor in the rise of suicides. 

The Force as a whole is stressed, and that stress is now manifesting itself more than ever in the health and wellbeing of individual servicemembers and their families. Key to lessening the 

stress on the Force is ensuring that we adhere to deployment and 

dwell time standards. The stated goal of the Department for Reserve component members is 1 year of mobilized service with 5 

years dwell time at home. This is absolutely vital to the long-term 

health of the Reserves and Reserve component personnel. It ensures that our reservists and guardsmen remain trained and proficient while providing predictability for their families and civilian 

employers. This predictability and transparency goes far in sustaining the morale and mental health of our servicemembers and 

allows them to plan both their military and civilian careers. It’s 

good for the servicemembers, their families, the military, the civilian sector, and the Nation. 

We also learned last week that Secretary Gates has approved a 

plan to transition the Army off its use of stop-loss to keep military 

personnel on Active Duty after they complete their Active Duty 

service commitment. The Reserve components are scheduled to 

cease the use of stop loss this summer. We applaud this move. It 

enhances the predictability and transparency that reservists, 

guardsmen, and their families need to plan their careers and care 

for their families. 

This policy decision, of course, raises a number of issues. Stoploss has been a tool the Army used to ensure unit cohesion for 

units deployed or preparing to deploy. Will undoing stop-loss require additional end strength to compensate for servicemembers 

who do not have enough time left on their commitment to complete 

a deployment? Will National Guard and Reserve units have to rely 

on more cross-leveling to replace personnel who will not have 

enough time to complete the deployment? Does Congress need to 

authorize additional compensation authorities to incentivize shortterm extensions? 

This subcommittee stands ready to act, if necessary. Ever mindful of the quality of life and quality of service of the Reserve components, this committee has sponsored and supported many initiatives in recent years to address the wellbeing of reservists, guardsmen, and their families. 

Senator Graham and I will soon introduce legislation that will 

make health benefits under TRICARE Standard available to gray 

area retirees and their families. Currently these National Guard 

and Reserve retirees are not eligible for TRICARE until they reach 

age 60. 

I’ll also reintroduce legislation that will encourage and demand 

thoughtful planning of training missions away from home for members of the Reserve component known as Operation Airlift. This 

legislation will provide that if a Reserve component member is sent 

to training and then that training is suspended for more than 5 

days, the military will pay for the travel expenses to return that 

member home. 

The Yellow Ribbon Program has been a resounding success. As 

General Chiarelli testified in last week’s hearing, the Yellow RibVerDate Nov 24 2008 13:29 Jan 21, 2010 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6633 Y:\BORAWSKI\DOCS\54509.TXT JUNE PsN: JUNEB
4 

bon Program has helped Reserve component members and their 

families to transition from Active Duty back to civilian life. 

In 2007, Congress authorized TRICARE Reserve Select, which 

extended the military health care program, TRICARE, to members 

of the Selected Reserve and their families. As I indicated earlier, 

Senator Graham and I will soon introduce legislation that will enhance this program by extending TRICARE Reserve Select to gray 

area retirees. 

In 2006, Congress authorized income replacement for Reserve 

components members subject to extended and frequent Active Duty 

service. In the recently passed Omnibus Appropriations Act, we enhanced this benefit, fully covering Federal employees who experience an income loss due to Active Duty service. 

In 2008, we authorized transportation allowances for certain reservists on inactive duty for training who are forced to travel long 

distances. Also in 2008, Congress enacted the new GI Bill, complete 

with transferability to spouses or children. Given the vastly increased mobilizations of reservists and guardsmen, many will be eligible for these generous benefits under the new GI Bill, even a 

fully funded college education. 

Lastly, as I indicated earlier, we have supported an end to the 

Army’s practice of stop-loss and supported compensation of servicemembers who have served under stop loss. 

We’ll continue to look for opportunities to enhance benefits where 

prudent and needed to maintain a healthy force. One positive effect 

of a lagging economy seems to be that military recruiting and retention are up. With a friendlier recruiting environment, we expect 

that the quality of new recruits will be even better. 

We look forward to hearing today about the recruiting and retention successes of the Reserve components. I also look forward to 

hearing about the effect of the new GI Bill and transferability on 

both recruiting and retention in the Reserve components. 

Senator Graham, would you like to make an opening statement? 

STATEMENT OF SENATOR LINDSEY GRAHAM 

Senator GRAHAM. Very briefly, Mr. Chairman. One, I’d like to 

echo what you started with, the idea that we do work well together. 

Our staffs have done a terrific job. There is a lot of conflict in Congress and between the parties, and that’s just the way democracy 

works. But when it comes to this subcommittee and, generally 

speaking, the Senate Armed Services Committee in general, we do 

a very good job, I think, of working together because our men and 

women in uniform are not partisans, they’re patriots. What we try 

to do is make sure that our patriotic nature overcomes our partisanship. 

You have been a very, very good chairman, and I have enjoyed 

working with you. I think, as you’ve just indicated, we’ve done 

some pretty good things. There’s more to come. We’re going to work 

on maybe trying to allow early retirement for people who volunteer 

for deployments. We have a program in place, but I think we could 

be even more aggressive. 

Secretary Hall, I just want to echo what Senator Nelson, our 

chairman, said. You have done a great job for the country for a 

very long period of time. I’m glad your wife is here today. She has, 

5 

I’m sure, been a great partner here. We can’t thank you enough. 

You have had a very tough assignment. It’s been 61⁄2 years of constant combat. 

To our Reserve members and the commanders, like Senator Nelson, I’ve been to Iraq and Afghanistan many, many times, and you 

can’t tell the difference between the reservist and Active Duty 

member. The missions that the Reserves have performed have been 

absolutely essential to the outcomes in Iraq and Afghanistan. The 

civil affairs component, military police, you can go down the list; 

the Guard and Reserve has not only stepped up to fill in, but 

they’ve been the leading agencies, components, on a lot of the 

things that are necessary to win this war that we’re in. So the best 

testament I can give to a member of the Guard and Reserves is 

that when you go to war, no one can tell the difference between you 

and your Active Duty counterpart. 

Secretary Hall, maybe this will be your last time before this committee. I don’t know. We may call you back. To our Army National 

Guard (ARNG), Lieutenant General Vaughn, thank you for your 

service. The Commander of the Marine Forces, Lieutenant General 

Bergman, thank you very much for what you have done. If this is 

your last time, well done. If you come back again, welcome. Who 

knows what the future holds. 

I look forward to listening to the state of play of the Guard and 

Reserves, and thank you all for your service. 

Mr. Chairman, we’ll continue to work together for the good of the 

country. 

[The prepared statement of Senator Graham follows:] 

PREPARED STATEMENT BY SENATOR LINDSEY GRAHAM

Thank you, Senator Nelson. 

Secretary Hall, I’d like to join Senator Nelson in acknowledging your long service 

as the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs. The combination of these 

most recent 61⁄2 years in the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) and your previous 34 years of active duty in the Navy, including assignment as the Chief of the 

Naval Reserve, tells me that you have just about seen and done it all. 

Thank you for your many contributions on behalf of individual reservists and 

guardsmen and their families and for your hard work in ensuring that our Reserve 

forces have continued to become the highly capable, proficient, and much relied 

upon full partners we expect them to be. 

I’d also like to acknowledge the contributions of members of your OSD Reserve 

Affairs staff who have been so helpful to us over the years and who will soon be 

leaving government service—particularly Dr. John Winkler, Assistant Secretary 

Craig Duehring, and Tom Bush. Please extend our thanks to each of them. 

I would also like to recognize the long and faithful service of the Director of the 

ARNG, Lieutenant General Vaughn, and the Commander of the Marine Forces Reserve, Lieutenant General Bergman. This will probably be their last appearance before this subcommittee as they complete their terms. We appreciate greatly your 

leadership and the many contributions each of you have made to your Service. 

Mr. Chairman, the men and women of our superb Active and Reserve Armed 

Forces have been on a wartime footing now for over 7 years. They have performed 

and continue to perform magnificently. We owe a tremendous debt to them and 

their families, and, in the months ahead, I know that under your leadership, our 

subcommittee will buckle down and work hard to assist them in every way possible. 

I look forward to it. 

I thank all our witnesses for their service and for joining us today. I am very 

happy, by the way, to see that the Coast Guard has joined us today, given the key 

role that the Coast Guard plays today in homeland security and national defense. 

Welcome, Rear Admiral May. 

Senator BEN NELSON. Thank you very much, Senator Graham. 

6 

We’ll now hear from our first witness, Mr. Hall. Thank you. 

STATEMENT OF HON. THOMAS F. HALL, ASSISTANT 

SECRETARY OF DEFENSE FOR RESERVE AFFAIRS 

Mr. HALL. Thank you. I would like my written statement entered 

into the record. 

Senator BEN NELSON. It will be. 

Mr. HALL. I also have a brief statement, first to thank you, Mr. 

Chairman and Senator Graham, for what you have done. You’ve always been very gracious to us, and no two people have supported 

our Guard and Reserve more. 

I’d like to start out by congratulating Congress. You often get all 

the blame, but it’s perhaps not known that in the past 61⁄2 years, 

over 200 provisions in the law for Guard and Reserve have been 

made and many of those at your support and your insistence. So 

we thank you for that. 

As was mentioned, over 50 years ago, I put on the uniform of this 

country, and I’ve had the opportunity in different capacities to 

serve our Nation. It’s all I’ve ever known. I’ve lived the dream for 

that amount of time. 

One of the reasons I asked my wife to come is that for 46 years, 

she has devoted her life to supporting the families and the troops, 

and she deserves more recognition than I do. She came to my confirmation hearing, and she’s coming to what I hope is the last hearing. We want to thank you. 

The gentlemen behind me, I know when it’s their turn, will give 

you their honest opinion, and there’s just never been a better group 

of Guard and Reserve chiefs, and I say that having been one because they are a superb group of dedicated Americans. 

We’ve had the largest mobilization since World War II. You know 

that. Today we passed over the statistics. I saw 700,000 guardsmen 

and reservists have been mobilized since September 11. There are 

127,000 on duty today, serving throughout the world. 

I also think that our boss, Secretary Gates, has made some fundamental changes which have been very critical. The January 19 

memo that you mentioned was a real watershed, where he said 

that the mobilization time will be 1 year for our Guard and Reserve, and that we will have deployment to dwell time ratio goals 

of 1:2 for our Active Duty, 1:5 for our Guard and Reserve. I can 

report in the 2 years since then—and I track these every week— 

we’ve gone from about 1:2.8 to 1:3.0, to now, the next group that 

we’re going to take for mobilization, are at 1:4. So, within about a 

year, we’ve increased a full year. 

Part of that has been our ability to increase the size of the Army 

and the Marine Corps. Part of it has been rebalancing. We have 

rebalanced about 134,000 billets. We have plans for 225,000 from 

our less stressed career groups over to our more stressed. That has 

helped us. That has helped us get there. 

We have published the Operational Reserve Directive. One of the 

recommendations of the Commission on the Guard and Reserve is 

that we need to institutionalize this. We need to make it a way of 

practice. In October, we published that directive, and we’re proceeding along that line. In there, we talk about how we are going 

7 

to mobilize, how we’re going to recruit and utilize our Guard and 

Reserve. 

On recruiting, this is the best recruiting statistic that I’ve seen 

in 61⁄2 years. As of today, these gentlemen combined are recruiting 

at 111 percent. 111 percent, I have never seen that. As for our 

quality: we are at 94 percent high school graduates. We have a goal 

of 90 percent. In this country, I think it’s a tragedy that high 

school graduates are down to around 70 percent. We’re at 94 percent. 

For our recruits in categories 1 through 3, our goal is 60 percent 

high school graduates. We’re at 67 percent. Most important, the 

category 4, we have a goal of no more than 3 percent non-high 

school graduates; we’re at only 1 percent nongraduates. 

Now, the economy helps. But I say these are great patriots today, 

and these young men and women are serving because they’re patriots. It’s not just the economy. 

We have made great progress in equipping our Guard and Reserve. When I’ve appeared before this committee and others, we’ve 

talked about it. Over $50 billion in the program of record is going 

towards our Guard and Reserve, $30 billion of that is towards the 

National Guard. I think one of our challenges will be to sustain 

that because that’s in the program of record, but we need to sustain it. 

There is $10 billion in this year’s program of equipment for our 

Guard and Reserve. If we execute that, that will bring the Guard 

up to about 78 percent of their equipment on hand. We’ve never 

been above 70 percent on-hand and it’s been cascaded old equipment. This will be brand-new compatible equipment. So I think the 

committee needs to watch and make sure we execute that. 

One of the recommendations of the Commission on the Guard 

and Reserves is to provide a mechanism by which we track, finally, 

how we program and execute the appropriations for the Guard and 

Reserve. We have just signed on to recommendation number 42 

and 43 in the Commission’s report and the mechanism of how we’re 

going to do that. Every quarter, it will be required that the Services report to my office how they’re using equipment, where it is, 

and where it’s going. Twice a year, although it’s not required, we’re 

going to report to you on the appropriations made, how we are 

tracking that equipment, so we will all know that it’s ending up 

with the Guard and Reserve. So we will be doing that. 

Again, a large effort we’ve had is supporting our families and our 

employers. You mentioned the Yellow Ribbon Program. That comes 

under my office. We have established the Yellow Ribbon Program 

as a Center of Excellence. We have manned that with representatives from each one of our components. From the Department of 

Veterans Affairs (VA), we’ve moved that office into the Pentagon in 

my spaces. On Monday, we will hold the first advisory board meeting of the Yellow Ribbon Program. 

We have about $200 million this year in execution funds that 

we’re putting towards that program. We have institutionalized the 

30-, 60-, and 90-day reintegration effort because we know we need 

to get those people and their families back. Families notice that 

something is wrong sometimes before the trooper will admit it. So, 

8 

getting them back at that periodicity will help us talk to them. 

We’re going to be doing that. 

With the stop-loss, I’m proud to say that the Army Reserve on 

September 1 will end that; the Army Guard will end stop-loss after 

that. I do not think—and I would be interested in what my colleagues have to say—that that will cause a lot of difference in 

cross-leveling and with the Individual Ready Reserve (IRR). We’ve 

mobilized about 20,000 of the IRR since September 11. In the first 

Gulf War, we used 30,000. We have 225,000, so we have not at all 

approached that. But we need to watch that very carefully. You hit 

upon something which I think we would welcome, which is proper 

manning of stop-loss. We need to incentivize people to extend their 

time, and that’s going to require some dollars. 

So after the budget comes over, I know my colleagues won’t be 

bashful. If they need money to incentivize people to extend, I think 

we will be able to do that without tapping the IRR too much. But 

you mentioned that, Mr. Chairman. 

TRICARE Reserve Select, that’s been something which you have 

driven. I’m happy to report 38,421 of our people are taking advantage of that. The premiums are very attractive. I’m not a health insurance person, but they tell me those premiums, $47.51 for a single person, is pretty competitive. So 100,000 have already taken 

advantage of the program, including dependents. That’s growing 

along the way. So we appreciate that. I imagine there wouldn’t be 

a grey area retiree resisting the fact if you pass that law. 

I think I will end there, and I will be happy to answer any of 

your questions. Thank you. 

[The prepared statement of Mr. Hall follows:] 

PREPARED STATEMENT BY HON. THOMAS F. HALL

INTRODUCTION

Chairman Nelson, Senator Graham, and members of the committee, thank you for 

the invitation to appear before you today. I would like to provide an overview of the 

Reserve components from my perspective, then describe the Department’s plan to 

act on recommendations made by the Commission on the National Guard and Reserves in its final report, and close with comments on the Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program. 

As a whole, the Reserve components exceeded their recruiting objective by 5 percent in fiscal year 2008 and were below the established attrition ceiling. They are 

on the glide slope to achieving their recruiting goals this year. A large measure of 

this success is due the increase in compensation and enhancements in benefits you 

have authorized over the last 6 years; thanks to you. Relieving the stressed career 

fields is just about complete and, although we continue to work on equipment and 

medical readiness, we have made great strides in the overall readiness of the Reserve components. Over the past 71⁄2 years, there has been a profound increase in 

the contributions the Reserve components have provided to support the war effort. 

We have asked a great deal of Guard and Reserve members and they unfailingly 

answer the call to duty. 

I have been fortunate to serve as the Assistant Secretary for Reserve Affairs for 

the past 61⁄2 years. During this time, the Department has implemented numerous 

policy changes and Congress has passed over 200 changes in law that have improved the management of the Reserve components and enhanced the pay and benefits provided to Guard and Reserve members, and their families. 

I believe that the success we have enjoyed in recruiting new members into the 

Reserve components and retaining Guard and Reserve members is a direct reflection 

of the pride they have in serving our great country and the significant enhancements provided by Congress in compensation (basic pay, allowances and incentives) 

and benefits now available to Guard and Reserve members and their families. 

9 

Three years into the war following the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, this committee had concerns with the number of changes in 

laws governing the structure and employment of the Reserve components and the 

pay and benefits provided to Reserve component members and their families as the 

Department increased its reliance on the Guard and Reserve to provide operational 

support. Congress determined that a comprehensive assessment by an independent 

entity was needed and included a provision in the Ronald Reagan National Defense 

Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2005 that established the Commission on the National Guard and Reserves. Congress charged the Commission with carrying out a 

study of the roles and missions of the National Guard and the Reserve components, 

and the compensation and other benefits, including health care benefits that are 

provided for members of the Reserve components under the laws of the United 

States. 

After nearly 21⁄2 years of study, the Commission released its final report on January 31, 2008. The Commission organized its report into 6 major areas and made 95 

recommendations supported by 163 findings. 

THE DEPARTMENT’S REVIEW OF THE REPORT

Immediately following the release of the final report, the Secretary directed the 

Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness to establish a working 

group of senior executives to conduct a comprehensive review of the report and provide him with a proposed course of action for each of the Commission’s 95 recommendations. I led that working group, which was comprised of 28 general/flag officers and senior civilian executives from the OSD staff, the Joint Staff, the Military 

Departments and Services, the National Guard Bureau, U.S. Northern Command, 

the Reserve Forces Policy Board, the Departments of Homeland Security, Veterans 

Affairs and Labor, and the Small Business Administration. 

Following a comprehensive review of the report and assessing the recommendations made by the Commission, the working group provided the Secretary with a 

fully coordinated, comprehensive plan for addressing the Commission’s recommendations. The Secretary published his decision in a memorandum dated November 24, 2008, which directed the Department to act on 82 of the recommendations. Of the 82 recommendations, the Department already had action underway or 

had completed action on 29 recommendations. He deferred two recommendations to 

other departments in the executive branch because those recommendations involved 

issues that were under the purview of those departments. Finally, he directed that 

no action be taken on eleven recommendations. 

OVERVIEW OF ACTION TAKEN BY THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

In addition to continuing the actions already underway, the Secretary directed 

that detailed implementation plans be developed no later than December 19, 2008, 

for the 53 recommendations requiring new action. This resulted in 119 individual 

implementation plans, which have been approved by the Secretary. My office is 

tasked with monitoring the implementation plans and providing the Deputy Secretary with an update on our progress every 6 months. 

A detailed description of the actions being taken by the Department in response 

to the recommendations made by the Commission is contained in the report required by section 906 of the Duncan Hunter National Defense Authorization Act for 

Fiscal Year 2009, which will be submitted to Congress next month. However, I 

would like to provide the committee with highlights of some of the more significant 

actions the Department is undertaking. 

I. Creating a Sustainable Operational Reserve 

One of the most notable findings made by the Commission was that the 

‘‘. . . nation requires an operational Reserve Force, but that the Department of Defense (DOD) and Congress . . . have not formally adopted the operational Reserve. 

Steps taken . . . have been more reactive than proactive, more timid than bold, 

and more incremental than systemic. They thus far have not focused on an overarching set of alterations necessary to make the Reserve components a ready, rotational force. Congress and DOD have not reformed the laws and policies governing 

the Reserve components in ways that will sustain an operational force.’’ While we 

believe that the actions taken by the Department and by Congress were thoughtful, 

proactive and appropriate as reliance on the National Guard and Reserve has increased, we did agree that we needed to formally recognize the operational role of 

the National Guard and Reserve within the total force and to establish a systematic 

approach to managing the National Guard and Reserve in their operation role as 

well as their strategic role. To accomplish this, the Department published DOD DiVerDate Nov 24 2008 13:29 Jan 21, 2010 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00013 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6621 Y:\BORAWSKI\DOCS\54509.TXT JUNE PsN: JUNEB
10 

rective 1200.17, Managing the Reserve Components as an Operational Force, on October 29, 2008. This directive established the Secretary’s principles and overarching 

policies for managing the Reserve components in their operational and strategic 

roles. The importance the Secretary placed on this directive is demonstrated by the 

fact that he signed the directive, rather than the Deputy Secretary signing the directive which is the normal practice. 

Institutionalizing policy guidance on managing the Reserve components in the 

total force in a DOD directive is a major milestone, since previous statements concerning the Reserve components as part of the total force were simply provided in 

a series of Secretary of Defense memoranda dating back to 1970. This directive addresses the Commission’s concern that the Department has not formally adopted the 

operational Reserve in ways that will sustain the Reserve components as an operational force. The management principles established in the directive will ensure 

that the operational employment of the Guard and Reserve will be sustained, with 

rules governing the frequency and duration of activation. These rules are based on 

the principle of judicious and prudent use of the Reserve components and provide 

predictability to the member, family, and civilian employer. 

II. Enhancing DOD’s Role in the Homeland 

The Commission expanded on the recommendations made in its March 2007 report regarding homeland defense and defense support to civil authorities. In fact 

several of the January 2008 recommendations duplicated recommendations contained in the March 2007 report. The Department has completed action on most of 

the March 2007 recommendations and has initiated several comprehensive assessments based on the recommendations in the January 2008 report. These include an 

assessment of the statutory authorities to provide support to civil support, an assessment of the adequacy of the plans of U.S. Pacific Command, U.S. Northern 

Command, and the National Guard Bureau to deal with a major catastrophe that 

has incapacitated the civilian government over a substantial geographic area, an assessment of the current and future roles of all components in homeland defense and 

civil support and the training for homeland defense and civil support activities, and 

an assessment of the military force posture and distribution of capabilities to respond to domestic emergencies in addition to those already required by law. 

The Commission also recommended that the National Guard and Reserves have 

the lead role in, and form the backbone of, DOD operations in the homeland. We 

believe that this is a total force responsibility and should not discount any military 

capabilities that might be needed in the event of a major disaster in the homeland, 

whether natural or manmade. But we do recognize that there are particular competencies and in some cases unique capabilities resident in the Guard and Reserve 

that could be called upon to respond when a major disaster occurs 

III. Creating a Continuum of Service: Personnel Management 

The Commission recommended that over time the Defense Officer Personnel Management Act and the Reserve Officer Personnel Management Act should be merged. 

It further recommended that as an interim step to facilitate the transition, a single 

commission should be created in lieu of a regular and Reserve commission, which 

has become an administrative barrier for officers to move between components 

under our continuum of service construct. These are both complex undertakings 

which will require time to fully explore, but the Secretary has tasked us to do just 

that. My office has the lead for both of these initiatives. 

The Commission made a number of recommendations concerning joint officer 

management. The recently published DODI 1300.19, DOD Joint Officer Management Program, includes criteria for Reserve component officers to receive the same 

joint officer designation as their active duty counterparts. With Active, Guard, and 

Reserve officers serving side-by-side in joint commands and task forces, it is important that they are given the same joint designation. Reserve component officers, 

whether serving full-time or less than full-time, can be designated as a joint qualified officer under the standard path (the traditional path to joint designation) and 

the new experience path. The Secretary also directed that we develop a plan to expand opportunities to complete Joint Professional Military Education Phase II outside the traditional in-residency program. Providing Reserve component officers 

with the opportunity to become joint qualified will enable them to successfully compete for the most senior leadership positions within the Department. 

We are reviewing the number of duty statuses under which Guard and Reserve 

members may serve. Currently there are 29 different duty statuses. Because each 

has a specific purpose or specific funding source, it is not unusual for a member to 

change duty statuses, even though serving continuously on duty. This is disruptive 

to the member, the family and the command. The desired outcome of our review is 

11 

to significantly reduce the number of duty statuses while retaining sufficient oversight and specificity to justify the budget request. While the exact number has not 

yet been determined, I anticipate a substantial reduction in duty statuses but it is 

highly unlikely, and probably not desirable that we will get to only two duty 

statuses as suggested by the Commission—on duty or off duty. 

The Secretary did not support the Commission’s recommendations to remove end 

strength limits or to eliminate Active Duty for Operational Support. These provisions were enacted to enable Congress to monitor manpower management within 

the Department and they provide the Department with useful metrics to help manage the force. 

IV. Developing a Ready, Capable and Available Operational Reserve 

Developing and maintaining a ready, capable and available operational Reserve 

can only be accomplished if it is properly resourced. ‘‘Funding an operational Reserve’’ was one of two special interest items identified in the Secretary’s guidance. 

Balancing resource requirements across the Department is always a challenge. Recognizing that the Services must properly resource the Guard and Reserve consistent 

with their force generation plans, the Secretary directed that each biennial Program 

Budget Review shall propose appropriate funding for the readiness requirements 

necessary to prepare and employ the Reserve components in their operational roles, 

based on the level of persistent conflict, and published utilization and fiscal guidance. 

The second item of special interest was the recommendation involving visibility 

and accountability of equipment for the Guard and Reserve. The Department has 

examined its current processes and determined a course of action for improved financial transparency and accountability of Guard and Reserve equipment, from 

funding to equipment delivery. This plan will include a Department-wide implementation of enhanced President’s Budget Justification Material coupled with a focused 

effort to improve tracking of equipment procurements to their delivery, as well as 

a disciplined semi-annual report to the Congressional Defense Committees notifying 

them of any funding or delivery changes throughout the appropriation cycle. These 

improvements, targeted for fiscal year 2010, will also provide the rigor and reporting structure necessary to support annual certification of equipment receipt within 

the National Guard, as required by sections 351 and 1826 of the National Defense 

Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008. 

Further, the Secretary directed an assessment of equipment requirements for the 

Active component and Reserve component (as appropriate) for homeland defense, domestic emergency response and military support to civil authorities, in accordance 

with section 1815 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008. 

Full-time support personnel are critical to readiness. The level and mix of fulltime support personnel for a strategic Reserve is not necessarily the level and mix 

of full-time support personnel to ensure readiness of an operational Guard and Reserve. To address this readiness issue, the Secretary directed a comprehensive review of the full-time support program with an individual assessment conducted for 

each Reserve component. This will provide the foundation for justifying changes 

needed in full-time support staffing to ensure readiness. 

Medical and dental readiness has long been a concern. The amendment included 

in the Duncan Hunter National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2009, expanding the authority previously limited to the Secretary of the Army to provide 

medical screening and dental screening and treatment for Reserve component members identified as early deployers, now includes the Secretary of the Navy and the 

Secretary of the Air Force and clarifying the funding source for medical readiness 

will be very helpful to the Services as they develop plans for funding and providing 

medical and dental screening and treatment for Reserve component members as directed by the Secretary. 

Finally, to help senior leaders monitor the readiness of the Reserve components, 

the Secretary directed that the Defense Readiness Reporting System be modified to 

include data on full-time support personnel, individual medical readiness and requirements for defense support to civil authorities. 

V. Supporting Servicemembers, Families, and Employers 

There have been enormous changes in the pay, benefits, and support provided to 

Guard and Reserve members and their families over the past 7 years. Pay and allowances have increased significantly, Selected Reserve members have access to the 

military health care system regardless of duty status, there are two new educational 

assistance programs that provide benefit payments that incrementally increase 

based on the length of service, and we plan to implement the authority for members 

12 

to transfer the post-September 11 educational assistance benefits to their spouse 

and children, in the near future. 

To maintain continuity of health care, the Commission recommended that Reserve 

component members be allowed to enroll in the Federal Employee Health Benefit 

Program in lieu of TRICARE Reserve Select and that the Department offer a stipend to members who want to retain their family in a private or employer-sponsored health plan in lieu of using TRICARE while on active duty for greater than 

30 days. We are assessing both of those options. 

The Commission also made several recommendations to expand and enhance the 

support provided to Reserve component members and their families. The Services 

and their Reserve components are primarily responsible for delivering support services. But because Guard and Reserve members are geographically dispersed and 

often do not live near a military facility or their local armory/reserve center, we 

have been encouraging a joint approach for delivering support services, particularly 

for Guard and Reserve members and their families. 

The Services and their Reserve components have committed to providing support 

services to members and families at the local level regardless of the member’s service or component affiliation. There are two dedicated OSD programs to assist the 

Services in supporting Reserve component members and their families. The first is 

the Joint Family Support Program. This program provides financial and material 

assistance and mobile support services, and sponsors volunteers and family support 

professionals who deliver support services and coordinate family assistance programs and activities provided by Military OneSource, Military Family Life Consultants, counselors, DOD, other Federal agencies, state and local agencies, and nonprofit entities. 

The second and most recent program is the Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program, 

which was mandated in the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 

2008 to provide National Guard and Reserve members and their families with information, services, referrals, and proactive outreach opportunities throughout the deployment cycle. My office was designated the lead for this important program and 

within 6 weeks of the requirement to establish the program, we opened the Office 

for Reintegration Programs. We have published guidance on the support required 

across the deployment cycle—from predeployment through reunion and reconstitution. We also worked closely with the Comptroller to secure funding. We have also 

collaborated with the National Guard Bureau to develop a Decision Support Tool 

that will allow rapid deployment of a nationwide calendar of Yellow Ribbon events 

for our servicemembers and their families. 

But the real success is that the State National Guard and Reserve organizations 

are delivering support services under the Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program. 

The most immediate need was to assist members returning from deployment with 

reintegration activities being conducted at the 30, 60, and 90 day interval following 

demobilization. (In fact, so far this fiscal year, the Reserve components have conducted over 160 entire deployment cycle events for over 30,500 Guard and Reserve 

members, and their families.) During the past year, Service programs have rapidly 

expanded to also provide enhanced support services before, during and after mobilization and deployment. These Service programs ultimately improve the level of 

readiness for their deploying personnel. 

The DOD Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program is proving to be extremely successful and I am confident when it fully matures, we will have an extremely robust 

program that addresses the challenges of deploying to a combat zone and better prepares servicemembers and their families for the challenges they face throughout the 

deployment cycle. 

The Commission included several recommendations regarding employer support. 

We are evaluating our Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve organization to 

ensure it is meeting the needs of Reserve component members and is effective in 

gaining the support of employers. The self-employed and small business owners require special attention and over the past 7 years we have worked closely with the 

Small Business Administration to address the unique challenges small business 

owners face. 

VI. Reforming the Organizations and Institutions that Support an Operational Reserve 

The Commission recommended that the Secretary develop a new total force policy 

to achieve the next level of integration among all components. The new DOD directive signed by the Secretary last October on managing the Reserve components as 

an operational force establishes the next level of integration. Moreover, the actions 

the Secretary directed to address the recommendations made by the Commission are 

the substantive steps to further integrate the force. We are also reviewing all DOD 

13 

and Service regulations to identify and eliminate policies and programs and request 

amendments to laws that limit the Department’s ability to manage personnel and 

programs as an integrated total force. 

Within this area, there were several recommendations on which the Secretary 

chose to take no action. There were recommendations that called for a complete reorganization of the categories under which the Reserve components are managed. 

The Commission recommended an operational category and a strategic category. 

The Department determined that while this concept appeared intriguing, in the end 

such a change would not improve the management of the Reserve components. This 

would be more about relabeling the current categories, but could potentially limit 

flexibility and would more than likely result in adverse resourcing implications— 

creating the ‘‘haves’’ and ‘‘have nots.’’ Another set of recommendations involved a 

mix of organizational changes that the Secretary determined were not prudent at 

a time of unprecedented use of those forces, particularly the recommendation that 

would eliminate the office established by Congress to oversee and advocate for Reserve Forces. 

CONCLUSION

Overall, the Department’s response to the Commission’s report and the recommendations made by the Commission was positive, proactive, and aggressive. 

This response to a report of this kind was unlike any I have seen, with the Department undertaking nearly 120 new initiatives in addition to actions already underway. The priority the Department places on this undertaking is plainly stated in 

the January 29, 2009, memorandum approving the implementation plans. 

These plans will remove impediments to the employment of the National Guard 

and Reserve as an operational force, strengthen their role in providing strategic 

depth, and institutionalize the continuum of service personnel management construct. As such, these plans are part of the Department’s top priorities and should 

be implemented aggressively. 

Over the past 7 years, there has been a fundamental change in how the Guard 

and Reserve are used and the high value the Department places on them. There 

are no more ‘‘weekend warriors;’’ there are only citizen warriors who continue to answer the Nation’s call to serve. 

It has been my pleasure to represent these fine citizen warriors for the past 61⁄2

years as the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs. I want to close by 

thanking the members of this committee for your unwavering support for the men 

and women who serve in the National Guard and Reserve. 

Senator BEN NELSON. Senator Thune, Senator Chambliss, any 

opening statements? 

Senator CHAMBLISS. I have no opening statement. I do just want 

to thank Tom for his great service. He’s had 61⁄2 great years with 

the Pentagon. Tom, you’ve done a great job. You’ve provided great 

service to our country, and we thank you for that. 

Mr. HALL. Thank you for heading that caucus, and I appreciated 

being with you the other day. I appreciate all your support. 

Senator THUNE. No opening statement. I have some questions 

when we get to them. 

Senator BEN NELSON. Secretary Hall, I know that you led that 

working group of senior executives that were directed to conduct 

this comprehensive review of the report of the Commission on the 

National Guard and Reserves. 

What’s the status of the Department’s implementation of the recommendations of the Commission, and perhaps you can outline 

maybe the three most difficult issues that your working group had 

to address? Finally, what did your working group do with respect 

to make the concept of a continuum of service a true reality? But 

starting first with what’s the status, then what challenges did you 

notice? 

Mr. HALL. We set a very aggressive timeline. The Commission 

met for about 21⁄2 years, and I was determined in 21⁄2 months to 

14 

complete our staffing. We did that. It took a very large whip, but 

we accomplished that. 

Implementation of the Commission’s recommendation numbers 

42 and 43, the last two, on equipment and programming, completes 

the implementation of what the Secretary directed regarding the 

implementation of 82 of the 95 recommendations. Of the remainder, two of them were sent to VA. The other 11 we required no action or did not agree with. 

So all of those 82 are in the process of being implemented. My 

office is charged with reporting monthly, and the first will be next 

month, on the status of each one of those recommendations. We 

have a timeline for each of them. We’re going to follow them. One 

of the things I wanted is for it not to die and become another report that goes on the shelf. So we’re required to report directly to 

the Secretary every month. 

The hardest ones, I think the equipment and the programming, 

were very difficult because the Services did not want to reduce 

their flexibility in how they handled the equipment, but at the 

same time we needed visibility. So, to obtain something which 

would give us flexibility and visibility together, we hammered for 

quite some time. That’s been decided. 

I think the joint qualifications for our people were very important. I know Senator Graham is very familiar with this. We have 

now worked out, starting in October 2007, that the joint military 

qualifications are now extended to all of the Guard and Reserve. 

Most importantly, it’s not just quantity of time you serve; it’s quality of time. If you serve 6 months in a combat zone, that might be 

more quality joint time than 2 years on a staff. So we have the provisions for that. It’s fully integrated. 

I also mentioned that for the adjutants general, we went out 

with a call to the adjutants general to see which ones thought that 

they would qualify for joint credit within their State, and 29 of 

them came in and set those qualifications. The Joint Staff approved 

all 29, 29 of 29, for those adjutants general to receive joint duty 

credit for their service as an adjutant general within the State 

where they have both the Army and the Air Force. 

I think those were some of the most challenging ones. Also, support to civil authorities, and of course the others have already been 

accomplished with General McKinley receiving a fourth star and 

General Blum being the first deputy commander. So those we implemented already. But those were the bit more challenging ones. 

But I think we’re on track with that, Senator. 

Senator BEN NELSON. The Commission determined that the Reserve component personnel are called to serve in 29 different 

statuses, and it concluded that these statuses are confusing and 

frustrating to both the members and the commanders. So the Commission recommended that DOD reduce the number of duty 

statuses from 29 to 2. That’s a substantial reduction. 

What’s the Department’s assessment of this recommendation? 

Mr. HALL. They once tried to teach me all 29 as an aviator, but 

they found it was impossible for me to remember all 29. 

The answer is not 2 and the answer is not 29. I commanded the 

Naval Reserve along the way and experienced all of those. So we’re 

trying to do something unique this time. We’re actually trying to 

15 

turn it over to the operators, these gentlemen back here who use 

it, and say ‘‘What amount of those do you think gives you the most 

flexibility in what you need?’’ I think it’s going to be between four 

to seven statuses because that allows flexibility. But rather than 

us decide it in the Office of the Secretary of Defense and in the 

Pentagon, I have asked them to tell us what they need, then we 

ought to listen to them, and we ought to put those four to six in. 

That’s working right now. They are doing that, and I anticipate 

that the answer, whatever they give, we will implement those for 

both flexibility and what they need. 

Senator BEN NELSON. Thank you. 

Finally, the Commission made a number of recommendations to 

improve the health care benefits available to Reserve component 

members and their families. Has the Department taken any action 

or will it take any action to improve that health care? We’re introducing legislation, but is there anything that’s underway right 

now? 

Mr. HALL. I think the TRICARE Reserve Select has just been a 

watershed because when I first came into the job, it was predicted 

that we will never have the military health care system available 

to all drilling reservists and their families when you come on Active Duty. But you’ve fixed that. As I mentioned, it helped 100,000 

servicemembers and their families. That can’t but help us with the 

overall health of our families and our troops. 

I have been very encouraged in dental readiness, for instance. 

You have asked me each time about that, and I think you should 

ask my colleagues about it. When I first went to the mobilization 

stations at Fort Bliss, Fort Hood, the various places, the dental 

readiness of our units, the Basic Training Centers (BTCs), was running about 30 percent. When I visited with General Wyatt’s 45th 

when he was an adjutant general in Oklahoma, it was at about 90 

percent. 

The commercial vans that he used and they pioneered, where 

they pull a van up to a drill center and, as you say, they drill them 

while they’re on drill, and they have three seats and you run them 

through one end and you take care of all of them, and you do that 

before they mobilize and you do that at the armory, so when they 

report to the mobilization station you don’t take time away from 

training. They are already ready. 

Now, we’re not 90 percent in every unit, but what I’m saying is 

the percentage is going up to 75 to 80 to 90. So we’re well on the 

way to that. 

I think, given the medical readiness of the troops and their families, because of what you have done, can we improve some more? 

There are some more possible improvements on the margin with 

TRICARE, as you’ve mentioned for the grey area. But I think for 

our troops and their use of the system: 90 days prior to going to 

mobilization, 6 months afterwards, and you can use it for every 90 

days you serve for up to a year. You could have it for 8 years after 

mobilization, combined with being able to have it any time. It is 

the right way forward because, if we’re going to use 700,000 

guardsmen and reservists, we have to have the same medical 

standards for them as the Active Duty. We’re going that way. We’re 

not perfect, but great progress has been made in that area. 

16 

Senator BEN NELSON. Thank you. 

Senator Graham. 

Senator GRAHAM. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. 

Mr. Secretary, one of the things that’s intrigued me is that, due 

to the extensive deployments, redeployments, and the utilization of 

the Guard and Reserve, the one thing I’ve been worried about is 

people punching out at 20 years of service. For example, in my old 

Guard unit in South Carolina, you had to blow people out. They’d 

stay there until they were 90 if you’d let them because they loved 

the unit, loved what they did. 

Have you seen any increase in people retiring at 20 years of service and not staying past? 

Mr. HALL. I think my colleagues would be better prepared to answer that, but I think you’ve hit on a very important point. The 

way we work our recruiting, our retention—and I was a retention 

officer once—is we get people retained to 10 years, and at that 

point they’re in the Active Force and we keep them. We do very 

little for people past 20 years. 

Now, the GI Bill is one of the things that is going to help with 

transferability and other benefits. I personally think we need to 

look at what we do for people past 20 years, and I think moving 

retirement benefits from 30 to 40 years, where you can continue to 

accrue it, is a good step forward. But we want to reenlist those people. I often ask, after 20, well, we don’t have the bonuses. 

So I think if we can do things to incentivize people to stay longer, 

rather than leave earlier, that has to be our next step because 

those are the sergeants, those are the chief petty officers, those are 

the kinds of midgrade officers you need to keep, and your company 

doesn’t need to lose them at the 20-year point. 

So I think we all need to explore what we can propose or what 

you might want for servicemembers past 20. 

Senator GRAHAM. One of the things that I’ve been thinking about 

for a while is, if you’ll serve 22 years, you can maybe retire at 50. 

Step down the retirement because really that’s when you’re in your 

military prime. That 20-year person has been there and done a lot; 

20-year people make great teachers and have a lot of skills that we 

will need. So we’ll look forward to working with everybody to try 

to find a way to make sure that we keep people past 20, particularly in selected key areas. 

You talked about the dental situation. One of the things we 

learned after September 11 is that when we started calling people 

up to Active Duty, we had a hard time getting Guard and reservists into deployable status because of medical problems. They were 

trained to fill in for the Fulda Gap and all of a sudden here we are 

in a global war on terror—and I’m going to continue to call it that. 

You can call it what you want to. That’s what I’m going to call it 

because I think that’s what it is—and we had a hard time getting 

people ready to deploy. 

About 25 percent of the Force, I think, called up to Active Duty 

was medically disqualified for dental problems initially. When you 

think about it, the enemy is depleting our forces without firing a 

shot. I know you’ve done some good things in that area, but here’s 

a number they’ve given me in the book. I don’t know if it’s right 

or not. But in the first quarter of fiscal year 2009, more than half 

17 

of the Army Guard and Reserve, 52 percent, reported as 

nondeployable due to class 3 or 4 dental readiness status. 

Mr. HALL. I think, again, my colleagues can speak to this. A lot 

of that in that readiness area might be because they haven’t had 

the exams at all. So we’d have to break that down into whether it’s 

that you haven’t had the exam or you had treatment. 

When I first came into this job, the first place I visited was Fort 

Bragg, and a dentist came up and said: What do you think the 

record is for me pulling teeth? 

Senator GRAHAM. Bad teeth are doing more damage to us than 

the enemy. 

Mr. HALL. The dentists say if you can’t bite you can’t fight. So 

that’s their fight song along the way. 

But, this dentist pulled 28 of the 32 teeth. A person who came 

in was in such poor shape because it’s a problem in our country. 

Senator GRAHAM. We don’t have private sector dental health care 

usually. It’s not that the Army’s just inheriting a problem that society has. 

Mr. HALL. I think we’re getting better, but I think my colleagues 

can comment on how much better we are. 

Senator GRAHAM. Anything you can think of to deal with this 

problem, whether you need money or legal changes, we stand ready 

to help. 

Mr. HALL. Yes, sir. 

Senator GRAHAM. Thank you for the job you’ve done for the country, and I think you can leave your post looking back and saying 

that you were there when it mattered the most maybe since World 

War II for sure. You’re a great leader. Thank you very much. 

Mr. HALL. Thank you, sir. 

Senator BEN NELSON. Thank you, Senator Graham. 

Senator Begich. 

Senator BEGICH. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. 

I do have to depart, but I have just one question. It’s a followup to your question in regards to TRICARE and how it works. I’m 

just going to read a note I have here. The Commission on the National Guard and Reserves recommended that the Reserve component be allowed to enroll into the Federal employee health benefit 

program in lieu of TRICARE and that the Department offer a stipend to members who want to retain their family in a private or 

employer-sponsored health plan in lieu of using TRICARE for Active Duty for greater than 30 days. Do you have a comment on 

that? 

Mr. HALL. The chairman asked about that earlier, the status of 

our work. One of our particular work groups is looking at that proposal right now. I think the key for the Federal health care benefit 

program is what best advantages the individual. The way I would 

look at it is, if it’s better for them to do, they ought to have the 

option. We’re looking at both of those options. 

We have to report out to the Secretary on what we think about 

those two particular portions of that work group, and our first report on our progress will be next month. 

Senator BEGICH. I’m assuming the chairman asked, would you 

share that progress with this committee? 

18 

Mr. HALL. Certainly. We shared the large report with the staff, 

and we will share progress reports with them as they come out. 

Senator BEGICH. The progress would be great. Great. 

Thank you. 

That’s all, Mr. Chairman. I had just that one quick question for 

Mr. Hall. Thank you. 

Mr. HALL. Thank you, sir. 

Senator BEN NELSON. Senator Chambliss. 

Senator CHAMBLISS. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. 

Again, Mr. Secretary, let me just commend you for your great 

service to our country. Talk for a minute, if you will, about the 

readiness and about the predictability from the standpoint of individual members as reservists and guard members being able to tell 

their families when they’re going to go, and, on the other side, if 

we are doing what we need to do from an employer standpoint, to 

try to give the employer the predictability that they need. 

Mr. HALL. I think the single most important thing to a trooper, 

his or her family, and his or her employers, is not any different 

than it was when I first joined a long time ago. Barbara wanted 

to know: When are you going to go, how long are you going to stay 

there, when are you going to be back, and can you tell me as far 

ahead as possible? It hasn’t changed a lot. 

I think this was a primary motivation of Secretary Gates in establishing the predictability goals. As I say, we’re up to about 1:4 

deployment-to-dwell-time ratios. But more important is alerting the 

Guard and Reserve. When I first came into the job, we were giving 

people 30 days notice. We were more in a crisis mode. Then we 

worked so that the last groups that we were going to alert, we gave 

them 2 years notice, 20 to 24 months notice. 

One of the things I heard is if you alert them that far ahead, people will leave the units. But I don’t think that’s true. I think they 

have stayed. So the employers that I have spent time with have 

said advance notice provides predictability, even that far ahead; if 

you can tell us 2 years ahead, we will plan. There has not been a 

huge exodus in my tracking of our Guard and Reserve units, and 

I’ve tracked the BTCs carefully. They have lost some, but it hasn’t 

occurred above normal planning, so I think the predictability is 

key. 

When I came into the job, our Employer Support of the Guard 

and Reserve (ESGR) was funded at about $9 million. We were 

reaching a small segment of our employers. Today, we’re funding 

it at $20 million. Doesn’t sound like a lot, but we’ve doubled the 

funding, almost two and a half times. We want to reach more of 

the employers out there because the reservist has the three-legged 

stool, the employer, the family, and their job. If any of those legs 

fall off, the stool will collapse. 

So I think predictability is probably the most important thing I 

hear from families and employers. We’re working hard with ESGR. 

We’re giving longer notifications, more alert time, and I think it’s 

been well received. Yes, some people might leave if they learn 2 

years ahead, but there hasn’t been that exodus. These are very, 

very patriotic people that are proud to be in the units, and in the 

Guard and the State in particular, that’s their unit. That’s the peoVerDate Nov 24 2008 13:29 Jan 21, 2010 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00022 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6602 Y:\BORAWSKI\DOCS\54509.TXT JUNE PsN: JUNEB
19 

ple they work with. That’s whom they live with. You know that, 

and they stay with them. 

So that’s about where we are on our predictability. I think we 

ought to continue. One of the rules that was passed by Congress, 

you will not have less than 30 days notice. The goal is 90 days before you tell them when to mobilize. The Secretary of Defense said: 

No, it’s 180 days. So he has told us that we have to personally report to him if we are mobilizing anybody, and he took it a step 

from 90 to 180 days. Every week, I have to report that if anybody 

is not given at least that much time prior to mobilization. 

So I think there’s great sensitivity on his part with predictability. 

Senator CHAMBLISS. Good. The 48th Brigade of the Army Guard 

from Georgia is heading to Afghanistan beginning in May. They did 

a tour in Iraq a couple of years ago. They did not get to take advantage, under current law, of our early retirement provision, but 

now when they go back this time, that early retirement provision’s 

going to kick in for them. 

Senator Kerry and I have a bill up again to make it retroactive 

to September 11. We’re going to keep working until we get that 

done. 

What kind of anecdotal feedback have you gotten from the Guard 

and Reserve folks from around the country with respect to their 

feeling about the opportunity to retire earlier than age 60? 

Mr. HALL. It was the number one thing I got when I went to 

town halls, maybe tied with health care—no, TRICARE. But as 

Barbara and I traveled around the country, and she would go with 

me, at my expense, to talk with the families, every one of them 

mentioned TRICARE and early retirement. 

They applauded it. I think—again, it’s my last hearing; I’ll be 

quite honest. I don’t think you would find one of them that would 

be against it being retroactive. From the Department’s aspect, we’ll 

carry out the law as it is passed. But most of them have voiced that 

opinion to me as I’ve gone around, and it was very important to 

them. They welcomed that. They realize that, as they go and serve 

now with the 48th, they will be able to take advantage of that. 

You set a minimum age on it, I think, of 50 years old, but you 

could reduce it all the way down. Universally at my town halls, 

that’s been applauded by the Guard, Reserve, and your constituents. I found no one against it. 

Senator CHAMBLISS. Great. Again thanks for your service. We 

know this is a family commitment. Miss Barbara, we thank you for 

serving your country, too, with respect to serving Tom. So thanks 

very much, Mr. Secretary. 

Mr. HALL. Thank you, sir. 

Senator BEN NELSON. Thank you, Senator Chambliss. 

Senator Burris, before you start, a vote started at 3:05 p.m., if 

you’d like to go with your questions now, and then we can break, 

so that nobody misses the vote, and we’ll come back. 

Senator BURRIS. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mine will be rather 

quick because it’s not that involved. 

Welcome, Secretary Hall. I understand this is your last tour. 

Mr. HALL. Yes, sir. 

Senator BURRIS. God bless you and Godspeed. 

Mr. HALL. Thank you, sir. 

20 

Senator BURRIS. Secretary Hall, I’m especially interested in the 

concept of transforming from Strategic Reserve Forces to Operational Reserve Forces. In your statement for the record, you said 

that there were recommendations made by the Commission on the 

National Guard and Reserves that called for a complete reorganization of the categories under which the Reserve components were 

managed, and the Commission recommended an operational category and a strategic category. 

So Secretary Hall, can you tell us why no action was taken on 

those recommendations? 

Mr. HALL. We looked at that carefully and we came to the conclusion that it was just a different way of racking and stacking, as 

they say in the Army, I guess, the categories we have. So we looked 

at each one of the categories. We looked at what they would name 

them. Then we said, at the end of the day, is it change for change 

sake or does it add value and make sense? We believe that taking 

the Selected Reserve category is one, and all those did not give us 

a material advantage to what we have now with the IRR, the Selected Reserve, the Retired Reserve, categories for Selected Reserve, and the Drilling Reserve. 

So we just came to the conclusion that it did not add any more 

value, and I thought we had to have a compelling reason for changing. I would be interested in the chiefs’ view on this, but it looked 

like we understood the categories now, we use them, and it was 

functioning, so we elected to take no action on that. 

Senator BURRIS. So can we tell which is strategic and which is 

operational now? How do you distinguish? 

Mr. HALL. I think you’re both. I think when you’re not operational, you’re in the strategic. I think everybody’s strategic, ready 

to fight for the country, but then when you go forward, you’re operational, and so you flow between both categories, and I think most 

reservists understand that. 

The chiefs can see, but it was pretty simple to me. When I’m forward, mobilized and fighting, I’m pretty operational. When I’m at 

home waiting for the fight, I’m sitting in a strategic way to answer 

the call to my country. 

Senator BURRIS. It makes a lot of sense to me, Mr. Secretary. 

Mr. HALL. Thank you. 

Senator BURRIS. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. 

Senator BEN NELSON. Thank you, Senator. 

Thank you, Secretary Hall. I think we will break right now and 

we’ll come right back for the second panel. Senator Graham is coming back as soon as he votes. I’ll be back as soon as I do. Thank 

you. 

Mr. HALL. Thank you, sir. 

Senator BEN NELSON. Thank you for your service. 

[Recess from 3:12 p.m. to 3:26 p.m.] 

Senator BEN NELSON. These votes always seem to get in the way 

of our other business. 

Thank you for waiting. Senator Graham will be back shortly, and 

we’ll have some of the other Senators return as well. 

On our second panel, we have the Chiefs of the Reserve components. This includes: Lieutenant General Clyde A. Vaughn, Director of the Army National Guard; Lieutenant General Harry M. 

21 

Wyatt III, Director of the Air National Guard; Lieutenant General 

Jack C. Stultz, Commanding General, U.S. Army Reserve Command; Vice Admiral Dirk J. Debbick, Chief of Naval Reserve and 

Commander, Navy Reserve Force; Lieutenant General John W. 

Bergman, Commander, Marine Forces Reserve, and Commander, 

Marine Forces North; and Lieutenant General Charles E. Stenner, 

Chief of Air Force Reserve and Commander, Air Force Reserve 

Command. 

We extend a very special welcome to Rear Admiral Daniel R. 

May, Director of Reserve and Training, U.S. Coast Guard Reserve. 

It’s not often that we have the Coast Guard here, the Coast Guard 

falls under the Secretary of Homeland Defense when it’s not operating as a service of the Navy. But the Coast Guard is a vital part 

of the total military force and, in fact, operates under many of the 

same statutory authorities as the other Services. So, we welcome 

you here as well. 

We welcome all of you. We look forward to hearing about the 

state of the United States Coast Guard Reserve and the other Reserve components. So, gentlemen, thank you so much. We’ll start 

with Lieutenant General Vaughn, if you would, please. 

STATEMENT OF LTG CLYDE A. VAUGHN, ARNG, DIRECTOR, 

ARMY NATIONAL GUARD 

General VAUGHN. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I would ask that 

my statement be entered into the record, and I’ll be real brief since 

there’s seven of us here. 

Thanks for the great support of this committee and your leadership. We had an interesting discussion a while ago about Operational Forces and Operational Reserve. This is the strongest 

ARNG of all time. We are indeed an Operational Force. 

But I have to remind everybody, it’s all about people on the bottom end. You have to have all the people, you have to have them 

all trained, racked, and stacked in the right formations, and then 

you have to have the equipment and full-time support that supports that. That’s an Operational Reserve, and if the Nation asks 

it to do something or the State asks is to do something, then it can 

go do it. You just throw the money you want to for training to it. 

But you don’t have to reorganize, cross-level, and do all this stuff 

that we had to do some time back. 

So I want to thank you for everything. We’re over our end 

strength right now. We have every plan to bring it back down to 

an authorized level. We don’t have the resources to pay for this. 

But I assure you that we’re going to grow readiness. We have a 

plan to do that at the same time that we’re lowering end strength 

back down. 

I look forward to your questions. Thanks for your leadership, sir. 

[The joint prepared statement of General Vaughn and General 

Wyatt follows:] 

22 

JOINT PREPARED STATEMENT BY LTG CLYDE A. VAUGHN, ARNG, AND LT. GEN. 

HARRY M. WYATT III, USAF 

INTRODUCTION AND EXECUTIVE OVERVIEW

General Craig R. McKinley, Chief, National Guard Bureau 

New Beginnings 

2008 was a year filled with positive change for the National Guard. The National 

Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) of 2008, enacted in January, designated the National Guard Bureau (NGB) as a joint activity of the Department of Defense (DOD). 

The law also elevated the grade of the Chief, NGB to the rank of General. With 

this new stature and an explicit linkage to the Secretary of Defense, through the 

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (CJCS), NGB is better positioned to represent 

National Guard issues and concerns at the highest levels in the DOD. 

The Report of the Commission on the National Guard and Reserves and NDAA 

2008 both identified the need for a new NGB charter. After almost a year of close 

collaboration among NGB, the combatant commanders, the CJCS, the Armed Services and the DOD staff, Secretary Robert M. Gates signed DOD Directive 5105.77, 

NGB. This unprecedented directive formally lays out the full scope of NGB’s functions, roles, and authorities—embedding NGB in DOD’s strategic processes. It is 

sound DOD policy. 

An Operational Force 

The depth provided by the National Guard is no longer the ‘‘once in a lifetime’’ 

use of a strategic reserve as envisioned during the Cold War. The National Guard 

has become an operational force that is an integral part of the Army and Air Force; 

it is populated by seasoned veterans with multiple deployments in support of operations in Iraq, Afghanistan, the Balkans, and many other locations around the 

world. 

In addition to the thousands of National Guard soldiers and airmen currently activated for ongoing Federal missions, the National Guard provides significant response to unexpected contingencies. Despite major overseas commitments, during 

the 2008 hurricane season over 15,000 guardsmen responded on short notice to catastrophic events unfolding in Louisiana and Texas. The National Guard serving here 

at home also fought extensive fires and flooding and provided disaster relief to numerous states throughout the year. 

Readiness 

Personnel 

Our most precious assets flow from our communities. Citizen-soldiers and airmen 

are employed by their Governors every day to protect American lives and property 

in the homeland from weather-related events to suspected biochemical contamination. Despite all we have asked of them in the overseas warfight as well as here 

at home, we are recruiting and retaining National Guard members in impressive 

numbers. Americans join and stay in the National Guard. But as successful as we 

have been to date, we need continued support for recruiting and retention efforts 

as well as increased end strength authorizations. 

Equipment 

The National Guard must have modern equipment if we are to remain successful 

as defenders of the homeland at home and abroad. 

Army National Guard units deployed overseas have the most up-to-date equipment available and are second to none. However, a significant amount of equipment 

is currently unavailable to the Army National Guard in the States due to continuing 

rotational deployments and emerging modernization requirements. Many States 

have expressed concern about the resulting shortfalls of equipment for training as 

well as for domestic emergency response operations. 

The Army is programming $20.9 billion for Army National Guard equipment for 

fiscal year 2009 through fiscal year 2013 to procure new equipment and modernize 

equipment currently on hand. We appreciate that support and also the strong interest of Congress and the DOD in closing the gap between our domestic requirements 

and the available equipment in our armories and motor pools. 

The Air Force is in the midst of modernizing and recapitalizing its major weapons 

platforms, and the Air National Guard must be concurrently recapitalized, particularly in order to avoid near- to mid-term ‘‘age out’’ of the majority of its fighter force. 

Our primary concern is that 80 percent of our F–16s, the backbone of our Air Sovereignty Alert Force, will begin reaching the end of their service life in 8 years. To 

23 

that end, we support the Air Force’s recapitalization plan, but request that all roadmaps be inclusive of the Air National Guard as a hedge against this ‘‘age out.’’ 

State Partnership Program 

The National Guard State Partnership Program (SPP) establishes enduring and 

mutually beneficial partnerships between foreign countries and American states 

through the National Guard. This program is an important component of the DOD’s 

security cooperation strategy, the regional combatant commanders’ theater engagement program, and the U.S. Ambassadors’ Mission Strategic Plans. A primary aim 

is to promote partnership among the many nations working with us to advance security, stability, and prosperity around the globe. Today, American states are 

partnered with 60 foreign nations (a 60 percent increase over the past 5 years) to 

focus on military-to-military, military-to-civilian, and civil security activities. 

Created in 1993, SPP has helped the United States European, African, Southern, 

Pacific, and Central Commands engage the defense and military establishments of 

countries in every region of the globe. The program’s benefits include: 

• Providing combatant commanders and U.S. Ambassadors with avenues 

for building international civil-military partnerships and interoperability 

during peacetime by linking state capacities to the goals and objectives in 

the Foreign Assistance Framework of the U.S. Government. 

• Enhancing current and future coalition operations by encouraging and assisting partner nations to support efforts such as the North Atlantic Treaty 

Organization’s Operational Mentor and Liaison Team program in Afghanistan, and exercises supporting the Association of Southeast Asian Nations 

region. 

• Building more cultural and global awareness into citizen-soldiers and airmen to help them operate in today’s complex multi-national and multiagency operations. 

This valuable mutual security cooperation program will continue to expand in size 

and strategic importance to the combatant commanders, Ambassadors, and broad 

U.S. Government interagency requirements as we enter the second decade of the 

21st century. 

The Future 

The National Guard, the Nation’s community-based force, will always answer the 

call of the President and the Governors. 

Our priorities are constant: 

• Provide for the security and defense of our homeland at home and abroad 

• Support the global war on terror 

• Respond to America’s need for a reliable and ready National Guard that 

is transformed for the 21st century 

It is an honor to be named the 26th Chief of the NGB. As a synchronized joint 

activity, we will capitalize on momentum gained over the past several years and will 

build new relationships based on our new roles and responsibilities. 

The National Guard will remain ‘‘Always Ready, Always There.’’ 

The following pages offer a full report on our recent accomplishments along with 

our ongoing responsibilities for fiscal year 2010. 

ARMY NATIONAL GUARD—MESSAGE FROM THE DIRECTOR—LIEUTENANT GENERAL CLYDE

A. VAUGHN, DIRECTOR, ARMY NATIONAL GUARD

Army National Guard citizen-soldiers continue the proud tradition of service to 

our Nation both at home and around the world. Our citizen-soldiers consistently 

proved themselves capable of operating across a wide spectrum of missions in Iraq, 

Afghanistan, Belgium, Bosnia, Djibouti, Egypt, Germany, Honduras, Kosovo, Kuwait, and the Philippines. 

The Army National Guard continues to achieve outstanding results meeting recruiting and retention goals. As of December 31, 2008, Army National Guard assigned strength was 365,814 citizen-soldiers, a gain of approximately 35,000 citizensoldiers in about 3 years. At the same time we have reduced our nonparticipating 

numbers to 5,404 (from 6,082 in July 2005). 

With thousands of our citizen-soldiers ‘‘on the ground’’ in foreign lands, we are 

equally busy at home. National Guard units fought wildfires in California, aided 

hurricane victims on the Gulf Coast, and assisted numerous environmental cleanup activities around the country. These responses from across our land demonstrate 

the importance of training and equipping our soldiers so they are ready to render 

service and assistance to home communities. 

24 

We are committed to deploying citizen-soldiers with the best equipment and training possible. The U.S. Army’s similar assurance and ongoing congressional interest 

in the welfare of our people will ensure the success of the Army National Guard. 

INVESTING IN PRESENT AND FUTURE VALUE

Mobilizations, deployments, modular force conversions, counterdrug assistance, 

and disaster response dominated the Army National Guard’s efforts to answer needs 

at home and abroad. But to remain America’s vital force, the Army National Guard 

must invest in people, equipment, operations, and technology like never before. 

Meeting Mission Requirements 

Heavy demands on personnel and declines in equipment-on-hand due to increased 

mobilizations and deployments continued in fiscal year 2008. The Army National 

Guard effectively met mission requirements and continued to support ongoing conflicts. However, for some units returning from deployment, equipping and training 

levels decreased readiness. 

Modular Force Conversion and Rebalance 

The Army National Guard successfully met its 2008 goal of transforming 1,300 

operating force units to a modular design. This brings the total number of units 

transformed to more than 2,800. 

Converting Army National Guard units to modular configuration in an era of persistent conflict has significantly increased equipment and modernization requirements and has also increased equipment readiness. 

The Army National Guard brigade combat teams (BCTs) are composed identically 

to the Active Army and can be combined with other BCTs or elements of the joint 

force to facilitate integration, interoperability, and compatibility. The Army National 

Guard transformation into these modular formations provides an enhanced operational force. This is key to meeting the goal of making at least half of Army and 

Air assets (personnel and equipment) available to the Governors and Adjutants General at any given time. This transformation effort impacts over 87 percent of Army 

National Guard units across all 50 States, 3 territories, and the District of Columbia, and crosses every functional capability in the force. 

INVESTING IN PERSONNEL

Our greatest asset is our people. We have the best trained force in the world. But 

we also have unparalleled support of our citizen-soldiers and their families. This 

support is paramount in maintaining our superior standing in the world. 

End Strength: Recruiting and Retention 

As previously noted, recruiting and retention was exceptional with an end-of-calendar year assigned strength of 365,814 citizen-soldiers. The following programs 

provided the impetus for these gains. 

• The Army National Guard’s Recruiting Assistance Program (G–RAP) is 

a civilian contract recruiting program that, as of December 9, 2008, has 

processed 80,000 enlistments since its inception in December 2005. At the 

end of fiscal year 2008, approximately 130,000 recruiting assistants were 

actively working. In August 2007, G–RAP expanded to include incentives 

for officer accessions. 

• The Recruit Sustainment Program, launched in 2005, improves our training success rate by easing newly enlisted National Guard soldiers into the 

military environment through Initial Entry Training—a combination of 

Basic Combat Training and Advanced Individual Training. 

The war on terror, transformation to modular formations, and domestic operations 

will continue to test the All-Volunteer Force. However, the Army National Guard 

is optimistic and confident that it will grow the force and have manned units to 

meet all missions at home and abroad. 

Full-Time Support 

Full-time support personnel play a vital role in the Army National Guard’s readiness both at home and abroad. Active Guard and Reserve (ARG) soldiers and military technicians sustain the day-to-day operations of the entire Army National 

Guard. The AGR and Technician force is a critical component of readiness in the 

Army National Guard as the Reserve components transition to an operational force. 

Medical Readiness 

Funding, treatment authorities, and medical readiness monitoring through Medical Operations Data Systems have helped the Army National Guard increase medVerDate Nov 24 2008 13:29 Jan 21, 2010 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00028 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6621 Y:\BORAWSKI\DOCS\54509.TXT JUNE PsN: JUNEB
25 

ical readiness throughout the Nation and allow deploying units to report at all-time 

high medical readiness levels. 

In 2008, 92 percent of Army National Guard soldiers reporting to mobilization stations were determined to be medically deployable. This represents a significant improvement upon previous years. This increased readiness throughout the Army National Guard has reduced pre-deployment training time lost due to required medical 

corrective actions. The Army National Guard is implementing the Army Select Reserve Dental Readiness System that will enable commanders to achieve 95 percent 

dental readiness in support of DOD Individual Medical Readiness standards. 

Incapacitation Pay 

The Army National Guard Incapacitation (INCAP) benefit provides interim pay to 

Army National Guard soldiers with a service-connected medical condition (provided 

that they are not on active duty). The INCAP pay software, released in early fiscal 

year 2008, facilitates the administration of this benefit. 

The INCAP process provides compensation in two situations. First, a soldier who 

is unable to perform military duty may receive military pay less any civilian earnings. Second, a soldier who can perform military duty, but not a civilian job, may 

receive lost civilian earnings up to the amount of the military pay. INCAP incorporates a detailed accounting system of tracking soldiers who receive INCAP pay, 

the date initiated, the amount received, and when terminated. INCAP quickly compensates soldiers, therefore allowing them to concentrate on the rehabilitation process, and focus on their families. 

Survivor Services 

The Army National Guard renders dignified Military Honors according to service 

tradition for all eligible veterans. The Army National Guard supports 79 percent of 

all Military Funeral Honors for the Army and 51 percent of all Funeral Honors for 

all Services. In fiscal year 2008, the Army National Guard provided Military Funeral Honors for over 97,000 veterans and 200 soldiers killed-in-action. 

INVESTING IN EQUIPMENT AND FACILITIES

Upgrading and maintaining our equipment and facilities is becoming increasingly 

vital as we face challenges at home and abroad. The era of persistent conflict demands nothing less. 

Equipment on Hand and Equipment Availability 

The historic equipment on-hand (EOH) percentage for the Army National Guard 

has been about 70 percent. In fiscal year 2006, EOH declined to approximately 40 

percent due to cross-leveling of equipment to support immediate deployment requirements. It increased to about 49 percent in fiscal year 2007. By the end of fiscal 

year 2008, the Army National Guard had 76 percent of its required EOH when deployed equipment is included. 

Equipment Readiness Levels 

When items supporting mobilized and deployed units are subtracted out of this 

equation, the current warfighting EOH percentage falls to 63 percent of Modification Table of Organization and Equipment requirements available to the Governors 

of the 54 States and territories. 

Domestic response is a critical Army National Guard mission. The Chief of the 

NGB has pledged that 50 percent of Army and Air Guard Forces will be available 

to a Governor at all times to perform State missions. 

The Army has taken positive steps to improve the Army National Guard equipping posture. The Army’s goal is to fully equip all BCTs, regardless of components, 

by 2015. 

Congress has been very responsive to Army National Guard equipping requirements through funds in the National Guard and Reserve Equipment account. This 

much needed funding has been used to procure critical dual-use items to support 

the ‘‘Essential 10’’ capabilities. 

Ground and Air Operating Tempo 

The ground operating tempo (OPTEMPO) program is one of the keystones in 

equipment readiness. Direct ground OPTEMPO pays for petroleum, repair parts, 

and depot-level repairables. Indirect OPTEMPO pays for expenses such as administrative and housekeeping supplies, organizational clothing and equipment, medical 

supplies, nuclear, biological and chemical supplies and equipment, and inactive duty 

training travel which includes command inspection, staff travel, and cost of commercial transportation for soldier movement. 

26 

In 2008, ground OPTEMPO funding for the Army National Guard totaled $901 

million in base appropriation plus $73 million in supplemental for a total of $974 

million. This funding directly impacts the readiness of Army National Guard units 

to participate in global operations as well as domestic preparedness. Significant 

equipment remains in theater after Guard units return from deployments. Equipment shortages at home stations compel greater use of what is available. These demanding conditions have resulted in rapid aging of equipment. While the ground 

OPTEMPO sustains equipment-on-hand, it does not replace major-end items that 

are battle-lost or left in the theater of operations. 

The air OPTEMPO program supports the Army National Guard Flying Hour Program which includes petroleum-oil-lubricants, repair parts, and depot-level 

repairables for the rotary wing helicopter fleet. 

In 2008, air OPTEMPO funding for the Army National Guard totaled $280 million 

in base appropriation plus $128 million in supplemental for a total of $408 million. 

This funding provides for fuel and other necessities so that 4,708 Army National 

Guard aviators can maintain currency and proficiency in their go-to-war aircraft. 

Achieving and maintaining desired readiness levels will ensure aircrew proficiency 

and risk mitigation, which helps to conserve resources. Army National Guard aviators must attain platoon level proficiency to ensure that they are adequately 

trained to restore readiness and depth for future operations. 

Reset Process 

The Army continued to work with Army National Guard leaders to refine requirements for critical dual-use equipment and to ensure that the states and territories 

can adequately protect the lives and property of American citizens during a catastrophic event. 

Several changes helped resolve reset issues during 2008. The biggest change provided funds directly to the Army National Guard. This allowed the Army National 

Guard to conduct reset operations at home stations. The Army National Guard’s initial $127 million, plus $38 million from the Army, supported the Army National 

Guard’s reset efforts. This streamlining process enabled the states to have their 

equipment immediately available. 

Logistics-Depot Maintenance 

The Army National Guard Depot Maintenance Program continued to play an integral part in the Army National Guard sustainment activities during 2008. This program is based on a ‘‘repair and return to user’’ premise as opposed to the equipment 

maintenance ‘‘float’’ (loaner) system used by the Active Army. 

The amount of equipment qualifying for depot repair increased by 26.7 percent 

in fiscal year 2009. This increase was due primarily to the rebuilding of the Army 

National Guard’s aged tactical wheeled vehicle fleet. During 2008, the Army National Guard Depot Maintenance Program funded the overhaul of 3,405 tactical vehicles as well as calibration services. 

Facilities and Military Construction 

In more than 3,000 communities across America, the local National Guard readiness center (armory) is not only the sole military facility but also an important community center. For National Guard members, these facilities are critical places 

where we conduct training, perform administration, and store and maintain our 

equipment. Many of our aging facilities are in need of repair or replacement. The 

continuing strong support of Congress for Army National Guard military construction and facilities sustainment, restoration, and maintenance funding is crucial to 

our readiness. 

In fiscal year 2008, Congress made $843 million available for facility operations 

and maintenance in the Army National Guard. This level of funding covered ‘‘must 

fund’’ operations including salaries, contracts, supplies, equipment leases, utilities, 

municipal services, engineering services, fire and emergency services, and program 

management. 

Environmental Program 

Recent success in the Army National Guard’s Environmental Program underscores its mission to excel in environmental stewardship to ensure the welfare of 

all citizens and communities while sustaining military readiness. Program highlights include: 

• The Army Compatible Use Buffer program that supports soldier training 

by protecting an installation’s accessibility, capability, and capacity while 

sustaining the natural habitat, biodiversity, open space, and working lands. 

Since this program began in 2003, the National Guard, along with civilian 

27 

partnership contributions, helped to protect 40,000 military-use acres from 

encroachment at 9 Army National Guard training centers. 

• Cleanup and restoration programs that continue to make steady progress 

at Camp Edwards, MA, where five major groundwater treatment projects 

have been completed. 

• The final stages of cleaning up an open detonation area that will eventually become maneuver training land at Camp Navajo, AZ. 

INVESTING IN OPERATIONS

Sound management practices demand that we stay focused on operational issues 

and missions such as readiness, training, ground operating tempo, and aviation, including the Operational Support Airlift Agency. 

Domestic Operations 

The Army National Guard Domestic Operations Branch coordinates and integrates policies, procedures, and capabilities to ensure critical operations are continued in the event of an emergency, or threat of an emergency, anywhere in the U.S. 

and its territories. 

The following missions in 2008 exemplify the National Guard’s resolve in protecting and preserving the homeland. 

• In June, National Guard troops provided sandbagging, search and rescue, 

power generation, logistical support, food and water distribution, debris removal, shelter set up, and support to law enforcement during Mississippi 

River flooding. Over a 3-week period, more than 6,800 soldiers from Iowa, 

Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, and Wisconsin provided their respective States 

with critical capabilities. 

• In California last summer, 8,300 wildfires consumed over 1.2 million 

acres. The California Army National Guard supplied 1,350 citizen-soldiers 

to protect people and property around the State, including 400 citizen-soldiers deployed to the front lines to fight fires. California air crews, assisted 

by Army and Air National Guard aviation teams from 12 other States, 

dumped 4.2 million gallons of retardant to extinguish the blazes. 

• In August, over 15,000 citizen-soldiers from Texas, Louisiana, and other 

States supported relief efforts after Hurricanes Gustav and Ike. Their mission included food and water distribution, search and rescue, air medical 

evacuations, communication support, hazardous material assessments, shelter operations, and debris removal. 

Army National Guard citizen-soldiers stand ready throughout the 54 States and 

territories to respond to any crisis. 

Operational Support Airlift Agency 

The Operational Support Airlift Agency is a Department of the Army field operating agency under the NGB that supports 114 aircraft worldwide and over 700 personnel. During 2008, these aircraft flew over 54,000 hours, transported about 21 

million pounds of cargo, and carried more than 100,000 passengers. This included 

combat support in the Middle East and Africa, relief efforts for the Gulf Coast and 

California wildfires, and criminal investigation task force efforts in Columbia and 

Cuba. 

Training 

Muscatatuck Urban Training Center 

The 974-acre Muscatatuck Urban Training Center (MUTC), located in Indiana, is 

a self-contained, contemporary urban training environment. 

In its second year of operation, more than 19,000 trainees from military (including 

13,000 Army National Guard and Reserve soldiers), government, and private agencies used the facilities at MUTC. Training helps prepare soldiers to fight in foreign 

cities and helps prepare soldiers and others to deal with the aftermath of attacks 

on U.S. cities. In the future, MUTC could train as many as 40,000 troops annually 

at the urban warfare practice facility. 

Army National Guard eXportable Combat Training Capability 

The Army National Guard’s eXportable Combat Training Capability (XCTC) is a 

fully instrumented group of field training exercises that provide tough, realistic 

training for every Army National Guard unit during pre-mobilization training. 

This training incorporates the most current tactics, techniques, and procedures 

used in theater. In fiscal year 2008, the Army National Guard conducted two XCTC 

28 

rotations (Illinois and Oregon) and trained a total of eight battalions. Planning is 

underway to conduct 6 XCTC rotations that will provide training for 18 battalions. 

By training and certifying pre-mobilization training tasks, the XCTC reduces postmobilization training time and thus increases the availability of units for ‘‘boots on 

the ground’’ time in the warfight. 

INVESTING IN INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

During fiscal year 2008, Army National Guard information technology (IT) resources supported these network security projects: 

Network Services 

The Army National Guard IT organization reviewed the communications and network service capabilities that States and territories will require in the event of a 

natural or manmade disaster or contingency. The solution restores access to network services should a readiness center (armory) lose connectivity regardless of local 

infrastructure availability. Each deployment will bring a virtual Joint Force Headquarters (JFHQ) node to the affected area and provide voice, video, Internet Protocol 

(IP) data, and push-to-talk services to a site within 36 hours. 

Other specific actions include: 

• Acquiring network simulator training that provides network operators 

and defenders a safe network environment to conduct initial qualification, 

mission qualification, crew training, position certification, and exercises. 

• Planning and implementing secure network access for deploying BCTs 

and their supporting battalions. 

• Strengthening the Enterprise Processing Center by incorporating backup 

and storage capability in accordance with the NGB’s continuity of operations requirements. 

AIR NATIONAL GUARD, MESSAGE FROM THE DIRECTOR, LIEUTENANT GENERAL HARRY

‘‘BUD’’ WYATT III, DIRECTOR, AIR NATIONAL GUARD

The Air National Guard is both a Reserve component of the Total Air Force 

(USAF) and the air component of the National Guard. As a Reserve component of 

the Total Air Force, the Air National Guard is tasked under title 10, U.S.C., ‘‘to provide trained units and qualified persons available for Active Duty in the Armed 

Forces, in time of war or national emergency. . .’’—in essence, a combat-ready surge 

capability. The Air National Guard augments the regular Air Force by providing 

operational capabilities in support of Homeland Defense both domestically and overseas. As the air component of the National Guard, the Air National Guard provides 

trained and equipped units and individuals to protect life and property, and to preserve peace, order, and public safety. 

As a Reserve component of the Total Air Force, Air National Guard members regularly perform operational missions both in the U.S. and overseas. For example, 

over 6,000 Air National Guard members vigilantly stand guard protecting the homeland. Overseas, more than 7,000 National Guard airmen are deployed at any given 

time, whether in Southwest Asia or little known locations around the world, providing airpower capabilities such as strike, airlift, air refueling, and intelligence, 

surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) to joint and coalition forces. 

The Air National Guard provides a myriad of capabilities to support state and 

local civil authorities in protecting life and property. We provide capabilities in 

areas such as airlift, search and rescue, aerial firefighting, and aerial reconnaissance. We also furnish critical support capabilities such as medical triage and aerial 

evacuation, civil engineering, infrastructure protection, and Hazardous Materials 

(HAZMAT) response. During 2008, National Guard airmen helped their fellow citizens after Hurricanes Gustav, Hanna, and Ike; protected life and property from 

wildfires in the West, tornados in the Midwest, and blizzards and ice storms across 

the country; and assisted with security at the Republican and Democratic National 

Conventions. 

The Air National Guard faces today’s challenges by examining the past, serving 

in the present, and planning for the future. We are preserving our heritage as a 

community-based, predominantly part-time force while we adapt to numerous force 

structure changes, placing our Air National Guard on a clear path for future missions. While we cannot know every potential threat we will face, we do know that 

success depends on our ability to continually adapt and evolve toward new and exciting missions and capabilities. In order to adapt and effectively support our national security objectives, we must focus our efforts in three areas: 

• Modernize and recapitalize the aging Air National Guard fleet of aircraft 

to ensure that we, as the proven leader in air dominance today, do not beVerDate Nov 24 2008 13:29 Jan 21, 2010 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00032 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6621 Y:\BORAWSKI\DOCS\54509.TXT JUNE PsN: JUNEB
29 

come complacent and fail in our vigilance against those who seek to challenge our mastery of the air. 

• Maximize the use of associations and community basing to better support 

the Air Force mission. 

• Evolve future mission areas to better support the overall Air Force mission. 

A QUICK REVIEW

The Air National Guard’s global presence throughout 2008 was felt in the following ways: 

• Deployed 20,231 servicemembers to 85 countries on every continent, including Antarctica. 

• Participated in missions in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Bosnia; humanitarian 

airlifts to Southeast Asia and Africa; drug interdiction in Latin and South 

America; exercises in Europe and Japan; and many other missions. 

• Provided not only airpower capabilities, but capabilities in medical, logistics, communications, transportation, security, civil support, and engineering. 

This was another crucial year for the Air National Guard as its men and women 

continued to defend America’s interests worldwide in waging the global war on terror. Simultaneously, we continued to bring our force structure into balance following 

historic mission changes initiated by Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC), and 

Air Force modernization and recapitalization initiatives. 

DEVELOPING ADAPTABLE AIRMEN

The Air National Guard values our airmen, their families, employers, and our civilian employees as our greatest resources. The current corps of Air Guard members 

contains some of the most skillful and talented in our history. We remain committed 

to recruiting, retaining, and cultivating airmen who are ready, willing, and capable 

of meeting 21st century challenges and leading with a vision that looks beyond tomorrow. 

Recruiting and Retention 

With the support of Congress, and the use of innovative approaches by our recruiters, the Air National Guard finished fiscal year 2008 with an assigned strength 

of 107,679 airmen. We surpassed our recruiting objective for the first time since 

2002, achieving 126 percent of our goal. This accomplishment occurred despite a historically high operational tempo, executing BRAC decisions, and implementing Total 

Force Initiatives. 

Guard Recruiting Assistance Program 

One program proving highly successful for Air National Guard recruiters was the 

G–RAP. With the help of current and former (including retired) members, our recruiters tapped into a larger circle of influence that let friends, family, and associates know about the tangible and intangible rewards that come with service in the 

Air National Guard. In fiscal year 2008, 3,676, or 34 percent, of our enlistments 

originated from leads generated by G–RAP volunteers. An overall 90 percent retention rate also bolstered our recruiting success for fiscal year 2008. By maintaining 

a high retention rate, the Air National Guard decreases the cost of replacing valuable members. 

READINESS

Even though we met our recruiting and retention goals this year, we face the 

growing challenge of training the right people with the right skills to meet mission 

changes while responding to high wartime commitments and dealing with resource 

constraints. To deal with this we must focus on the three primary areas of readiness—personnel, training, and equipment. 

Personnel 

Personnel readiness, including skills affected by equipment shortages which bear 

upon our ability to train, has the greatest impact upon Air National Guard overall 

readiness rates. As previously mentioned, working through a period with such a 

large number of units changing missions also skews the percentages. To a lesser degree, but still important, are the numbers of personnel on medical or dental profiles—an issue that affects our ability to deploy worldwide. The Air National Guard 

is placing increased emphasis upon these many challenges that affect our personnel 

readiness. 

30 

The Air National Guard continues to maintain personnel readiness by supporting 

our people returning from deployments. We must maintain the Air National Guard 

readiness posture by ensuring our airmen receive appropriate and timely medical 

and dental assessment and treatment at all levels. We offer this through Frontline 

Supervisors and Landing Gear training programs, and through the Post-Deployment 

Health Reassessment process. 

Training 

Training readiness is an ongoing challenge as we strive to meet training standards. In order to retain our highly qualified, experienced personnel, we must have 

the ability to train to both domestic operations and combat standards while meeting 

deployment demands. Equipment shortages of emergency management equipment 

for Air National Guard civil engineers, weapons for security forces, and aircraft engines adversely impact training capabilities, and could negatively affect retention 

rates. While the volume of mission-related training requirements seems to grow exponentially, we will continue to explore and take advantage of every opportunity to 

meet training requirements in a timely manner. 

The most significant challenge for the Air National Guard, however, has been to 

fit its wartime requirements and mission changes into the traditional framework of 

a community-based, predominately part-time force. Our members have a history of 

answering the call to service, and have not lost sight of their mission: to be a combat-ready Air Force composed of dedicated, professional airmen serving in both state 

and Federal roles. 

Equipment 

Air National Guard equipment readiness presents greater challenges as long-term 

costs in operating and maintaining older aircraft continue to rise due to more frequent repairs, fuel prices, and manpower requirements. Although fuel prices have 

declined in recent months, the cost of aircraft maintenance continues to rise significantly as we struggle to extend the life of our aging fleet. 

The current air traffic control system is 1950s technology that received minor 

radar upgrades in the 1980s. Replacement parts are obsolete and no longer available on the market. Modifying and upgrading the old system would cost more than 

a new system. The Air National Guard provides 62.5 percent of the United States 

Air Force’s air traffic control (ATC) wartime mission. In support of Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom, the Air National Guard deployed five mobile 

ATC Radar Approach Controls. Additionally, the Air National Guard has peacetime 

obligations to support the National Airspace System, providing ATC services at designated military/civil airports. 

In the final analysis, the Air National Guard will meet 21st century challenges 

by proactively shaping its future with combat-ready, adaptable airmen at its core. 

MODERNIZE AND RECAPITALIZE

The age of the Air National Guard fleet is of grave concern. Aircraft and equipment in both the regular Air Force and the Air National Guard are quickly wearing 

out. The average age of Air National Guard aircraft is now over 25 years, with KC– 

135s being the oldest at 49 years. The high operational tempo since 1990 has added 

flying hours that have accelerated this aging process. As already mentioned, longterm costs to operate and maintain these older aircraft have increased. Additionally, 

our potential adversaries have improved their capabilities, raising concerns about 

the ability of our current aircraft to defend U.S. interests around the globe. 

Modernization of our equipment and training platforms is based on capabilities 

needed by the Air Force. As the Air National Guard moves increasingly into the 

worlds of command and control, intelligence, reconnaissance, surveillance, unmanned systems, and cyberspace, the process has expanded to include expert 

warfighters in these areas. As a capabilities-based force, the Air National Guard can 

better assess, plan, and support its Federal (title 10) and State (title 32) missions, 

remain relevant to operations, and be interoperable with other forces. 

Changing the force structure and orientation of units away from airborne platforms to unmanned systems and capabilities is a difficult, yet necessary transition. 

These efforts to redefine the Air National Guard will be expanded upon in the Future Mission Areas section of this report. 

The Air National Guard is committed to seamlessly integrating into the operational environment. Our modernization program is based on Air Force and Combatant Command requirements and vetted among Reserve component and active 

duty warfighters. Some examples include: 

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Mobility Aircraft 

The Air National Guard will pursue further modifications to flight instruments, 

communications, navigation, and terrain/traffic avoidance systems along with upgrades to engines and missile warning and countermeasures on Air National Guard 

mobility aircraft (C–5, C–17, C–130, KC–135) and other aircraft. 

Combat Aircraft 

Air National Guard combat aircraft (A–10, F–15, and F–16) comprise about onethird of the Air Force’s combat capability. Eighty percent of our F–16s will begin 

reaching the end of their service life in 8 years. While our maintainers continue to 

keep our fleet combat ready and available, we must replace our legacy systems to 

remain viable and relevant. 

Unmanned Aircraft Systems 

The Air National Guard expansion into the world of unmanned aircraft systems 

continues to move forward in Arizona, California, North Dakota, New York, Nevada, 

and Texas Air National Guard units, as illustrated with the development of integrated Predator and MQ–9 Reaper Operations Centers. These centers will not only 

allow smooth operation and control of current and future transformational 

warfighting and homeland defense missions, but will integrate multiple systems 

currently running independently. The RQ–4 Global Hawk continues to provide high 

quality intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) support for Operation 

Iraqi Freedom while also supporting homeland missions. 

MC–12 and Project Liberty 

Mississippi’s 186th Air Refueling Wing is taking on an additional mission, training aircrews for the Air Force’s newest manned ISR platform, the MC–12. Designated Project Liberty, the program will train nearly 1,000 airmen during the next 

2 years at Key Field near Meridian, MS, at a cost of about $100 million. The MC– 

12 is expected to bolster the DOD’s intelligence gathering capability in Operations 

Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom. 

Dual-Use Capabilities 

Developing and fielding ‘‘dual-use’’ capabilities are the cornerstone to the Air National Guard’s cost effective contribution to combat and domestic operations. Many 

domestic operations capabilities are outlined in the NGB’s ‘‘Essential 10’’ core military capabilities relevant to Civil Support. In fiscal year 2010, with the support of 

Congress, we will address critical shortfalls in medical, communications, transportation, logistics, security, civil support teams, engineering, and aviation. The Air National Guard will continue to increase capabilities for use during domestic missions 

for the foreseeable future. 

Competing sustainment costs and funding requirements for recapitalization 

present challenges for the Total Force. However, by similarly equipping the Air National Guard and the regular Air Force, we directly support efforts in Total Force 

Integration (TFI). In short, the Air National Guard needs to be concurrently 

equipped with the Active-Duty Force to support our total Air Force mission—to be 

the dominant air power, second to none. 

Maximize Associations and Community Basing 

Since Vietnam, the Air Force has understood the importance of unit integrity on 

combat effectiveness, and has reflected this in war plans for unit mobilizations. As 

such, the Air National Guard, Air Force Reserve (AFRES), and active Air Force 

have formed unique alliances that promise to increase mission effectiveness while 

reducing costs. 

Under three types of constructs known as ‘‘associations,’’ Air National Guard, 

AFRES, and Active Air Force units share not only facilities and equipment, but 

knowledge and experiences (many Air National Guard members spend their careers 

with the same unit and equipment). 

• Under ‘‘classic associations’’ the Active Duty unit retains principal responsibility for its equipment and the Reserve unit shares in operating and 

maintaining it. 

• With ‘‘active associations’’ Active Duty personnel are assigned to Reserve 

units in local communities where they share in the operation and maintenance of Reserve-assigned assets. 

• The last association, called ‘‘Reserve associate,’’ is similar to the ‘‘Active’’ 

and ‘‘classic’’ relationships in that one Air Reserve unit retains ownership 

of the assets and another unit shares in operating and maintaining the 

equipment as an air Reserve component associate unit. 

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‘‘Community basing’’ is a core characteristic that forms the foundation of our competitive edge as a cost effective combat-ready Reserve. Over 60 percent of the Air 

National Guard force consists of ‘‘traditional’’ part-time, professional airmen, who 

train to the same standards, supply the same capabilities and provide the same response times as the regular Air Force. 

The Air National Guard is closely tied to our communities. Generally our members are recruited locally, hold civilian jobs there, and maintain close ties throughout most of their careers in the Air National Guard. Unlike regular Air Force Bases 

which tend to be self-sufficient, we also depend on our local communities for many 

common resources needed to support the mission. 

Shared infrastructure, such as retail stores and housing, reduces operating costs 

significantly (66 of 88 Air National Guard flying units are co-located at civilian airports, sharing runways, taxiways, and fire/crash emergency response). 

The synergy resulting from these relationships is fundamental to the mission 

readiness of the Air National Guard in these ways: 

• Ties to the local area provide personnel stability, resulting in a high level 

of unit integrity and experience. 

• Long-term relationships position the Air National Guard to plan, exercise, and respond to natural and manmade domestic emergencies. 

• Shared civil/military workforce provides the Air National Guard and the 

community with broad skill sets. 

Future Mission Areas 

The Air National Guard is prepared to take on more mission sets to better support the overall Air Force mission. The Air National Guard will continue to work 

with the Adjutants General to refine and update the modernization and recapitalization plans outlined previously. We will not only support our Governors at home 

with quick responses to natural and manmade disasters, but will also support the 

combatant commanders with improved mobility, agile combat support, and other 

mission sets, both tried and new. 

Rapid Global Mobility 

Continuing Air National Guard participation in inter-theater or strategic airlift 

(C–5, C–17), intra-theater or tactical airlift (C–130, future C–27/JCA), and air refueling (KC–135, KC–10, future KC–45) is important. Within the Strategic Reserve 

construct, strategic airlift and air refueling are central due to their surge-to-demand 

operation and ability to meet scheduled operational force requirements rapidly. Tactical airlift fits well with dual capabilities required by the Air National Guard’s 

State and Federal roles. Its versatility makes it especially valuable in responding 

to domestic needs, such as Modular Aerial Firefighting, and aerial delivery of food 

and supplies to disaster victims, and in search and rescue. 

Agile Combat Support 

Expeditionary Combat Support (ECS) units will continue to provide essential combat service support in sustaining all elements of operating forces, providing medical 

support, services, security forces, civil engineers, transportation, logistics support, 

and airfield maintenance. ECS also includes Air National Guard support to National 

Guard Civil Support Teams (CSTs) and Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, 

and high-yield Explosives (CBRNE) Enhanced Response Force Packages (NG– 

CERFP) to assist civil authorities’ response to domestic CBRNE incidents. These 

units are at the forefront of our dual-use capabilities in responding domestically to 

manmade and natural disasters as well as overseas disasters and operational missions. 

Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) 

The Air National Guard can help meet rapidly increasing ISR requirements for 

the Joint Force, in areas such as the following: 

• ISR in Special Operations 

• Distributed Ground Stations 

• Human Intelligence 

• National Tactical Integration 

• ISR Center of Excellence (Nellis AFB, NV) 

• Air Force Expeditionary Signals Intelligence 

• Computer Network Exploitation 

• Tactics Analysis 

• Global Aviation Analysis Support Team 

• All Source Intelligence Analysis 

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United States Special Operations Command requested investment in manning 

ISR aerial ports, which points to the need to further invest in small aircraft to support specific ISR requirements, something the Air National Guard is uniquely qualified to do since it already possesses the appropriate aircraft and experienced aircrews. Platforms such as these have dual-use capability for both homeland and expeditionary operations. Specifically, it can support DOD’s ‘‘Building Partnership Capacity’’ efforts with nations desiring a partnership arrangement involving a low-cost 

multi-utility platform, which could further enhance the National Guard SPP. This 

manned ISR mission, using the small aircraft platform, is potentially the most 

promising initiative for the Air National Guard in the near future. 

Cyberspace 

This year the Air National Guard continued to grow into cyberspace by establishing three more information operations squadrons, raising the number of operational units to eight. These new units include the 166th Network Warfare Squadron based at New Castle Airport, Delaware, the 273rd Information Operations 

Squadron (IOS), Lackland AFB, Texas, and the 229th IOS, located in the Vermont 

National Guard Armory. While the specifics of each unit’s mission vary slightly, all 

are dedicated to deterring the ever growing number of daily attacks against this nation’s cyber-based infrastructure. 

Space Operations 

Air National Guard units support space and missile operations at several locations in Alaska and the continental United States. Air Force Space Command desires increased Air National Guard involvement in space operations, to include Missile Warning associate squadrons, Missile Operations support squadrons, Distributed Command and Control Mission expansion, and Space Launch/Range operations. 

Continuing Missions 

The Air National Guard will retain some existing mission sets, such as those associated with Global Persistent Attack. This mission is a surge task that requires a 

large number of fighter aircraft, particularly in the early stages of a conflict. The 

Air Force Reserve components provide the most cost effective way to maintain this 

surge capability. 

The Air Force will not be able to recapitalize its fighter force structure on a oneto-one basis, which means that some Air National Guard fighter units have been 

required to transition to other mission areas. Developing active and classic associations such as those mentioned above are now underway as we transform to new and 

promising mission sets. 

For fiscal year 2010, fully rebalancing and training will involve a complex interchange of people, training, and resources. These mission changes will directly impact about 15,000 Air National Guard members across the Nation. 

In an environment where change is considered a constant instead of a variable, 

we continue to move forward knowing a more capable Air National Guard will better serve the needs of our Nation tomorrow and far into the future. 

JOINT STAFF, MESSAGE FROM THE DIRECTOR, MAJOR GENERAL PETER M. AYLWARD, 

DIRECTOR, JOINT STAFF, NATIONAL GUARD BUREAU

Today’s National Guard faces a more complex and challenging world than ever before. There are no easy solutions to our comprehensive problems. America must remain ready to fight and win across the full range of military operations. Enemies 

are finding new ways to overcome the difficulties of geographic distance. The increase in travel and trade across U.S. borders has created new vulnerabilities for 

hostile states and actors to exploit opportunities to perpetrate devastating attacks 

on the U.S. homeland. U.S. military forces enjoy significant advantages in many aspects of armed conflict, but we will be challenged by adversaries who possess or design novel concepts to overcome our advantages. 

At home, the terrorism threat coincides with violent drug-trafficking organizations 

and border security challenges. These trends produce a geopolitical setting that is 

increasingly complex and unpredictable. Therefore, the National Guard must be 

flexible and prepared for the unexpected. In addition, the way the National Guard 

is organized, equipped, and trained provides the unique ability to respond quickly 

and effectively to natural disasters and manmade catastrophic events. The NGB’s 

Joint Staff has taken on these challenges with the following efforts, teams, and programs. 

34 

DOMESTIC OPERATIONS

Weapons of Mass Destruction Civil Support Teams (WMD–CST) 

The National Guard continues to strengthen its ability to respond to chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and high-yield explosive incidents with 55 WMD– 

CSTs and 2 newly established units going through the DOD certification process. 

These units are manned by 22 full-time Army and Air Guard personnel who provide 

each Governor with an immediate response capability, specialized expertise, and 

technical assistance that can be provided to local incident commanders nationwide. 

WMD–CSTs do not duplicate state CBRNE response capabilities, but support civil 

authorities by identifying CBRNE agents or substances, assessing current or projected consequences, advising on response options, and assisting with requests for 

State support. Congress recently expanded the use of CSTs to include response to 

intentional or unintentional HAZMAT incidents and natural or manmade disasters. 

The National Guard’s Civil Support Teams, which are so essential to the security 

of the American people on an almost daily basis, depend on the availability of adequate operations and maintenance funds to carry out their tasks. Any reduction in 

funding below that requested carries the risk of hindering the operational capability 

of these essential teams. 

Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, and High-Yield Explosive (CBRNE)— 

Enhanced Response Force Package (CERFP) Teams 

Army and Air National Guard citizen-soldiers and airmen with technical response 

skills in this area make up 17 CERFP teams covering every region of the country. 

The CERFP team is designed to locate and extract victims from a collapsed structure in a contaminated environment, perform medical triage and treatment, and 

conduct personnel decontamination from a weapon of mass destruction incident. 

CBRNE Consequence Management Response Forces (CCMRFs) 

Each CCMRF provides 4,700 trained and equipped Active and Reserve component 

military personnel ready to assist civil authorities in response to a CBRNE incident. 

CCMRF capabilities include: 

• CBRNE reconnaissance and detection • Casualty search and extraction • Decontamination • Hazardous material handling and disposal • Medical triage, treatment, and care • Aero-medical evacuation • Explosive ordnance disposal • Air and land transportation • Mortuary affairs 

The NGB continues to support planning for the standup of all CCMRFs. 

Joint Force Headquarters-State (JFHQ-State) 

The National Guard continues to strengthen and refine the 54 Joint Force Headquarters throughout the United States. JFHQ-State works to enable effective domestic responses while conducting traditional state National Guard training responsibilities for Army and Air Force Reserve component forces. Each JFHQ-State provides the Governor with information and command and control for effective National 

Guard response; provides improved situational awareness to DOD before, during, 

and after an emergency response; and facilitates unity and continuity of military 

(Federal and State) effort during Continental U.S. (CONUS) operations. 

Critical Infrastructure Program—Mission Assurance Assessment (CIP–MAA) Teams 

National Guard CIP–MAA teams are comprised of citizen-soldiers and airmen 

trained to assess the vulnerability of industrial sites and critical U.S. Government 

infrastructure to attack. Their analysis helps various government agencies direct 

prevention, deterrence, mitigation, and response efforts. Currently, 3 teams are assessing Defense industrial base sites and 10 teams are assessing Department of 

Homeland Security sites. 

Joint Enabling Team 

The NGB’s highly-trained professionals making up Joint Enabling Teams (JETs) 

establish a logistics and support link between NGB, the supported state, and supporting States and agencies. The JETs help identify potential mission shortfalls and 

facilitate missions by assisting with the collection, reporting, and sharing of information. They ensure that resources are available and that personnel directly involved in the mission are effectively supported for domestic operations involving 

floods, hurricanes, and tropical storms. 

35 

National Guard Reaction Force (NGRF) 

Within hours of an incident, upwards of 500 individuals can assist State and local 

law enforcement by providing site security, presence patrols, show-of-force, establishment of roadblocks and/or checkpoints, control of civil disturbances, force protection and security for other responders, and protection of DOD assets as required. 

Task Force for Emergency Readiness 

The Task Force for Emergency Readiness (TFER) program enlists National Guard 

officers at the State level to write comprehensive ‘‘State’’ Homeland Security Plans 

that address the eight national planning scenario sets. The Federal Emergency 

Management Agency (FEMA) is currently funding five pilot States (Hawaii, Massachusetts, South Carolina, Washington, and West Virginia) with the intent of expanding TFER to all States based on the anticipated success of the pilot program. 

COUNTERDRUG PROGRAMS

In 2008, some 2,400 National Guard personnel supported law enforcement agencies in seizing illegal drugs with a street value of approximately $28 billion. The 

National Guard supports law enforcement counterdrug operations with 125 specially 

equipped Army National Guard OH–58A helicopters and 11 Air National Guard 

counterdrug RC–26B fixed-wing aircraft. 

Synchronizing counterdrug information-sharing among law enforcement agencies, 

the National Guard, and DOD agencies has greatly increased the efficiency and 

speed of the effort. 

Stay on Track 

In 2008, National Guard personnel reached over 3 million people with their positive anti-drug messages. Drug demand reduction programs such as Stay on Track 

have reached over 115,000 middle school students in 215 schools around the country 

since 2007. In 2009, Stay on Track plans to reach out to another 150,000 students. 

OPERATION JUMP START

The National Guard and the U.S. Border Patrol marked the end of the Operation 

Jump Start (OJS) mission in 2008 with ceremonies in Washington, DC, Operation 

Jump Start began June 15, 2006, and officially ended July 15, 2008. At its peak, 

the operation saw up to 6,000 National Guard citizen-soldiers and airmen assisting 

the Border Patrol to increase security and vigilance along the Nation’s southern border. 

OJS assistance not only freed up hundreds of Border Patrol agents to perform 

their normal law enforcement duties, but it also allowed time for the Border Patrol 

to hire and train more agents. 

‘‘Within law enforcement, there is one word that we put a lot of weight on,’’ said 

David V. Aguilar, Chief of the Border Patrol. ‘‘That is the word ‘partner.’ Today, I 

am very proud to call every individual who wears the uniform of the National 

Guard, has ever worn it, or will wear it, or is in any way affiliated with the National 

Guard . . . our true partners, and for that we truly thank you.’’ 

Over the 2-year period, more than 29,000 troops from all 54 States and territories 

participated. As we look back on this operation, we count the following successes: 

• Assisted with over 176,000 immigration violation apprehensions 

• Aided in seizing over 315,000 pounds of marijuana 

• Aided in seizing 5,000-plus pounds of cocaine 

• Helped build more than 19 miles of road 

• Helped repair more than 717 miles of road 

• Helped construct 38 miles of fencing 

• Helped erect 96 miles of vehicle border barriers 

The National Guard provided the Border Patrol logistical and administrative support by operating detection systems, providing communications, and analyzing border-related intelligence. Citizen-soldiers and airmen also built new infrastructure, 

conducted training, and provided additional aviation assets and ground transportation. 

JOINT AND INTERAGENCY TRAINING

To continue providing quick and effective support of local and State response 

forces, the National Guard must continue expanding its capacity to conduct joint 

and interagency training in a domestic environment. We can accomplish this by increasing the number of National Guard, State and local response forces, DOD, and 

36 

Federal agencies participating in the U.S. Northern Command (USNORTHCOM) 

and NGB Joint Interagency Training Capability (JITC) programs. 

Increased participation by these and other agencies will improve tactical interoperability as well as unity of effort among State, local, and Federal agencies during 

catastrophic manmade or natural disasters. Increasing the number and scope of National Guard regional training centers (such as the Joint Interagency Training and 

Education Center (JITEC) in West Virginia) will also improve response proficiency 

and standardize tactics, techniques, and procedures for National Guard teams dealing with chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and high-yield explosives 

(CBRNE). 

Joint Interagency Exercise Program (Vigilant Guard) 

This exercise program conducts four National Guard regional exercises each year 

that provide valuable experience and training opportunities to the following force 

elements: 

JTF Commander Training Course 

This course prepares potential JTF commanders to operate, organize, and function 

in the unique Federal and State environment. The 4-day in-residence course is conducted twice a year at USNORTHCOM in Colorado Springs. 

JFHQ/JTF Staff Training Course (JSTC) 

This course provides comprehensive training and education for joint staff to support JFHQ and JTF missions in State or Federal status. 

Collective CBRNE Training Program 

Seventeen CBRNE Enhanced Response Force Packages (CERFPs) and 57 Weapons of Mass Destruction-Civil Support Teams (WMD–CSTs) learn to respond to a 

catastrophic CBRNE event in this program. 

Joint Interagency Training and Education Center 

In addition to the Joint Interagency Training Capability, JITEC plays an integral 

part in continuing the National Guard’s transformation for the future by building 

relationships and capabilities with our interagency partners. Joint Interagency highlights include: 

• Providing more than 30,000 duty-days of training and interaction in over 

800 exercises to some 90 different organizations and agencies since September 11, 2001 

• Scheduling more than 200 training, exercise, or assessment activities in 

2010 

With continuing support from both DOD and Congress, the National Guard will 

continue to transform itself into a premier homeland security and defense organization, leveraging state and Federal responses, capabilities, and expertise. 

TECHNOLOGY REVOLUTIONIZES EMERGENCY RESPONSE AND TRAINING

Technology has played a key role in enhancing the National Guard Joint Staff’s 

effectiveness in America’s emergency preparedness and response. Emergency response training, information exchange, and command and control activities are more 

robust than ever to support local communities during a time of catastrophic events. 

The following highlights our progress. 

Joint CONUS Communications Support Environment (JCCSE) 

The JCCSE is the NGB and USNORTHCOM umbrella platform that establishes 

communications and information sharing for Homeland Defense and Civil Support 

missions from the national to the State or territory level. The JCCSE platform ensures the National Guard’s capacity to provide Command, Control, Communications, 

and Computer (C4) support necessary to carry out National Guard responsibilities. 

These capabilities directly supported FEMA operations during Hurricanes Gustav 

and Ike. 

Communications, situational awareness, and command and control were bolstered 

with the following JCCSE enhancements: 

• NGB acquired 84 Joint Incident Site Communications Capability (JISCC) 

systems to be distributed to the 54 States and territories. These sets provide interoperable communications at the incident site along with a satellite 

link to command and control centers to share information and tools needed 

to request or direct support. 

• NGB established a Joint Command, Control, Communications, and Computer (C4) Coordination Center (JCCC) to monitor the status of all National 

37 

Guard communications to the Joint Force Headquarters in each State, 

FEMA, and all emergency agencies involved. During an incident, the JCCC 

provides help-desk and satellite link support to teams deploying with 

JISCC. 

• NGB established the Joint Information Exchange Environment (JIEE) as 

a web-based application to provide a common operating picture of all nonfederalized National Guard activities. JIEE provides the ability to monitor, 

track, and share operational information with mission partners in a trusted 

domestic operations environment that extends down to the incident level. 

This capability is not currently available in DOD programs of record. 

The domestic information environment in which JCCSE must interoperate continues to evolve. Consequently, NGB will continue to request funding to both sustain and adapt JCCSE capabilities as the domestic response requirements emerge. 

Emergency Management Staff Trainer 

The Emergency Management Staff Trainer is a new virtual training application 

that provides extremely low-cost, scenario-driven training that can be repeated as 

many times as needed. This capability offers training that is geographically specific, 

allowing National Guard and civilian emergency management personnel to engage 

in training specific to their own city or State. 

Scenarios developed to date include Hurricane Preparation and Response, Earthquake Response, Building Collapse, and Pandemic Influenza Response. 

Regional and State Online Resource—Emergency Management (RaSOR–EM) 

RaSOR–EM supports training activities by combining commercially available 

mapping programs with links to thousands of emergency management databases 

and other information sources, dramatically enhancing speed and access to this critical information. All 54 States and territories, numerous Federal agencies, and personnel from the Department of Homeland Security currently use the program. Data 

layers have been added to include critical infrastructure data, locations of schools 

and Reserve centers, and other valuable data. 

SUPPORTING THE WARFIGHTER

An effective citizen-soldier or airman is one who knows his or her family is safe, 

secure, and able to function efficiently while he or she is deployed. An effective soldier or airman also needs support in transitioning back to civilian life after long deployments. Keeping our soldiers and airmen ready, both physically and mentally, requires the National Guard’s support through programs for the individual and the 

family. 

Transition Assistance Advisors 

Sixty-two Transition Assistance Advisors (TAAs) were hired in the States, territories, and District of Columbia to provide personalized service to Guard and family 

members. They educate and assist them on constantly evolving benefits information, 

assist them in obtaining their Federal and State benefits and entitlements, and help 

them file and track benefits claims. These personalized services include linking 

Guard members and families to behavioral health resources, disability claims filing, 

and obtaining disability compensation. These advisors work closely with the liaisons 

from the NGB and Department of Veterans Affairs and have proven themselves invaluable by educating National Guard leadership, Guard members, and veterans on 

the myriad of complex benefits and entitlements earned through their military service. 

In one instance, the TAA, the Seattle Veterans’ regional office, and the Washington National Guard teamed up to test an idea that allows persons to file for Veterans Administration benefits and process them within 6 to 8 days of their units 

returning from active duty—a method previously reserved only for returning active 

duty units. This is made possible by allowing access to military medical records, 

often a large factor for delays in claims. The units also complete medical benefits 

forms on site. 

National Guard Joint Family Program 

The National Guard Joint Family Program (JFP) provides direct support to the 

54 State and territory family program directors, youth coordinators, and 92 Wing 

Family Program Coordinators. The JFP office provides guidance, resources, and support to National Guard families when guardsmen are deployed at home or abroad. 

JFP conducts all training events and national-level seminars and workshops for all 

of the above positions as well as for an estimated force of over 10,000 National 

Guard family volunteers. 

38 

The program office provides training to families via computer-based training modules, centralized classes, and locally provided training to help make families selfreliant throughout the deployment cycle process. 

Family Assistance Centers 

Consider these actual family situations: 

• A New Jersey National Guard soldier, training for deployment to Afghanistan, receives word that his family’s home is gutted by fire. 

• A soldier suffers from severe post traumatic stress disorder as he deals 

with his wife’s declining health and the threat of losing their home. 

• A catastrophic auto accident has left a soldier a quadriplegic. 

These are just a few of the situations Family Assistance Centers (FACs) deal with 

each day to help our soldiers. More than 300 FACs across the 54 States and territories provide information, referral, and outreach to families of geographically dispersed members from all Services, whether Active or Reserve component. FACs are 

critical to mobilization and demobilization and to the long-term health and welfare 

of servicemembers and their families. The FAC team believes that soldiers who 

know their families are cared for, safe, and secure at home, can better concentrate 

on their tasks and missions in theater. 

Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program 

The Yellow Ribbon Program provides information, services, referrals, and 

proactive outreach to servicemembers, spouses, employers, and youth from the beginning through the end of the mobilization lifecycle. 

The program provides a flexible family support system to meet the servicemember 

and family readiness needs of the expeditionary service component and geographically dispersed families. The program focuses on ensuring servicemembers and their 

families receive the information and tools necessary to cope during the mobilization 

lifecycle. 

Yellow Ribbon Program services include: 

• Marriage Enrichment 

• Employer Support for the Guard and Reserve 

• Warrior Transition Unit Information 

• Traumatic Brain Injury Information and Support 

• Child Behavioral Counselors 

• Veterans Affairs Information 

• TRICARE/Medical Benefit Information 

• Family Counseling 

• Legal Counseling 

• Financial Counseling 

• Community Relations 

• School Support 

• Child Care Services 

• Informational meetings and briefings 

• Preparations for reintegration 

• Employment opportunities 

Division of Psychological Health 

The newly created Division of Psychological Health will direct and manage a comprehensive psychological health service dedicated to Guard members and their families on a variety of conditions associated with post traumatic stress disorder(s) and/ 

or traumatic brain injury. Fifty-four licensed mental health practitioners will cover 

all the States and territories. 

The Psychological Health service goals include: 

• Providing high quality services that are National Guard member-specific 

• Overseeing an individual’s mental health and readjustment needs to civilian life 

• Addressing individual health care situations that may hinder reintegration to civilian life 

• Consulting State and territory National Guard senior management on 

specific mental health needs and trends based on membership demographics 

The NGB Division of Psychological Health is committed to providing quality care 

and will develop and implement a program that is practical, meaningful, and beneficial for our Guard members and their families, thereby ensuring our maximum 

operational readiness. 

39 

A Leader in Equal Opportunity 

In 2008, the NGB Office of Equal Opportunity and Civil Rights developed Reasonable Accommodations procedures that are a model for other Federal agencies. The 

NGB is also officially partnering with Operation War Fighter through job fairs, resume reviews from the internet, and participation in ongoing work groups to enhance employment opportunities within NGB for wounded servicemembers during 

their rehabilitation. 

This office ensures the effective management of National Guard Affirmative Action programs to achieve a military and civilian workforce structure that reflects the 

diversity of the 54 States and territories. 

With the ongoing support from Congress and the American people, the National 

Guard will continue to secure the American homeland while defending her interests 

abroad. 

Your National Guard is ‘‘Always Ready, Always There.’’ 

Senator BEN NELSON. Thank you, General. 

General Wyatt. 

STATEMENT OF LT. GEN. HARRY M. WYATT III, USAF, 

DIRECTOR, AIR NATIONAL GUARD 

General WYATT. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I’m honored and 

privileged to be here before you and the committee today, and 

thanks again for all the hard work the committee has done for your 

Air National Guard (ANG). 

I’m privileged to be in the chamber this afternoon with the senior 

enlisted adviser of the ANG, ANG Command Chief Master Sergeant Dick Smith from Ohio, who is backing me up here, and is 

responsible, as I am, for the over 94,000 enlisted members of the 

ANG. 

As we meet today, Mr. Chairman, your ANG is protecting our 

skies over the United States of America at 16 of 18 air sovereignty 

alert sites. They’re ready to respond to disasters like hurricanes, 

tornadoes, and fires, and are currently responding to floods in 

North Dakota, Minnesota, and snow storms in Montana. 

We do all this while, at the same time, volunteering at unprecedented rates to support the worldwide contingencies. We cannot 

forget the backbone of our Force, our traditional Guard members, 

who are providing not only day-to-day Air Expeditionary Force 

(AEF) rotation capabilities, but also that critical surge capability 

for our Air Force that makes the Guard such a vital component of 

the entire Air Force. 

In the personnel domain, talking about four major themes today, 

and then I’ll pass the microphone. Our primary priority this year 

is targeted and precision recruiting. As you’re aware, we are over 

our end strength for the first time since 2002. We will be focusing 

our recruiting efforts on getting the right folks in the right place 

and doing the right jobs. Incentives and bonuses are key to that. 

We also seek to leverage the inherent ANG efficiencies and take 

on additional Air Force missions as appropriate when asked by the 

United States Air Force and when resourced by the Air Force. We 

attempt to maximize the use of association, the association constructs where we work with the Active Duty Air Force Reserve 

brothers and sisters in forming these new constructs, and look to 

community basing to better support the Air Force mission. 

Thank you very much. It’s an honor and privilege to be here, and 

we look forward to answering your questions, sir. 

Senator BEN NELSON. Thank you, General. 

40 

General Stultz. 

STATEMENT OF LTG JACK C. STULTZ, USAR, COMMANDING 

GENERAL, U.S. ARMY RESERVE COMMAND 

General STULTZ. Mr. Chairman, Senator Burris, and others: 

Thank you for the opportunity to testify before you, to represent 

over 204,000 Army Reserve soldiers who are serving this Nation. 

Thank you for what you’ve done, for you and for the staffers there, 

for all the support you’ve given us for our soldiers, the things that 

we talked about previously with Secretary Hall, TRICARE, retirement, other benefits, that we’re able to take back to those soldiers 

and say, thank you for what you’re doing for this Nation; this is 

what Congress is doing for you. 

Today, I can report to you that your Army Reserve is in excellent 

shape. We’re at 204,000-plus. That’s up 7,000 this fiscal year, on 

top of 7,000 last year. We’re growing at a tremendous pace. Recruiting is good, retention is good. The theme that we’re using in 

the statement that I submitted for the record is ‘‘A Positive Investment for America.’’ The Army Reserve is giving this Nation a great 

return on investment. The dollars that we’re given in our budget 

are used wisely and we’re returning back to America, not only in 

terms of the military capability, but the civilian capability. 

I brought with me today, since 2009 is the year of the Noncommissioned Officer (NCO) for the Army, three great NCOs that 

I’d ask just to stand up to be recognized. I use them as an example 

of when I talk about a return on investment. Sergeant Jason Ford 

that you see in front of you, he’s a drill sergeant in the Army Reserve. When he is on duty with the Army Reserve, he’s training soldiers, not Army Reserve soldiers, Active Duty soldiers, at our BTCs 

like Fort Leonard Wood. He also trained Iraqi soldiers for a year 

in Iraq, working under General Petraeus over there in Multi-National Security Transition Command-Iraq (MNSTC–I) Mission, 

where he was wounded while on a combat patrol leading 25 Iraqi 

soldiers by himself, and received the Purple Hurt and Bronze Star. 

Back here in America, in Brockton, MA, he’s a law enforcement 

officer. So he comes back and continues to serve in uniform for the 

Nation, both in a Reserve status and as a civilian. 

I also have Sergeant Henry Farve, who was deployed to Iraq 

when his son, who was deployed with 3–2 Stryker from Fort Lewis, 

was wounded in action. Sergeant Farve could not get to his son, 

but instead said: ‘‘Continue the mission; I have a mission over here 

with my unit.’’ 

Sergeant Larry Limon, a first sergeant over there for a unit that 

was providing combat patrols, was hit by an improvised explosive 

device while over there leading the unit, but continued the mission. 

All these gentlemen serve their country proudly in uniform, but 

they come back and serve in civilian capacities or work for the Government back here. So we do have a positive return on investment 

because we give back not only in defense, we give back in the civilian community. 

Thanks for your support. For all the staffers there, thank you for 

what you’ve done for us. I look forward to your questions, sir. 

Thank you. 

41 

Senator BEN NELSON. Thank you, General. Thank you all. Let’s 

give them a round of applause. 

[Applause.] 

[The prepared statement of General Stultz follows:] 


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Senator BEN NELSON. Admiral Debbink. 

STATEMENT OF VADM DIRK J. DEBBINK, USN, CHIEF OF NAVY 

RESERVE; AND COMMANDER, NAVY RESERVE FORCE 

Admiral DEBBINK. Chairman Nelson, Senator Burris: Thank you 

for the opportunity to appear before the committee this afternoon. 

This is my first opportunity to appear before this committee. I 

want to begin by thanking you for your terrific support for the 

67,217 Navy Reserve sailors, and their families, that make up your 

Navy’s Reserve component. 


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This afternoon as I testify, Navy Reserve sailors, of course, are 

operating in every corner of the world. You’ll see these sailors in 

the news, but you won’t see a caption that reads ‘‘Reserve’’ because 

we are part of the Navy’s Total Force and we operate that way 

around the world. 

From certifying Strike Groups before they deploy overseas to our 

sailors and Naval Special Warfare Groups in Iraq, Afghanistan, 

and elsewhere around the world, our sailors truly are making a significant contribution across the full spectrum of both naval and 

joint operations. 

Following a strength reduction of nearly 25 percent since 2003, 

the central focus of our manpower strategy now is the establishment of a true ‘‘Continuum of Service’’ culture. This offers our sailors the opportunity to truly be sailors for life, providing that lifework balance that accommodates individual circumstances while at 

the same time sustaining the inventory of skilled and experienced 

professionals that we need to fulfill our Total Force commitments. 

I believe that we have proven ourselves to be a ready, responsive, 

and very adaptable operational force while maintaining the strategic depth that Secretary Hall talked about earlier today. This is 

a very important and, I think, very meaningful time for any one 

of us to be serving in our Nation’s defense, and I would assert particularly so as a reservist. 

So I thank you for your continued support, and we look forward 

to answering your questions, sir. 

[The prepared statement of Admiral Debbink follows:] 

PREPARED STATEMENT BY VADM DIRK J. DEBBINK, USN 

I. INTRODUCTION

Chairman Nelson, Senator Graham, and distinguished members of the Personnel 

Subcommittee, thank you for the opportunity to speak with you today about the capabilities, capacity, and readiness of the dedicated men and women who serve in 

our Navy’s Reserve component (RC). I offer my heartfelt thanks for all of the support you have provided these great sailors. 

On July 22, last year, I had the distinct honor of reporting to the Chief of Naval 

Operations (CNO), Admiral Gary Roughead, as the 12th Chief of Navy Reserve. In 

that capacity, I have the privilege of working for over 67,000 sailors in our Navy’s 

RC. I take to heart that each of them has promised to support and defend the Constitution of the United States, against all enemies, foreign and domestic. That promise is their covenant to our Nation, and my covenant back to these Sailors is to do 

everything I can to make their service truly meaningful, significant, and rewarding; 

these sailors form an incredibly capable and motivated force, and they deserve nothing less. I find myself amazed and truly in awe of the daily sacrifices our RC sailors 

are making for our Nation and our Navy. 

My predecessor, Vice Admiral John Cotton, laid a strong foundation during the 

past 5 years for a more responsive and operational force, and we are a better Navy 

because of his leadership. We remain steady on course and we will look to increase 

speed where able by improving upon our strengths and efficiencies to further advance our ‘‘Support to the Fleet . . . Ready and Fully Integrated.’’ We are also 

working on new initiatives in order to more fully implement the Navy Reserve’s vision of: ‘‘Ready Now. Anytime, Anywhere.’’ 

The Navy Reserve is an integral component of our Total Force—inextricably 

linked with the Active component (AC), civil servants, and contractor personnel. Our 

focus is on strategic objectives and specific initiatives that will enable us to optimize 

our support for the CNO’s priorities: (1) Build the Future Force, (2) Maintain 

Warfighting Readiness, and (3) Develop and Support our sailors, Navy civilians, and 

families. Within this framework, I would like to take this opportunity to update you 

on the operational contributions, support to the sailor and family, and the people 

policies and programs of the Navy Reserve. 

79 

II. OPERATIONAL CONTRIBUTIONS

The Navy’s RC contributions are directed when and where they make the most 

operational and cost-effective sense—the right sailor, in the right assignment, at the 

right time, and importantly, at the right cost. Leveraging valuable military and civilian skill-sets and capabilities—when possible and consistent with volunteerism— 

Navy reservists operate in all corners of the world. RC sailors are on the ground 

in Iraq and Afghanistan; they help project power from the Arabian Gulf; and they 

aid in providing a stabilizing influence in the Eastern Mediterranean. They patrol 

waters off the Horn of Africa and deliver humanitarian assistance and disaster relief throughout the world. 

To meet global requirements, the Navy continues to mobilize thousands of Selected Reserve (SELRES) RC personnel. These mobilized SELRES personnel provide 

a growing spectrum of capabilities to prosecute our current fights by integrating 

seamlessly into a multitude of augmentation missions, in addition to mobilizing as 

Navy units. We are called to execute missions well beyond core requirements with 

new capability missions (Civil Affairs Units, Mobile Training Teams, and Provincial 

Reconstruction Teams, in particular) and mission-unique training such as Detainee 

Operations and Customs Inspection battalions. One-third of Navy augmentees currently serve in nontraditional missions that involve new capabilities or require 

unique training. Mobilized SELRES sailors have sustained their largest footprints 

in Iraq (1,018 sailors), Kuwait (796 sailors), and Afghanistan (277 sailors). At the 

Landstuhl Regional Medical Center (LRMC), more than 90 percent of the expeditionary medical support personnel are RC augmentees. Navy RC medical 

augmentees are generally activated for mobilization employment periods from 3 

months to 1 year from various Operational Health Support Units to form the highly 

valued Navy Expeditionary Medical Units (NEMUs). Over 380 RC medical personnel served in our NEMUs in 2008, and 294 are expected to serve in 2009 and 

2010. 

In addition to the contributions of mobilized SELRES and those conducting Active 

Duty Operational Support in fiscal year 2008, an additional 21,803 Navy reservists 

provided 385,291 man-days of Fleet Operational Support above the traditional 39 

days each SELRES provides under current law. The Navy Expeditionary Combat 

Command (NECC) sets the example of RC’s operational contributions. Led by Rear 

Admiral Carol Pottenger—a Full Time Support (FTS) Officer of the RC (the Navy 

RC equivalent of Active Guard and Reserve (AGR)), its expeditionary forces deployed across 5 continents and 12 countries in 2008, and continue supporting Overseas Contingency Operations and the Global Maritime Strategy. With 51 percent of 

the NECC force comprised of RC members, NECC’s global support to the Navy component commanders (NCCs) and unified combatant commanders (COCOMs) is only 

executable with integral contributions from the RC. In 2008 alone, nearly 2,300 RC 

members from 17 NECC units deployed globally, with more than 95 percent of the 

deployed units and personnel supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) and Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) in the Central Command (CENTCOM) Area of Responsibility (AOR). NECC RC forces continue to support operations that include: 

construction/engineering operations with the Naval Construction Forces (e.g., Construction Battalions, or SEABEEs), maritime expeditionary landward and seaward 

security with Maritime Expeditionary Security Forces (MESF), Customs Inspections 

and port/cargo operations with Navy Expeditionary Logistics Support Group 

(NAVELSG), warfighting documentation with Combat Camera, document and electronic media exploitation with Navy Expeditionary Intelligence Command, and AntiTerrorism/Force Protection (AT/FP) training with the Expeditionary Training Command. 

The Navy’s RC has been the driver behind an enormous success story Navy-wide 

through its lead role in the critical Customs Inspection mission, currently providing 

virtually the entire deployed footprint with more than 500 RC sailors on Individual 

Augmentee (IA) assignments. The Navy is projected to sustain this footprint in 2009 

with planned Customs rotations throughout the year. The mobilized Customs Inspectors include police officers, corrections officers, State police/sheriffs, full-time 

students, engineers, and small business owners. Others include teachers, postal 

clerks, carpenters, nurses, emergency medical technicians, auto technicians, and fire 

fighters. The most recent rotation of RC sailors to deploy for an 8-month Customs/ 

Ports tour of duty in Iraq and Kuwait departed in November. These Customs personnel are drawn from 96 Navy Operational Support Centers (NOSCs) representing 

38 States and territories, including Puerto Rico and Guam. 

RC sailors are also found in the Navy Special Warfare (NSW), Maritime Expeditionary Security, and Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) communities. reservists 

comprise 17 percent of the NSW community, including SEALs and Special Warfare 

80 

Combatant-Craft Crewmen (SWCC). As a CNO initiative to relieve stress on the AC 

EOD force, the RC EOD force was established in 2007. In 2008, RC EOD units deployed to support two OIF/OEF/Global Naval Force Presence Posture (GNFPP) requirements. Through Maritime Expeditionary Security units, the Navy’s RC also directly augments the Maritime Expeditionary Security mission. 

The RC aviation community is equally involved in Total Force operational support. Electronic Attack Squadron 209 (VAQ 209) mobilized, deploying 188 FTS and 

SELRES personnel to Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan in support of coalition operations from January 14 thru March 14, 2008. Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 84 

(HSC 84) continues its deployment to Balad Air Base, Iraq to conduct air assault 

combat missions in support of CENTCOM Joint Special Operations. RC members 

of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 85 (HSC 85) are deployed to Kuwait to support 

the 2515th Naval Air Ambulance mission, while RC members of Helicopter Mine 

Countermeasures Squadron 15 (HM 15) are deployed alongside the AC to the 

CENTCOM AOR for Fifth Fleet and Navy tasking by the U.S. Central Command. 

Eight RC sailors from HM 14 are also deployed to Korea, conducting Airborne Mine 

Countermeasures and Vertical Onboard Delivery (VOD) missions. 

A detachment from Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron 77 (VAW 77), consisting of more than 30 FTS/SELRES personnel and 25 maintenance contractors 

completed 4 month deployments in 2008 to various sites in the Southern Command 

(SOUTHCOM) AOR for counternarcotics operations, directly assisting in the capture 

of cocaine and heroin with an approximate street value of $700 million. A 25-person 

detachment from Helicopter Antisubmarine (Light) Squadron 60 (HSL 60) deployed 

aboard the USS Dewert (FFG 45) last year to support SOUTHCOM and Fourth 

Fleet counternarcotics operations, assisting in the interdiction of cocaine that was 

valued at $350 million. Currently, HSL 60 has another 25-person detachment onboard USS Samuel B. Roberts, seizing 7 metric-tons of narcotics to date. The Navy 

Air Logistics Office scheduled aircraft and forward-deployed detachments from all 

15 Fleet Logistics Support Wing (VR) squadrons, enabling the efficient and effective 

transport of more than 127,000 personnel and 21.7 million pounds of cargo to/from 

various overseas locations in support of COCOM and theater-validated requirements. The VR Wing routinely fulfills three CENTCOM Deployment Orders, and in 

excess of 160 RC personnel from the VR Wing are deployed to Japan, Italy, Qatar, 

and Bahrain each day. 

The VR Wing also enables the Fleet Readiness Training Plan (FRTP) by transporting personnel and cargo throughout the Continental U.S. in support of FRTP 

airlift requirements for Carrier Air Wings (CVWs), Carrier Strike Groups, Fleet Replacement Squadron (FRS) detachments, and NSW training requirements. Fighter 

Squadron Composite 12 (VFC 12), Fighter Squadron Composite 13 (VFC 13), Fighter Squadron Composite 111 (VFC 111), and Strike Fighter Squadron 204 (VFA 204) 

also enable FRTP initiatives by executing adversary sorties for multiple CVW and 

FRS detachments. The Squadron Augmentation Units (SAUs) from Commander, 

Naval Air Training Command (CNATRA) flew 20 percent of all sorties conducted 

in support of student Pilot/Naval Flight Officer (NFO) production during 2008, while 

the FRS SAUs flew nearly 10 percent of the syllabus flight events in support of 

Pilot/NFO and aircrew production. 

III. EQUIPPING THE NAVY RESERVE

For Navy reservists to continue providing superior operational support to the 

Navy through the competencies they have acquired both in the Fleet and in their 

civilian careers, the Navy must also have interoperability between all elements of 

the Total Force. The acquisition of AC and RC equipment, enhancements and upgrades to programs, and equipment redistribution (AC to RC, as well as RC to AC) 

have virtually eliminated capability and compatibility gaps between AC, RC, and 

Joint Forces. Current and future RC equipment requirements that are vital to our 

combat forces include aircraft and NECC equipment. 

The aircraft needed to recapitalize the RC and ensure complete alignment with 

the AC are: the EA–18G ‘‘Growler’’ for Electronic Attack, the P–8A ‘‘Poseidon’’ 

Multi-Mission Aircraft, the KC–130J ‘‘Hercules’’ for over- and out-sized cargo intratheatre transport, and the C–40A ‘‘Clipper’’ for intra-theatre cargo and passenger 

transport. In addition to RC operators, the AC will also have aircrew personnel who 

will operate the EA–18G, P–8A, and the KC–130J (USMC AC). The C–40A is 

unique among these aircraft as it is only operated by RC aircrew personnel—the AC 

does not have any ‘‘Clipper’’ operators. Further, the C–40A is essential to providing 

flexible, time-critical, and intra-theater logistics support, serving as a connector between strategic airlift points of delivery to Carrier Onboard Delivery and VOD locations. The C–40A is the replacement for aging DC–9/C–9B and C–20G aircraft, and 

81 

it can simultaneously transport cargo and passengers. The Clipper has twice the 

range, payload, and days of availability of the C–9 models, and it has twice the 

availability and eight times the payload of the C–20G. The C–40A is an outstanding 

asset and has provided enormous operational support, while facilitating the FRTP, 

since its arrival in 2001. 

NECC provides equipment for its subordinate commands, such as SEABEE, 

MESF, EOD, and NAVELSG units. The equipment utilized by these type commands 

include counter-Improvised Explosive Device equipment, tactical vehicles, construction and maintenance equipment, material handling equipment, communications 

gear, boats, and expeditionary camp equipment. Like NECC’s mission, the equipment it operates is both dynamic and diverse. 

The Navy has trimmed the RC force structure to the appropriate capacity and capability required to sustain the operational Reserve Force. The perceived value and 

the return on investment that the RC delivers in personnel and equipment to the 

Total Force are measured on a daily basis. Critical recapitalization continues to be 

a priority, and budgetary dynamics make us ever reliant on a combination of the 

service priority and the direct appropriation for these aging and depreciating assets. 

Some of these requirements have been mitigated by your continued support through 

the National Guard and Reserve Equipment Appropriation. 

IV. SUPPORTING THE SAILOR AND FAMILY

As we continue supporting the Fleet, we proactively extend our support to individual sailors and their families. Our sailors will do almost anything we ask of 

them, and we see evidence of their dedicated service everyday, especially in Iraq and 

Afghanistan. Their expectation that we will support their families while they are 

away from home is both fair and reasonable. 

With so many RC sailors filling IA and mobilization requirements, the July 2008 

release of the RC IA Business Rules (Navy Administrative message 235/08) directly 

addressed how we care for our RC sailors. In particular, these business rules authorized RC sailors who volunteer for unit mobilization to combat zones inside their 

1:5 ‘‘Dwell Time,’’ to reset their ‘‘Dwell Clock’’ and receive Post-Deployment/Mobilization Respite Absence (administrative leave). 

To ensure that our Reserve Force was ready to deploy at any time, the Navy’s 

RC introduced the Medical Readiness Reporting System (MRRS) to address Individual Medical Readiness. MRRS use was expanded in fiscal year 2008, and is now 

used by the Navy’s AC and RC, as well as the Coast Guard and Marine Corps. In 

addition, MRRS was recently enhanced to allow more accurate tracking of those 

sailors at risk due to combat operational stress, and to ensure they receive the appropriate attention during Post-Deployment Health Reassessments conducted 90– 

180 days after demobilization. 

To facilitate a continuum of readiness, given the stress that oftentimes results 

from operational deployments overseas, funding was approved in 2008 to establish 

the Navy Reserve Psychological Health Outreach Program. This program provides 

outreach services to reservists returning from deployment, both during the reintegration process and beyond. It ensures early identification and timely clinical assessments of Navy reservists at risk for stress injuries. The Program Coordinators 

facilitate access to psychological health support resources for the servicemembers 

and their families, and serve as facilitators at Psychological Health/Traumatic Brain 

Injury seminars and Returning Warrior Workshops. 

The Navy Reserve continues to make exceptional progress in advancing a standardized, world-class Continuum of Care for SELRES sailors, FTS sailors, and their 

families through all phases of the mobilization deployment cycle. United States 

Fleet Forces (USFF), as executive agent for IA and IA Family Support, was vital 

to the evolution of a Total Force Continuum of Care in 2008 by standing up the IA 

and IA Family Cross Functional Team and Executive Steering Committee. The 

Navy Reserve is a lead stakeholder supporting USFF in this initiative, and is wellaligned with the Total Force in developing and implementing deployment support 

and reintegration programs for deploying IA personnel and units throughout all 

phases of the mobilization cycle. 

The Returning Warrior Workshop (RWW) is now available to RC and AC sailors, 

marines, and their spouses throughout the country. The RWW serves as a model 

in the development of a broad spectrum of additional ‘‘Continuum of Care’’ programs 

and events. The workshops epitomize sailors taking care of sailors; they reflect the 

Navy’s dedication to supporting, educating, and honoring our sailors and families, 

and they communicate a strong message that the Navy values their service and sacrifice. 

82 

RWWs are ‘‘five-star events’’ conducted on weekends and attended by up to 200 

sailors, marines, and spouses. Attending participants have the opportunity to address personal, family, or professional situations experienced during deployment and 

receive readjustment and reintegration support and resources from a network of 

counselors, psychological health outreach coordinators, chaplains, and Fleet and 

Family Support Center representatives. Throughout the weekend, participants benefit greatly from considerable counseling opportunities to educate and support the 

Navy Family and assist sailors in re-acclimating with their families and to civilian 

lives. 

The future for RWWs is bright given the unprecedented success of the workshops 

completed in 2008 and those already completed in 2009. The recent event in Albuquerque, NM, was the 21st successful event since the inception of the program by 

Navy Region Southwest Reserve Component Command (at Navy Operational Support Center, Phoenix) in late 2007. Looking ahead, 29 additional workshops are contracted and funded through July 2010. 

Our Return-Reunion-Reintegration team is placing strong emphasis on the development, implementation, and enhancement of several other transformational programs and events. These high profile initiatives include: 

• Full implementation of DOD’s Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program by 

Navy 

• Modification of the Chaplain’s Religious Enrichment Development Operation retreats to provide a ‘‘One-Day Up-Check’’ for returning sailors as an 

alternative to the RWW 

• Development of comprehensive roles and responsibilities for Psychological 

Health Outreach Coordinators assigned to each region 

V. PEOPLE POLICIES AND PROGRAMS

A central component of Navy’s Total Force strategy is the establishment of a culture of a ‘‘Continuum of Service’’ to provide opportunities for sailors to transition 

in and out of active service at different stages of their careers. The Continuum of 

Service represents a new operating paradigm which can be summarized by the 

phrase: ‘‘Recruit once, Retain for life.’’ Last year, the Navy’s accession and retention 

bonuses for RC sailors increased to $108 million, enhancing our ability to recruit 

and retain the right people for the right job. For fiscal year 2008, Navy Recruiting 

Command achieved 100 percent of the RC enlisted accession goal, and 105 percent 

of RC General Officer goal. As recently stated by our Chief of Naval Personnel, 

VADM Mark E. Ferguson, we believe we are on track to repeat this success in fiscal 

year 2009. Once we recruit, train, and lead these sailors through their initial tours 

of duty, our imperative is to give them opportunities to transition between the Active and Reserve components, allowing them to find the life/work balance that’s 

right for them. This will strengthen the focus on retention and reduce the burden 

on recruiting. 

In addition to achieving the Navy’s recruiting goals, the retention and attrition 

for RC personnel have been just as successful. Improved retention and lower attrition rates are attributed to a slowing economy and an effective recruiting campaign 

through our ‘‘Stay Navy’’ initiatives. These efforts target affiliation and retention bonuses on skill sets we need the most. In fiscal year 2009, we continue to target highdemand/low-supply communities and critical skill sets with competitive monetary 

incentives. 

Navy Reserve end strength has declined by approximately 20,000 sailors from 

2003 through 2008 (88,156 RC sailors in 2003 to 68,136 RC sailors in 2008). The 

anticipated steady state end strength is approximately 66,000 in fiscal year 2013. 

During fiscal year 2008, to provide for a stable RC inventory, we implemented several force shaping measures that included a reduction in prior service accessions, 

as well as proactive management of Transient Personnel Units, overmanned designators, and sailors reaching High Year Tenure. These measures proved to be effective, as the Navy ended fiscal year 2008 with 68,136 RC personnel (approximately 

0.5 percent above our statutory end strength authorization of 67,800). 

In fiscal year 2009, we already see higher retention and fewer losses than planned 

in the enlisted and officer populations. To mitigate this over-execution, we continue 

to enforce current policies and adjust enlisted prior service accessions. Our goal is 

to finish fiscal year 2009 with a more stable, balanced inventory of sailors that positions our Reserve Force for continued Total Force support. 

Vice Admiral Ferguson and I are identifying legislative, financial, technological, 

and policy barriers impeding a Continuum of Service and developing management 

practices to quickly and efficiently transition sailors between components to meet 

changing workforce demands. One of our key initiatives is to implement a process 

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that transitions sailors between the AC and RC within 72 hours. As we provide opportunities to transition seamlessly between Active and Reserve statuses, Navy’s 

Total Force will capitalize on the spirit of volunteerism to encourage a sailor’s lifetime of service to the Nation. 

The Navy needs Total Force systems that will reduce administrative impediments 

to a Continuum of Service. The administrative inefficiencies created by multiple 

electronic pay and manpower systems create waste and unnecessary burdens on 

sailors, and they also hinder force readiness. A common AC/RC pay and personnel 

system is crucial to building seamless transitions and the success of our sailor for 

Life and Continuum of Service initiatives. In the future, manpower transactions will 

ideally be accomplished with the click of a mouse, and records will be shared 

through a common data repository within all DOD enterprises. Navy fully supports 

this vision of an integrated set of processes to manage all pay and personnel needs 

for servicemembers, concurrently providing necessary levels of personnel visibility 

to support joint warfighter requirements. Manpower management tools must facilitate audits of personnel costs, and support accurate, agile decisionmaking at all levels of DOD. 

One constraint to seamless transitions is the multiple RC funding categories. We 

are working closely with the Office of the Secretary of Defense to reduce the number 

of duty types, aiming to improve efficiency while retaining the flexibility Navy reservists need to manage their careers and personal lives. Coupled with a well-developed, web-enabled personnel management system, this initiative will enable RC 

sailors to rapidly surge to support validated requirements. The consolidation of most 

RC order writing to the Navy Reserve Order Writing System has been a significant 

evolution in Navy’s effort to integrate its Total Force capabilities by aligning funding sources and accurately resourcing operational support accounts. 

The Honorable Secretary of the Navy Donald C. Winter recently approved the 

Navy’s request to transition to a community management-based promotion policy for 

the RC Officer community—both SELRES and FTS. As a result, the Navy has implemented a policy change to ‘‘decouple’’ its Reserve Officer promotion zones from 

the AC officer promotion zones, as was the current practice under the Running Mate 

System (RMS). In place since 1947, the RMS linked RC and AC promotion zones 

without consideration of RC community needs. Under the Navy Total Force construct, Officer Community Managers now have the flexibility to develop promotion 

plans and policies that meet individual community and component needs, especially 

for SELRES Officers. 

For Navy reservists who look to further their professional development, the Navy 

has recently obtained Joint and Combined Warfighting class quotas for RC personnel (both FTS and SELRES) at the Joint Forces Staff College. These new class 

quotas complement the Advanced Joint Professional Military Education course that 

is already in place. The Navy is also in the early stages of establishing an RC Foreign Area Officer (FAO) program. RC FAOs will be part of a cadre of Officers 

aligned with the AC who have the skills required to manage and analyze politicomilitary activities overseas. 

VI. CONCLUSION

Since September 11, nearly 53,000 contingency activation requirements have been 

filled by SELRES personnel, along with an additional 4,300 contingency requirements filled by FTS sailors in support of ongoing conflicts in Iraq, Afghanistan, and 

the Horn of Africa. On any given day, more than 18,000 Navy reservists, or about 

26 percent of the Force, are on some type of orders that provide support to global 

operation requirements of Fleet Commanders and COCOMs. Our more than 67,000 

sailors serving in the RC are forward deployed in support of coalition forces, at their 

supported commands around the world, or in strategic reserve, ready to surge 24/ 

7 each day if more Navy Total Force requirements arise. 

I am proud to be a Navy reservist, and I am humbled by the commitment of the 

men and women of our Navy Reserve. It is very rewarding and fulfilling to stand 

shoulder to shoulder with the Navy’s AC as we meet our Nation’s requirements. Although I readily admit my bias, there has never been a more meaningful time to 

be part of the Navy-Marine Corps team, and our Navy Reserve is clearly an integral 

part of the this hard-working, high-spirited and amazingly capable force. 

The Navy’s ability to be present in support of any operation, in war and peace, 

without permanent infrastructure in the area of operations, is a key advantage that 

will become even more important in the future. Our Navy remains the preeminent 

maritime power, providing our Nation with a global naval expeditionary force that 

is committed to global security, while defending our homeland as well as our vital 

interests around the world. The Navy Reserve’s flexibility, responsiveness, and abilVerDate Nov 24 2008 13:29 Jan 21, 2010 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00087 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6621 Y:\BORAWSKI\DOCS\54509.TXT JUNE PsN: JUNEB
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ity to serve across a wide spectrum of operations clearly enhances the Navy Total 

Force, acts as a true force multiplier, and provides unique skill sets towards fulfilling Navy’s requirements in an increasingly uncertain world. 

On behalf of the sailors, civilians, and contract personnel of our Navy Reserve, 

we thank you for the continued support within Congress and your commitment to 

the Navy Reserve and our Navy’s Total Force. 

Senator BEN NELSON. Thank you. 

General Bergman. 

STATEMENT OF LT. GEN. JOHN W. BERGMAN, USMC, COMMANDER, MARINE FORCES RESERVE; AND COMMANDER, 

MARINE FORCES NORTH 

General BERGMAN. Good afternoon, Senator Nelson, Senator 

Burris. It’s an honor to be here to thank you for all the support 

you’ve given your Marine Corps Reserve because without it, we 

wouldn’t be the ready and relevant fighting force that we are today. 

We heard the term ‘‘Operational Reserve’’ put out a little bit earlier. No matter what you call it, Operational Reserve, Strategic Reserve, all I know is that our marines and our sailors who are attached to us, and their families and their employers are standing 

up and continuing to stand up to sustain the level of operations 

worldwide that the Marine Corps Reserve is involved in. 

As we contemplated what do we call this deployable Reserve, we 

called it an Operational Reserve and put it into what we call a 

Force Generation Model, which drives us towards the most important word that I think we can use here for our preparation of 

forces, which is predictability. When you let someone know in advance, well in advance, what they’re going to be doing, where 

they’re going to be going, so the employers, the families, and everybody knows what the mission is, know what the timeframe is, we 

have found that has helped us minimize the amount of cross-leveling that has occurred amongst our units. 

So we are very, very deep into the maturation of the Force Generation Model that will allow us in that 5-year dwell time to try 

and meet the 1:5 dwell time ratio criteria for the Reserve component, to man, equip, train, and get our units ready to go. Of course, 

all that is tied to budgeting. If we get this right, we will provide 

not only a ready and relevant force, but a force that was done with 

a relatively wise use of all the dollars available. 

I suggest to you there’s nothing more adaptable than a marine 

in the fight. As we’ve been adapting to growing the Marine Corps 

to 202,000 here over the past few years, we’re 2 years ahead of 

schedule. That will allow us to refocus some of our manpower planning and policies to shape this Operational Reserve and our large 

units so that we’re ready to go for the long term. 

I look forward to your questions, sir. 

[The prepared statement of General Bergman follows:] 

PREPARED STATEMENT BY LT. GEN. JACK W. BERGMAN, USMC 

Chairman Nelson, Senator Graham, and distinguished members of the subcommittee, it is my honor to report to you on the state of your Marine Corps Reserve. 

I am pleased to report that your Marine Corps Reserve continues to equip and 

train the best and brightest of our Nation’s sons and daughters. In an environment 

where the Marine Corps continues to rapidly adapt to broad strategic conditions and 

wide-ranging threats, your Marine Corps Reserve—a primarily Operational ReVerDate Nov 24 2008 13:29 Jan 21, 2010 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00088 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6621 Y:\BORAWSKI\DOCS\54509.TXT JUNE PsN: JUNEB
85 

serve—continues to meet all challenges and commitments. Whether in Iraq today, 

Afghanistan tomorrow or in subsequent campaigns, your Marine Corps Reserve continues to answer the clarion call to arms in defense of this great Nation. 

On behalf of all our marines, sailors, and their families, I would like to take this 

opportunity to thank the subcommittee for its continuing support. The support of 

Congress and the American people reveal both a commitment to ensure the common 

defense and a genuine concern for the welfare of our marines, sailors, and their families. 

I. TODAY’S MARINE CORPS RESERVE

Your Marine Corps Reserve continues to be fully capable of warfighting excellence. As a vested partner in the Total Force Marine Corps, we faithfully continue 

our steadfast commitment to provide Reserve units and personnel who stand shoulder-to-shoulder with their Active component counterparts in all contingencies, operations, and exercises. 

As of March 3, 2009, 52,369 Reserve marines and approximately 99 percent of 

U.S. Marine Corps Reserve units were activated since September 11—98 percent of 

our activated units deployed to the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility. 

Today’s Marine Corps Reserve is characterized by a strong resolve that enables 

us to sustain the current operational pace during the longest mobilization period in 

our Nation’s history. However, to continue this unprecedented pace will require adequate funding. Without the total funding, currently provided through baseline and 

supplemental processes, we would be unable to maintain a truly Operational Reserve. 

The Force Generation Model, implemented in October 2006, continues to provide 

predictability of future activation and deployment schedules for our marines and 

sailors. The predictability the Model provides has been well received by our marines, 

sailors, and employers. The model provides our reservists the opportunity to effectively plan their lives throughout their Reserve contractual agreement, enabling 

them to creatively strike a successful balance between family, civilian career and 

service to community, country, and Corps. I am happy to report that we recently 

activated the fifth rotation based upon the model to Operations Iraqi and Enduring 

Freedom (OIF and OEF) with 5,500 marines being activated and deployed during 

fiscal year 2008. Additionally, we have activated approximately 2,500 more marines 

during the timeframe November 2008 to February 2009. 

The Force Generation Model continues to assist Service and Joint Force planners 

in maintaining a consistent flow of fully capable Marine Corps Reserve units. This 

steady flow of Reserve units is essential in enabling our Active component to reach 

a 1:2 dwell time. The Model, based on 1-year activation to 4-plus years in a nonactivated status, continues to be both supportable and sustainable. Predictable activation dates permit unit commanders to focus training on core mission capabilities 

early in the dwell period; and then train to specific OIF and OEF mission tasks once 

the unit is within 12 to 18 months of activation. Additionally, the amount of crossleveling has been significantly reduced. With each subsequent rotation, the requirement to cross-level continues to decrease. For example, the upcoming activation of 

the St. Louis, MO-based 3rd Battalion, 24th Marine Regiment, will require minimal 

cross-leveling of enlisted personnel. 

We believe the full benefit of the Force Generation Model will begin to be realized 

once we have completed a full cycle of nine rotations and the active Component 

reaches the authorized end strength of 202,000. A very important byproduct of the 

Force Generation Model will be our emerging ability to more accurately budget for 

training and equipment requirements during the 5 year dwell time. 

In addition to the 5,500 marines activated and deployed during fiscal year 2008 

in support of OIF and OEF, we deployed an additional 3,300 marines worldwide in 

support of joint and/or combined Theater Security Cooperation Exercises. In each of 

the past 3 years, between OIF, OEF, Theater Security Cooperation Exercises, and 

recently emerging security cooperation mobile training teams that conduct Phase0 operations, nearly one-third of our force has deployed outside the continental 

United States both in an activated and nonactivated status. 

During this past year, more than 3,300 marines from 4th Marine Division have 

served in Iraq. Included are two infantry battalions, as well as armor, reconnaissance, combat engineer, military police, and truck units. Of particular note, the El 

Paso, TX-based Battery D, 2nd Battalion, 14th Marine Regiment, became the second 

Marine Corps High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) unit to be deployed. 

Another highlight was the success of New Orleans, LA-based 3rd Battalion, 23rd 

Marine Regiment, in al-Anbar Province. This infantry battalion, with companies in 

Louisiana and Texas, played a key role in the redevelopment of the Haditha K3 Oil 

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Refinery and transport of crude oil in al-Anbar Province. Their efforts, spurred primarily by several of the battalion’s marines who are consultants and executives 

within the U.S. oil and energy industry, resulted in the successful rail transport of 

crude oil into Anbar and restart of the oil refinery by July 2008, several years after 

the refinery and rail system had ceased to operate. Also of note was the ability and 

flexibility of the Division units to train for and conduct ‘‘in lieu of’’ or provisional 

missions due to changing operational requirements in OIF/OEF. 

Fourth Marine Division also deployed two of its regimental headquarters in the 

role of Marine Air Ground Task Forces (MAGTF) command elements. Kansas City, 

Missouri-based 24th Marine Regiment deployed as a Special Purpose MAGTF to 

U.S. Southern Command to support the new Partnership of the Americas series of 

small combined Theater Security Cooperation Exercises in South America. The San 

Bruno, CA-based 23rd Marine Regiment led a combined joint regimental headquarters in support of exercise African Lion in Morocco as well as a combined joint 

battalion headquarters in support of Exercise Shared Accord in Ghana. These 3 exercises alone incorporated the deployment of more than 1,100 marines from across 

Marine Forces Reserve. Fourth Marine Division also conducted training to assist our 

allies in foreign militaries from Korea to the Republic of Georgia. Calendar year 

2009 will be a busy year for the division as they conduct training in Benin, Brunei, 

Ukraine, the Dominican Republic, the Bahamas, Brazil, Guatemala, and Guyana. 

Returning to exercises in Morocco and Australia and supporting the 50th anniversary of UNITAS Gold with a command element from 24th Marine Regiment will be 

key engagements. From May through August 2009, an activated Reserve reinforced 

rifle company from the 24th Marine Regiment and a composite platoon of marines 

from the 4th Amphibious Armored Battalion, in partnership with the U.S. Navy, 

will conduct training and exercises in Brunei, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, and the Philippines during exercise Cooperation and Readiness Afloat Training. 

Fourth Marine Aircraft Wing has continued to provide essential exercise support 

and predeployment training normally provided by Active component squadrons. The 

Marine Corps’ premier predeployment training exercise, Mojave Viper, received a 

majority of air support from our fixed wing and helicopter squadrons. Fourth Marine Aircraft Wing deployed Mt. Clemens, MI-based, Marine Wing Support Squadron 471 as a Provisional Security Company to Camp Lemonier, Djibouti, in the Horn 

of Africa, provided a truck platoon to support combat operations for the Active component’s 3rd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment in Iraq, and sourced multiple Marine 

Air Control detachments from Chicago, IL-based Marine Air Control Group 48. Marine Transport Squadron Belle Chasse (Louisiana) Detachment is currently in theater with the UC–35 Citation Encore aircraft providing critical Operational Support 

Airlift capability to U.S. Central Command. 

Additionally, Fourth Marine Aircraft Wing has participated in multiple combined, 

bilateral and joint exercises in Africa, Asia, Europe, and South America. Humanitarian Assistance construction projects were conducted in Trinidad-Tobago, Peru, 

and Honduras. Participation in these exercises includes support of U.S. and Marine 

Corps forces and facilitates training and interoperability with our allies. For example, African Lion participation enabled the Moroccan Air Force to develop better 

close air support and aerial refueling techniques. 

Fourth Marine Aircraft Wing continues to be an integral partner in the Marine 

Corps Aviation Transition Strategy. In the near term, transition from legacy to leapahead aviation capabilities (i.e. MV–22, UH–1Y, AH–1Z, and JSF) in the Active 

component required a transfer of certain Reserve component aviation manpower, 

airframes and support structure to the Active component Marine Corps. As a result, 

two Reserve Fighter/Attack F/A–18 squadrons were placed in cadre status and a 

light attack UH–1N/AH–1W helicopter squadron, a Heavy Lift CH–53E helicopter 

squadron, an Aviation Logistics Squadron and two of four Marine Aircraft Group 

Headquarters were decommissioned. A second Heavy Lift CH–53E helicopter squadron has been reduced in size. As the Active component transitions to the new airframes, 4th Marine Aircraft Wing has assumed the Fleet Replacement Squadron 

role for the legacy model KC–130s, UH–1s, and AH–1s. Additionally, as part of the 

Aviation Transition Strategy, two Tactical Air Command Center Augmentation 

Units were commissioned. To complete the Aviation Transition Plan, beginning in 

2014, 4th Marine Aircraft Wing will begin transitioning to the new airframes and 

Command and Control (C2) capabilities. 

Fourth Marine Logistics Group continues to provide fully capable units, detachments, and individuals prepared to deliver sustained tactical logistics support. In 

the past year, 4th Marine Logistics Group provided approximately 1,300 marines 

and sailors from across the spectrum of combat service support to augment the Active component’s 1st and 2nd Marine Logistics Groups engaged in OIF. In addition 

87 

to the requirements of the Force Generation Model, 4th Marine Logistics Group provided additional support to OIF by sourcing 265 marines to staff the al-Taqauddam 

Security Force and to OEF by sourcing 279 marines from the Portland, OR-based 

6th Engineer Support Battalion to staff Provisional Security Company 8 at Camp 

Lemonier, Djibouti, in the Horn of Africa. 

Increased augmentation in support of OIF/OEF will include a complete Combat 

Logistics Battalion (CLB–46) formed with more than 800 marines and sailors from 

across 4th Marine Logistics Group’s nine battalions. Combat Logistics Battalion 46 

will provide tactical level logistics support to a Marine Regimental Combat Team 

in al-Anbar Province, Iraq. This will be the first CLB formed and deployed by 4th 

Marine Logistics Group. 

Continuing to aggressively support overseas joint and combined exercises, training, and other events in support of the Combatant Commanders’ Phase-0 operations, 

4th Marine Logistics Group participated in 29 overseas events spread across all of 

the Unified Commands, ranging in size from exercises involving 75 marines down 

to 3-person Traveling Country Teams that conducted engagement with foreign militaries. Olympic Thrust in June 2008 began the preparation of 4th Marine Logistics 

Group’s battalions’ staffs to form the nucleus of a CLB headquarters. Exercise Javelin Thrust (June 2009) will be a capstone preparation event for CLB–46. 

Fourth Marine Logistics Group has taken the lead on coordinating Marine Forces 

Reserve’s participation in Innovative Readiness Training (IRT) program events. The 

purpose of the IRT program is to provide civic assistance projects in the United 

States, possessions and territories while simultaneously improving military readiness. Fourth Marine Logistics Group has initiated and conducted IRT planning during the last year and will execute two events in Alaska and one event in the Marianas Islands during 2009. These events will focus on infrastructure improvements 

and medical/dental assistance projects. 

In addition to ground, aviation, and logistic elements, Marine Forces Reserve has 

provided civil affairs capabilities since the start of OIF. Air-Naval Gunfire Liaison 

Detachments from Marine Forces Reserve have augmented the supported Marine 

Air Ground Task Forces and adjacent commands with air/ground fires liaison elements. Marine Forces Reserve also continues to provide intelligence augmentation, 

to include Human Exploitation Teams, Sensor Employment Teams, and Intelligence 

Production Teams. 

The trend in recent years toward increased participation of marines in the Individual Ready Reserve (IRR) continued in fiscal year 2008. During the fiscal year, 

the Marine Corps Mobilization Command (MOBCOM) mustered more than 1,500 

marines from the IRR to screen and prepare them for activation. More than 1,500 

sets of mobilization orders were issued with a total of 1,002 IRR marines reporting 

for activation during fiscal year 2008. MOBCOM also processed more than 8,100 

sets of shorter duration active duty orders for IRR marines during fiscal year 2008. 

We have expanded our family programs to reach out to the families of our deployed 

IRR marines, using local Peacetime/Wartime Support Teams as well as MOBCOM 

assets. With the advent of Yellow Ribbon Legislation, we continue to develop programs to better support our deploying and returning marines and their families. 

MOBCOM modified its IRR muster program during 2008, from large scale metropolitan musters to a combination of large scale musters and smaller, more personalized musters at Reserve sites. We completed the fiscal year screening of approximately 11,000 of the 55,000 marines in our IRR population. Our screening effectiveness continues to rise as we continue to develop better communication methods with 

our IRR population. For example, MOBCOM contacted and engaged the IRR marines through email, letter correspondence, and telephone calls. Higher quality communications keeps our marines better informed and prolongs their connection with 

each other and our Corps. We believe that these longer-term connections will be 

critical as we truly seek to create the Continuum of Service necessary to support 

a sustainable Operational Reserve. 

The Marine Corps Reserve’s continuing augmentation and reinforcement of the 

Active component is not without cost. Continuing activations and high Reserve operational tempo highlight personnel challenges in select military occupational specialties and significant strain on Reserve equipment. 

II. PERSONNEL

The Selected Marine Corps Reserve is comprised of Reserve unit marines, Active 

Reserve marines, Individual Mobilization Augmentees, and Reserve marines in the 

training pipeline, which when added together, form the inventory of the end 

strength in the Selected Marine Corps Reserve. 

88 

End Strength 

Although we continue to benefit from strong volunteerism of our Reserve marines, 

a degradation in our ability to achieve authorized end strength has occurred. Fiscal 

years 2002 to 2005 had percentages of authorized end strength above 100 percent 

and fiscal year 2006 percentage of authorized end strength at 99.71 percent. Fiscal 

years 2007 and 2008 percentages of authorized end strength were at 97.36 and 

94.76 percent—shortfalls of 1,044 and 2,077 marines respectively. This resulted in 

the only fiscal years since September 11 that the Selected Marine Corps Reserve 

fell below the Title 10-allowable 3 percent variance from authorization. 

As previously stated in my testimonies before the House and Senate Appropriations Committees’ Subcommittees on Defense during 2008, we anticipated an adverse affect on meeting an acceptable percentage of authorized Marine Corps Selected Reserve end strength as greater numbers of Reserve component marines volunteered for full-time active duty due to the Marine Corps’ accelerated build to a 

202,000 Active component Marine Corps. 

During the past fiscal year, we accepted the short-term risk in our ability to obtain our Selected Marine Corps Reserve component end strength of 39,600 as the 

Reserve accession plans were adjusted and our experienced and combat tested Reserve marines were encouraged to transition back to active duty to support the build 

effort, and they responded in force: From 2007 to present, approximately 1,946 Reserve marines returned to, or are awaiting return to, active duty. 

The fact is that the Active component Marine Corps will continue to rely heavily 

upon augmentation and reinforcement provided by our Reserve marines. I firmly believe our authorized end strength of 39,600 is still highly relevant and appropriate, 

and will consequently drive recruiting and retention. This number provides us with 

the marines we require to support the Force and to achieve our goal of a 1:5 deployment-to-dwell ratio in the Selected Marine Corps Reserve. 

Additionally, it is worth noting, the Marine Corps is on pace to reach an active 

duty end strength of 202,000 by the end of fiscal year 2009, which will enable the 

Marine Corps to refocus the Reserve recruiting and retention efforts to achieve the 

expected percentage of authorized Selected Marine Corps Reserve component end 

strength. The bonuses and incentives for recruiting and retention provided by Congress are essential tools for helping us accomplish this goal and I thank you for your 

continued support. 

Recruiting 

The Marine Corps is unique in that all recruiting efforts (officer, enlisted, regular, 

Reserve, and prior-service) fall under the direction of the Marine Corps Recruiting 

Command. Operationally, this provides the Marine Corps with tremendous flexibility and unity of command in order to annually meet Total Force Marine Corps 

objectives. 

Like the Active component, Marine Corps Reserve units primarily rely upon a 

first term enlisted force. Currently, the Marine Corps Reserve continues to recruit 

and retain quality men and women willing to manage commitments to their families, their communities, their civilian careers, and their Corps. Despite high operational tempo, the morale and patriotic spirit of Reserve marines, their families, and 

employers remains extraordinarily high. 

The Marine Corps Recruiting Command achieved 100 percent of its recruiting 

goal for nonprior service recruiting (5,287) and exceeded its goal for enlisted prior 

service recruiting (2,672) during fiscal year 2007; and achieved 100 percent of its 

recruiting goal for nonprior service recruiting (4,235) and prior service recruiting 

(4,501) in fiscal year 2008. As of February 1, 2009, 1,756 nonprior service and 1,227 

enlisted prior service marines have been accessed, which reflects 48 percent of the 

annual enlisted recruiting mission for the Selected Marine Corps Reserve. We fully 

expect to meet our Selected Marine Corps Reserve recruiting goals again this year. 

An initiative implemented during June 2006 at Marine Forces Reserve to enhance 

recruiting efforts of prior service marines was the Selected Marine Corps Reserve 

Affiliation Involuntary Activation Deferment policy. Realizing that deployments take 

a toll on Active component marines, causing some to transition from active duty because of high personnel tempo, we continue to offer this program. This program allows a marine who has recently deployed an option for a 2-year deferment from involuntary activation if they join a Selected Marine Corps Reserve unit after 

transitioning from active duty. The intent of the 2-year involuntary deferment is to 

allow transitioning marines the opportunity to participate in the Selected Marine 

Corps Reserve without sacrificing the ability to build a new civilian career. 

Junior officer recruiting and consequently meeting our Reserve company grade requirement remains the most challenging area. Historically, the Active component 

Marine Corps has been the source of company grade officers to the Selected Marine 

89 

Corps Reserve, due to initial active duty contractual requirements of all Reservecommissioned officers. There are, however, three programs in place now that enable 

Reserve officer accessions without the typical 3- to 4-year active duty obligation: the 

Reserve Enlisted Commissioning Program (RECP), the Meritorious Commissioning 

Program—Reserve (MCP–R) and the Officer Candidate Course—Reserve (OCC–R). 

These programs strive to increase the number and quality of company grade officers within deploying Reserve units while addressing our overall shortage of junior 

officers in our Reserve units. The 3 programs combined to access 108 Reserve officers during fiscal years 2007 and 2008, and are an essential tool to help mitigate 

company grade officer shortages in the Selected Marine Corps Reserve. 

Eligibility for the RECP was expanded to qualified Active Duty enlisted marines. 

The MCP–R was established for qualified enlisted marines, Reserve and Active, who 

possess an Associates Degree or equivalent number of semester hours. The third 

program, the OCC–R, has proven to be the most successful as 93 candidates have 

been commissioned second lieutenants in the Marine Corps Reserve during fiscals 

years 2007 and 2008. We anticipate commissioning between 50 and 75 more second 

lieutenants through the OCC–R this fiscal year. 

The OCC–R focuses on ground-related billets, with an emphasis on ground combat 

and combat service support within Reserve units that are scheduled for mobilization. The priority to recruit candidates is tied to the Marine Forces Reserve Force 

Generation Model. Refinement of the OCC–R program to target geographic company 

grade officer shortfalls is a logical next step. 

Retention 

All subordinate commanders and senior enlisted leaders at each echelon of command are required to retain quality marines. On a monthly basis, these leaders 

identify marines who either have to re-enlist or extend. Identified marines are counseled concerning the opportunity for their retention in the Selected Marine Corps 

Reserve. 

Enlisted retention trends remain a concern and are being monitored very closely, 

but were obviously affected by the Active component 202,000 build. The good news 

is that the Active component Marine Corps is no longer making a concerted effort 

to draw personnel from the Selected Marine Corps Reserve to active duty. 

For fiscal year 2008, Reserve officer retention remained at the same level as during the previous fiscal year, which was above historic levels. 

We continue to offer retention incentives for enlisted marines in the Selected Marine Corps Reserve, to include the maximum allowable $15,000 Selected Marine 

Corps Reserve Affiliation Bonus for an initial 3-year commitment. We also offer a 

$10,000 Selected Marine Corps Reserve Officer Affiliation Bonus for those officers 

who affiliate with a Selected Marine Corps Reserve unit and agree to participate 

for 3 years. I greatly appreciate the continuance of the increased reenlistment incentive, which was initially provided in the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008. 

These incentives are necessary tools to help us retain quality marines and consequently assist us in achieving an acceptable percentage of authorized Selected Reserve end strength. 

I read with interest the memorandum of July 24, 2008, by Secretary Gates concerning the recommendations of the Commission on the National Guard and Reserves. I am pleased to see the strong emphasis on study of the various recommendations that pertain to the Continuum of Service personnel management construct. As the Continuum of Service concept is refined, it should facilitate the affiliation of prior service marines into the Selected Marine Corps Reserve as well as retain those good marines already serving. 

III. EQUIPMENT

The Marine Corps Reserve, like the Active component, has two primary equipping 

priorities: first—equipping individual deploying marines and sailors, and second— 

equipping our units to conduct home station training. We will continue to provide 

every deploying marine and sailor with the latest generation of individual combat 

and protective equipment. Our unit equipping efforts include the full complement 

of equipment to support training efforts across the MAGTF. This complement includes essential communications; crew-served weapon systems such as Light Armored Vehicles (LAVs), Assault Amphibian Vehicles (AAVs), Tanks, and Artillery; 

ground mobility; and ground support equipment, which requires continued adequate 

funding of our Operations and Maintenance accounts. Your continued support in 

this area has enabled us to adequately sustain home station training and 

predeployment operations. 

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As with all we do, our focus will continue to be on the individual marine and sailor. Ongoing efforts to equip and train this most valued resource have resulted in 

obtaining the latest generation individual combat and protective equipment: M16A4 

service rifles, M4 carbines, Rifle Combat Optic scopes, improved helmet pad suspension systems, enhanced Small Arms Protective Insert plates, Modular Tactical 

Vests, and the latest generation AN/PVS–14 Night Vision Devices, to name a few. 

Every member of Marine Forces Reserve has deployed fully equipped with the most 

current authorized individual combat clothing and equipment to include personal 

protective equipment. 

Marine Forces Reserve’s unit equipping priority is to obtain the principal end 

items necessary to establish or replenish the appropriate inventory of equipment to 

the level dictated by our training allowance. Training allowance is the amount of 

equipment needed by each unit to conduct home station training. Our Reserve units 

should train with the equipment necessary for Marine Forces Reserve to effectively 

augment and reinforce the Active component. 

Currently, our equipping focus is on mitigating the short-term impact of reduced 

supply of certain principal end items, e.g.; seven LAV variants, Digital Terrain 

Analysis Mapping Systems, and the Theater Provide Equipment Sensors. We employ adaptive resourcing and training management approaches to ensure our Reserve units can adequately train. The inherent latency in procurement timelines and 

competing priorities for resources continue to challenge the training and equipping 

of our Operational Reserve. Since the Marine Corps procures and fields equipment 

as a Total Force, equipment modernization efforts of the Marine Corps Reserve are 

synchronized with the efforts of the Active component. The approved $37.3 million 

fiscal year 2009 National Guard and Reserve Equipment Appropriation (NGREA) 

will provide Marine Forces Reserve the funds to procure much needed Tactical 

Laptop Computer Packages (Ruggedized Laptops and General Purpose Laptops), 

Supporting Arms upgrade to Digital Virtual Training Environment (DVTE), Bright 

Star FLIR, LAV 25 A2 Variant (LAV–25A2), and a Tactical Remote Sensor Suite. 

To maintain an inventory of current equipment necessary to conduct home station 

training, Marine Forces Reserves utilizes several resources and programs. Routine 

preventive and corrective maintenance are still performed throughout the country 

by our marines. However, ground equipment maintenance efforts have expanded 

over the past few years, leveraging contracted services and depot-level capabilities. 

Marine Corps Logistics Command, through mobile maintenance teams, provides preventive and corrective maintenance support to our Reserve units. Marine Forces Reserve is actively involved in the Marine Corps Depot Level Maintenance Program 

to support the continued operation of principal end items. Marine Corps Logistics 

Command continues to uniquely provide Marine Forces Reserve a ‘‘Repair and Return’’ program which enables us to request additional maintenance support when 

requirements exceed the Marine Forces Reserve maintenance capacity. 

Another key maintenance program utilized by Marine Forces Reserve is the Corrosion Prevention and Control program which extends the useful life of all Marine 

Corps tactical ground and ground support equipment. This program reduces significant maintenance requirements and associated costs due to corrosion through the 

application of corrosion-resistant compounds, establishing environmentally-safe 

wash-down racks, and providing climate controlled storage. Additionally, the program identifies, classifies, and effects repair, or recommends replacement of equipment that has already succumbed to the elements. 

Marine Corps Reserve ground equipment readiness rates are currently above 90 

percent (Maintenance—97 percent and Supply—92 percent as of March 9, 2009), 

based on our Reserve equipment Training Allowance. The Marine Corps Reserve 

equipment investment overseas MAGTF operations since 2004 is approximately 5 

percent of our overall equipment and includes various communications, motor transport, engineer, and ordnance equipment, as well as several modern weapons systems such as the new HIMARS artillery system and the latest generation LAV. This 

investment has presented challenges for our home station training requirements yet 

greatly adds to the warfighting capability of the Marine Corps. Deliberate planning 

at the Service level is currently underway to reset the Total Force, to include 

resourcing the Reserve equipment. This resourcing will enable the Marine Corps Reserve to remain ready, relevant, and responsive to the demands of our Corps. 

Marine Corps Reserve equipment requirements are captured as part of Marine 

Corps Total Force submissions. Priority Reserve equipment requirements that cannot be timely met with these vehicles are identified in the Commandant’s Unfunded 

Programs List and/or my NGREA request. 

We especially appreciate Congress’ support of the Marine Corps Reserve through 

NGREA. It would be impossible for me to overstate the importance of NGREA and 

in particular, the consistency of these appropriations. Since 2002, NGREA has proVerDate Nov 24 2008 13:29 Jan 21, 2010 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00094 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6621 Y:\BORAWSKI\DOCS\54509.TXT JUNE PsN: JUNEB
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vided more than $240 million for equipment procurements. The stability of NGREA 

funding has significantly increased our ability to forecast meeting priority equipment requirements. The NGREA provides immediate flexibility, allowing procurement of items necessary to meet specific combat capability, training, and support 

requirements. 

In the last 3 years, we have been able to close the gap on combat equipment requirements necessary to effectively train our marines and sailors. Examples of highpriority combat equipment purchases we have made or will make through fiscal 

years 2007, 2008, and 2009 NGREA funding are: the Litening II Targeting Pod; the 

AN/ARC–210 (V) Multi-Modal Radio system for our KC–130 aircraft; the UC–12+ 

aircraft; multiple C2 systems component; and as previously stated, the Brite Star 

FLIR; the Tactical Remote Sensor System; and the LAV–25A2. Through consistent 

NGREA funding, we have been able to completely eliminate some deficiencies. 

Additionally, with NGREA, we have been able to establish a robust ground combat modeling and simulation program, our NGREA-procured Virtual Combat Convoy 

Trainers (VCCTs), Combat Vehicle Training Simulators, Medium Tactical Vehicle 

Replacement-Training Systems, HMMWV Egress Trainer, and DVTEs enable us to 

overcome many resource and time-related challenges while increasing the individual 

and unit’s combat readiness. Our fiscal year 2009 NGREA plan includes Supporting 

Arms-Helmet Mounted Displays for our DVTEs, giving our marines the ability to 

enhance Forward Air Control and Indirect Fire Control proficiency without leaving 

the Reserve Training Center. It is accurate to say that we could not have provided 

some critical capabilities without these NGREA funds. 

IV. TRAINING

The collective lessons wrought from our unit and individual combat experiences, 

Theater Security Cooperation Exercises and other Active component operational 

tempo relief deployments have helped improve nearly all facets of our current Reserve component training. In this regard, one of the most exciting areas where we 

are continuing to transform the depth and scope of our training remains the cuttingedge arena of Modeling and Simulations Technology. 

Rapid advancement in modeling and simulation software, hardware and network 

technologies are providing new and increasingly realistic training capabilities. Marine Forces Reserve is training with and continuing to field several complex digital 

video-based training systems which literally immerse our Reserve component marines into ‘‘virtual’’ combat environments, complete with the sights, sounds and 

chaos of today’s battlefield environment in any clime or place, day or night, spanning the full continuum of warfare from high-intensity conventional warfare to lowintensity urban conflict. 

One new capability that we are fielding to support our Reserve marines is the Indoor Simulated Marksmanship Trainer-XP. This interactive audio/video weapons 

simulator provides enhanced marksmanship, weapons employment and tactical decision making training for a variety of small arms. The system consists of infantry 

weapons instrumented with lasers that enable marines to simulate engaging multiple target types. 

Another system addressed in lasts year’s testimony that continues to prove invaluable in the predeployment training of our tactical drivers is the Virtual Combat 

Convoy Trainer-Reconfigurable Vehicle System. This is an advanced, full-scale vehicle simulator that trains marines in both basic and advanced combat convoy skills 

using variable terrain and roads in a variety of weather, visibility and vehicle conditions. The simulator is a mobile, trailer-configured platform that utilizes a HMMWV 

mock-up, small arms, crew-served weapons, 360-degree visual display with after-action review/instant replay capability. Marine Forces Reserve was the lead agency for 

initial procurement, training and evaluation of this revolutionary training system, 

which is now being used throughout the Marine Corps. We are now preparing to 

accept the fourth generation of this invaluable training system at Camp Wilson 

aboard the Marine Air Ground Combat Center in Twentynine Palms, CA. Upon installation, student throughput capability for combat convoy training will double. 

It is important to recognize the key role that Congress has played in the fielding 

of all four generations of the VCCT. Procurement of the VCCT resulted directly from 

NGREA. Of all the training packages our deploying units complete, returning combat veterans have consistently praised the invaluable benefits of having had the opportunity to train in tactics, techniques, and procedures using this advanced simulation system. 

Beginning this summer, Marine Forces Reserve will field the newly developed 

DVTE. This advanced, first-person, immersive, simulation-based training system, 

made up of 16 laptops and peripherals packaged in ruggedized deployable cases, is 

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capable of emulating and simulating a wide variety of weapons systems and generating hifidelity, relevant terrain databases. The DVTE also provides small-unit 

echelons with the opportunity to continuously review and rehearse Command and 

Control procedures and battlefield concepts in a virtual environment. The system 

consists of two components, the Combined Arms Network, which provides integrated 

first person combat skills, and Tactical Decision Simulations, which provides individual, fire team, squad and platoon-level training associated with patrolling, ambushes and convoy operations. Additional features include combat engineer training, 

small-unit tactics training, tactical foreign language training and event-driven, ethics-based, decisionmaking training. 

One of our newest and rapidly advancing training initiatives involves the collocation of a select number of the previously cited training systems aboard Camp 

Upshur at Marine Corps Base Quantico, VA. Our intent is to provide an advanced, 

unit-level training capability within easy access of the I–95 corridor. When fully established this summer, the Camp Upshur training capabilities will include eight 

mobile VCCT trailers, two mobile HMMWV egress trainers, a mobile multi-platform 

tactical vehicle operator simulation system, three Indoor Simulated Marksmanship 

Trainers that are networked for combined arms training, and 80 DVTE terminals. 

These resources, in combination with the billeting, training ranges and facilities 

available aboard MCB Quantico, will provide the opportunity for reinforced battalions to conduct training and force-on-force exercises using combinations of live, virtual, and constructive training systems and resources. This initiative provides stateof-the-art training support to units while revitalizing long-established Camp Upshur 

into a cost effective, vital and dynamic training resource for Marine Forces Reserve 

and other agencies. In addition to facilitating training at Camp Upshur, the numerous mobile training systems will remain available for movement and redeployment 

anywhere in the lower 48 States in support of training Reserve marines. 

All of these advanced training systems have been rapidly acquired and fielded 

with vital supplemental and NGREA funding. These critical funding resources are 

not only providing a near-term training capability in support of combat deployments, but are also providing a solid foundation for the transformation of our training environment from legacy static training methods to more realistic virtual combat training environments designed to prepare our marines and sailors to succeed 

on future battlefields. 

V. FACILITIES

Marine Forces Reserve is comprised of 185 locations in 48 States, the District of 

Columbia, and Puerto Rico. These facilities are comprised of 32 owned and 153 tenant locations. In contrast to Active Duty installations that are normally closed to 

the general public, our Reserve sites are openly located within civilian communities. 

This arrangement requires close partnering with State and local entities nationwide. Thus, the condition and appearance of our facilities may directly influence the 

American people’s perception of the Marine Corps and the Armed Forces as well as 

possibly impacting our recruiting and retention efforts. 

Marine Forces Reserve Facilities Sustainment, Restoration, and Modernization 

(FSRM) program funding levels continue to address immediate maintenance requirements and longer-term improvements to our older facilities. Sustainment funding has allowed us to maintain our current level of facility readiness without further 

facility degradation. Your continued support for both the Military Construction 

Navy Reserve (MCNR) program and a strong FSRM program are essential to addressing the aging infrastructure of the Marine Corps Reserve. With more than 57 

percent of our Reserve centers being more than 30 years old and 44 percent being 

more than 50 years old, the continued need for support of both MCNR and FSRM 

cannot be overstated. 

The Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) 2005 continues to move forward and 

the Marine Corps Reserve will begin relocating many Reserve units to new consolidated Reserve centers during fiscal year 2009. Like other BRAC Business Plans, the 

Marine Corps Reserve BRAC program is tightly linked to other Service’s business 

plans for our shared Reserve centers. Of the 25 BRAC actions for the Marine Corps 

Reserve, 21 are in conjunction with Army and Navy military construction projects. 

In September 2008, the Department of the Navy (DON) and the State of Louisiana signed a lease for a new Federal City in New Orleans, which will provide 

a new headquarters compound for Marine Forces Reserve. The State of Louisiana 

is providing construction dollars for the new headquarters facility and saving the 

Federal Government more than $130 million. 

Our Marine Forces Reserve Environmental Program promotes accepted stewardship principles as well as compliance with all regulatory requirements in support 

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of training both on site and outside the fence line. We employ the Environmental 

Management System (EMS), which uses a systematic approach ensuring that environmental activities are well managed and continuously improving. Additionally, 

Marine Forces Reserve has initiated a nationwide program to reduce waste production and ensure proper disposal at our centers. We have also executed several major 

projects to protect the Nation’s waterways near our Reserve centers. 

VI. HEALTH SERVICES

Military healthcare support (medical prevention and treatment) programs have 

grown exponentially over the past few years—fiscal year 2008 being one of the most 

significant. A myriad of programs are now provided to our marines, sailors, and 

their families during predeployment, deployment, and post-deployment. 

Our Health Services priorities are: 1) maximize education and awareness of 

TRICARE support for reservists; 2) attain Department of Defense (DOD)/DON Individual Medical Readiness goals; and 3) ensure general awareness of all health service programs in support of our servicemembers. 

TRICARE remains the foundation of our medical support programs, providing the 

full spectrum of medical, dental and behavioral health services. As a result of the 

2009 Defense Authorization Act analysis of TRICARE Reserve Select costs, monthly 

premiums for TRICARE Reserve Select dropped by 42 percent for individual coverage and by 29 percent for family coverage on Jan. 1, 2009. reservists now pay 

$47.51 a month for single coverage, down from $81, while the cost for families is 

down from $253 to $180.17 a month. reservists and their family members are eligible for different TRICARE benefits depending on their status: as a member of the 

Select Reserve, a reservist may qualify for and purchase TRICARE Reserve Select; 

on military duty for 30 days or less a reservist is covered under line-of-duty care; 

when activated he and his family are covered by TRICARE Prime; and when deactivated a reservist is eligible for transitional health plan options. 

All deploying servicemembers are now required to complete a Baseline 

Predeployment Neuro-Cognitive Functional Assessment. The tool used to complete 

this assessment is called the Automated Neuro-Psychological Assessment Metric 

(ANAM). Results from the ANAM will assist leaders and medical providers with 

evaluating servicemembers who screen positive and require necessary medical treatment. The intent is that ANAM results and implementation of the Psychological 

Health Outreach Program will provide standardized guidance for providers who follow up on identified issues and concerns from results of the Post-Deployment Health 

Assessments, to include development of protocols and creation and implementation 

of an information/benefits tracking system. Our commanders and staff are coordinating with the Navy’s Bureau of Medicine (BUMED) in order to ensure that deploying marines and sailors are properly evaluated prior to deployment. 

Efforts to assess health post-deployment have also increased significantly over the 

past year. In addition to completing a Post-Deployment Health Assessment prior to 

returning to the United States, our marines and sailors now complete a Post-Deployment Health Reassessment (PDHRA) 3 to 6 months after returning from deployment. The PDHRA is crucial in identifying and addressing health concerns with specific emphasis on mental health issues which may have emerged since returning 

from deployment. Active tracking of this process ensures that we meet the post-deployment health care needs of our marines and sailors. 

The Psychological Health Outreach Program, introduced by BUMED, is another 

specialty program which addresses post deployment behavioral health concerns. 

This program is designed to provide early identification and clinical assessment of 

our Reserve marines and sailors who return from deployment at risk for not having 

stress-related injuries identified and treated in an expeditious manner. This program, funded by supplemental Defense Health Program appropriations, provides 

outreach and educational activities to improve the overall psychological health of 

our reservists and identifies long-term strategies to improve psychological health 

support services for the Reserve community. We are currently developing our concept and implementation strategy to best support the Force. 

Individual medical and dental readiness for our marines and sailors remains a top 

priority. To improve current readiness of our reservists, which is 64 percent and 73 

percent as of March 1, 2009 respectively, we continue to utilize the Reserve Health 

Readiness Program. This program funds medical and dental contracted specialists 

to provide health care services to units specifically to increase individual medical 

and dental readiness. During fiscal year 2008, this service provided more than 3,020 

Preventive Health Assessments; 4,013 Dental examinations, 402 Dental Panoramic 

x-rays; 529 blood draws; 803 immunizations; and 3,149 PDHRAs for our marines 

and sailors. 

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The Armed Forces Health Longitudinal Technology Application, which provides 

electronic health records for the entire U.S. Armed Forces, is currently being rolled 

out to all Reserve components to include Marine Forces Reserve. The transition to 

electronic medical records will enable optimal health services to our marines and 

sailors with the end result being increased individual and unit medical readiness. 

VII. QUALITY OF LIFE

We continue to aggressively institute new Family Readiness Programs, revitalize 

services, and proactively reach out to our reservists and their families to ensure our 

programs and services meet the needs and expectations of our marines and their 

families. 

As part of widespread Marine Corps reforms to enhance family support, we are 

placing full-time Family Readiness Officers (FROs), staffed by either civilians or Active Duty marines, at the battalion/squadron level and above to support the commander’s family readiness mission. Modern communication technologies, procedures 

and processes are being expanded to better inform and empower family members 

including spouses, children, and parents of single marines. 

The Marine Forces Reserve Lifelong Learning Program continues to provide educational information to servicemembers, families, retirees, and civilian employees. 

More than 1,200 Marine Forces Reserve personnel (Active and Reserve) enjoyed the 

benefit of Tuition Assistance, utilizing more than $2.4 million that funded more 

than 4,000 courses during fiscal year 2008. Tuition Assistance greatly eases the financial burden of education for our servicemembers while enabling them to maintain progress toward their education goals. 

The Marine Corps’ partnership with the Boys and Girls Clubs of America (BGCA) 

and the National Association for Child Care Resources and Referral Agencies 

(NACCRRA) continues to provide a great resource for servicemembers and their 

families in selecting child care, before, during, and after a deployment in support 

of overseas contingency operations. The Boys and Girls Clubs of America provide 

outstanding programs for our Reserve Marines’ children between the ages of 6 and 

18 after school and on the weekends. Under our agreement with BGCA, Reserve 

families can participate in more than 40 programs at no cost. With NACCRRA, we 

help families of our reservists locate affordable child care that is comparable to 

high-quality, on-base, military-operated programs. The NACCRRA provides child 

care subsidies at quality child care providers for our reservists who are deployed in 

support of overseas contingency operations and for those Active Duty marines who 

are stationed in regions that are geographically separated from military installations. We also partnered with the Early Head Start National Resource Center Zero 

to Three to expand services for family members of our reservists who reside in isolated and geographically-separated areas. Additionally, our Marine families (on active duty 30 or more days) enrolled in the Exceptional Family Member Program are 

offered up to 40 hours of free respite care per month for each exceptional family 

member. This allows our families the comfort that their family member will be 

taken care of when they are in need of assistance. 

We fully recognize the strategic role our families have in mission readiness, particularly mobilization preparedness. We prepare our families for day-to-day military 

life and the deployment cycle (predeployment, deployment, post-deployment, and follow-on) by providing educational opportunities at unit family days, predeployment 

briefs, return and reunion briefs, and post-deployment briefs. This is accomplished 

through unit level Family Readiness programs that are the responsibility of the 

commanding officer managed by the full-time, nondeploying FRO and supported by 

trained volunteers and force level programs such as Lifestyle Insights, Networking, 

Knowledge, and Skills (L.I.N.K.S.). 

Every Marine Corps Reserve unit throughout the country has a Family Readiness 

program that serves as the link between the command and family members—providing official communication, information, and referrals. The FRO proactively educates families on the military lifestyle and benefits, provides answers for individual 

questions and areas of concerns, and enhances the sense of community and camaraderie within the unit. The L.I.N.K.S. program is a training and mentoring program 

designed by marine spouses to help new spouses thrive in the military lifestyle and 

adapt to challenges—including those brought about by deployments. This program 

has recently been expanded to support the extended family of a marine—children 

and parents. Online and CD–ROM versions of L.I.N.K.S make this valuable tool 

more readily accessible to families of Reserve marines who are not located near Marine Corps installations. 

To better prepare our marines and their families for activation, Marine Forces Reserve is fully engaged with the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) to impleVerDate Nov 24 2008 13:29 Jan 21, 2010 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00098 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6621 Y:\BORAWSKI\DOCS\54509.TXT JUNE PsN: JUNEB
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ment the Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program, much of which we have had in 

place for quite some time. We continue to implement an interactive approach that 

provides numerous resources and services throughout the deployment cycle. Available resources include, but are not limited to, family-related publications, online volunteer training opportunities, and a family readiness/mobilization support toll free 

number. Family readiness educational materials have been updated to reflect the 

current deployment environment. Specifically, deployment guide templates that are 

easily adapted to be unit—specific were distributed to unit commanders and family 

readiness personnel, as well as Marine Corps families, and are currently available 

on our Web site. Services such as pastoral care, Military OneSource, and various 

mental health services are readily available to our Reserve marines’ families. Also, 

through the DOD contract with the Armed Services YMCA, the families of our deployed Reserve marines are enjoying complimentary fitness memberships at participating YMCA’s throughout the United States and Puerto Rico. Our Active Duty marines and their families located at Independent Duty Stations have the ability to 

access these services as well. 

Managed Health Network is an OSD-contracted support resource that provides 

surge augmentation counselors for our base counseling centers and primary support 

at sites around the country to address catastrophic requirements. This unique program is designed to bring counselors on-site at Reserve Training Centers to support 

all phases of the deployment cycle. Marine Forces Reserve has incorporated this resource into post-demobilization drill periods, family days, predeployment briefs, and 

return & reunion briefs. Follow-up services are scheduled after marines return from 

combat at various intervals to facilitate on-site individual and group counseling. Additionally, we are utilizing these counselors to conduct post-demobilization telephonic contact with IRR marines in order to assess their needs and connect them 

to services. 

The Peacetime/Wartime Support Team and the support structure within the Inspector-Instructor staffs at our Reserve sites provides families of activated and deployed marines with assistance in developing proactive, prevention-oriented steps 

such as family care plans, powers of attorney, family financial planning, and enrollment in the Dependent Eligibility and Enrollment Reporting System. During their 

homecoming, our marines who have deployed consistently cite the positive importance of family support programs. 

To strengthen family support programs, we will continue to enhance, market, and 

sustain outreach capabilities. The current OSD-level oversight, sponsorship, and 

funding of family support programs properly corresponds to current requirements. 

We are particularly supportive of Military OneSource, which provides our reservists 

and their families with an around-the-clock information and referral service via tollfree telephone and Internet access on a variety of subjects such as parenting, 

childcare, education, finances, legal issues, elder care, health, wellness, deployment, 

crisis support, and relocation. 

Marines and their families, who sacrifice so much for our Nation’s defense, should 

not be asked to sacrifice quality of life. We will continue to be a forceful advocate 

for these programs and services. We will continue to evolve and adapt to the changing needs and environments in order to ensure that quality support programs and 

services are provided to our marines and their families. 

VIII. CASUALTY ASSISTANCE AND MILITARY FUNERAL HONORS

One of the most significant responsibilities of the Reserve site support staff is that 

of casualty assistance. It is at the darkest hour for our marine families that our support is most needed. By virtue of our dispersed composition, Marine Forces Reserve 

site support staffs are uniquely positioned to accomplish the vast majority of all Marine Corps casualty notifications and are trained to provide assistance to the family. 

Historically, Marine Forces Reserve personnel have been involved in approximately 

90 percent of all notifications and follow-on assistance to the next of kin. There is 

no duty to our families that we treat with more importance, and the responsibilities 

of our casualty assistance officers continue well beyond notification. We ensure that 

our casualty assistance officers are adequately trained, equipped, and supported by 

all levels of command. Once a casualty assistance officer is designated, he or she 

assists the family members in every possible way, from planning the return and 

final rest of their marine to counseling them on benefits and entitlements to providing a strong shoulder to lean on when needed. The casualty assistance officer is 

the family’s central point of contact and support; available to serve as a representative or liaison with the media, funeral home, government agencies, or any other 

agency that may become involved. 

96 

Additionally, Marine Forces Reserve units provide significant support for military 

funeral honors for our veterans. The active duty site support staff members, with 

augmentation from their Reserve marines, performed more than 12,000 military funeral honors in 2008 (91 percent of the Marine Corps total) and we anticipate supporting nearly 13,000 during 2009. The authorization and funding to bring Reserve 

marines on active duty to assist in the performance of military funeral honors has 

greatly assisted us at sites such as Bridgeton, MO; Chicago, IL; and Fort Devens, 

MA; where we frequently perform more than 10 funerals each week. As with casualty assistance, we place enormous emphasis on providing military funeral honor 

support. 

IX. CONCLUSION

The Marine Corps Reserve—your Operational Reserve—continues to shoulder the 

war fighting burden with our Active component counterparts. OEF/OIF, as well as 

support to Combatant Commanders’ Theater Support Cooperation Exercises, have 

required continuous activations of Selected Marine Corps Reserve Forces. We will 

continue to focus upon the future challenges to the Total Force and corresponding 

requirements of modernization, training, and personnel readiness to ensure that the 

Marine Corps Reserve remains on equal footing with our Active component. Your 

consistent and steadfast support of our marines, sailors, and their families directly 

contributes to our ability to do so. Semper Fidelis! 

Senator BEN NELSON. Thank you, General. 

General Stenner. 

STATEMENT OF LT. GEN. CHARLES E. STENNER, JR., USAF, 

CHIEF, AIR FORCE RESERVE; AND COMMANDER, AIR FORCE 

RESERVE COMMAND 

General STENNER. Chairman Nelson, Senators: I truly appreciate 

being here today as the Chief of the Air Force Reserve. I’m also 

honored to have with me Chief Master Sergeant Troy McIntosh, 

who is my Command Chief Master Sergeant and the highest ranking enlisted member of our Major Command. He takes great pride 

in doing the job that he’s doing in helping me take care of that enlisted force, which truly is that backbone of our Air Force and our 

Air Force Reserve. So, Troy, thank you very much for what you’ve 

done, and thank you all here for what you have done as well for 

our Air Force and our Air Force Reserve. 

I say that as a proud member of a three-component Air Force. 

The Air Force Reserve is a part of how we do business on a daily 

basis. We are funded, and we appreciate that, to a tier-one level 

so that our forces are prepared and ready to go on 72-hours notice, 

and we are interchangeable and deploy as such with all of our ANG 

partners and our Active Duty partners as well. 

That, in my mind, is the most efficient way to do business, and 

continuing to do business that way with the Reserve as a Strategic 

Reserve that we leverage as an Operational Force makes great 

sense for the Nation. The 14 percent of the manpower that we have 

as an Air Force Reserve for about 5 percent of the budget, again, 

remains a very effective and efficient way to deliver that capability 

to the warfighter and to the combatant commander. 

That reservist that we’re talking about is, in fact, the most precious commodity we have. The reservist, in fact, is an individual 

who has a civilian job, who also has that employer to be concerned 

with. Reservists are just as much a part of delivering that capability we are using around the world with their support for our citizen-airmen that are out there doing the job in a military fashion, 

as well as making sure that the families are taken care of along 

the way. 

97 

So that Reserve triad is very precious, I know not only to the Air 

Force Reserve or the Guard, but all of our components sitting right 

here at this table. 

Finally, we have brand new mission areas that we’re out there 

growing, and on behalf of the 67,400 Air Force reservists, we are 

growing to deliver that capability in unmanned aerial systems, intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, the cyber space arena that 

we are all growing into, that will be not only the force of today, but 

the force of tomorrow. 

So I’m a proud Commander and Chief of Air Force Reserve and 

look forward to your questions. 

[The prepared statement of General Stenner follows:] 

PREPARED STATEMENT BY LT. GEN. CHARLES E. STENNER, JR., USAF 

Mr. Chairman and distinguished members of the subcommittee, I appreciate the 

opportunity to appear before you today and discuss the state of the Air Force Reserve. 

The Air Force Reserve is a powerful manifestation of the finest American qualities; pursuit of happiness and dedication to nation. It is an organization of ordinary 

working people, wedded to the fabric of our great Nation through their individual 

pursuits. Reserve airmen are linguists, utility technicians, police, railway engineers, 

entomologists, school teachers, salespeople, analysts, aviators, and nurses, to name 

just a few. All are dedicated to the greater purpose of serving our Nation; all are 

essential. 

The Air Force Reserve provides these dedicated individuals the opportunity to be 

a citizen and an airman. Like the Reserve components from our sister Services, we 

perform the essential task of bringing citizens to service. In doing so we gain from 

them their civilian skills, capabilities, and experience; alternative approaches to 

solving problems; and expertise and judgment. Civilian employers benefit from Air 

Force reservists who are instilled with the enduring values of the Air Force—integrity, service before self, and excellence in all we do. 

Secretary of Defense Robert Gates recently remarked that if we are to meet the 

myriad of challenges facing our Nation, we must strengthen and fully integrate 

other important elements of national power; that military success is not sufficient 

to win in conflict; that we must urgently devote time, energy and thought to how 

we better organize ourselves to meet these challenges. 

The Air Force is already recognizing the benefits of using all of its resources from 

the Reserve, Guard, and regular components as it increasingly relies on reservists 

to support operational missions throughout the world. Moreover, the Air Force is encouraging the Reserve and Guard to integrate more fully with the Regular Air Force 

in a whole host of missions, adding tremendous value to the forces the Air Force 

provides to the joint warfighter. 

As the Nation looks for ways to strengthen its organizations and integrate all of 

the untapped resources it will need in facing the challenges of the 21st century, we 

submit that a model by which ordinary people, dedicated to serving their country 

in a way that meets both their needs and the needs of the Nation, is already manifest in the U.S. Air Force everyday—in the extraordinary Americans of the Air 

Force Reserve. 

I’m proud to serve along side these great airmen and as chief and commander of 

the Air Force Reserve, I have made a promise to them that I will advocate on their 

behalf for resources and legislation that will allow them to serve more flexibly in 

peace and war with minimum impact to their civilian career and employer. I will 

work to eliminate barriers of service, so that they can more easily serve in the status that meets their needs and those of the Air Force. I will work to efficiently and 

effectively manage our Air Force Reserve to meet the requirements of the joint 

warfighter and the Nation. 

RECRUITING AND RETENTION

Over the last 8 years, the Air Force Reserve has exceeded its recruiting goals. Our 

success in great part has been due to the accessions of experienced regular Air Force 

members upon completion of their active duty commitments. Indeed, recruiting 

highly trained individuals is essential to lowering training costs for the Air Force 

Reserve. For the past couple of years we have been able to recruit experienced airVerDate Nov 24 2008 13:29 Jan 21, 2010 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00101 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6621 Y:\BORAWSKI\DOCS\54509.TXT JUNE PsN: JUNEB
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1Fiscal year 2008 budget, figures derived from Automated Budget Interactive Data Environment System, the budget system currently in use by the Air Force and recognized as the official 

Air Force position with respect to the Planning, Programming, and Budget Execution system. 

Inflation data used for any constant dollar calculations were based on average Consumer Price 

Index for All Urban Consumers rates for the past 10 years: roughly 2.6 percent average annual 

rate of inflation. Medicare Eligible Retirement Health Care (MERHC) is an accrual account used 

to pay for health care of Medicare-eligible retirees (age 65 and beyond). Cost per capita figures 

were derived dividing cost of Selected Reserve program by Selected Reserve end strength. When 

MERHC figures are included, the cost of Air Force Reserve airmen to regular Air Force airmen 

increases to 30.4 percent. 

men from the regular Air Force as a result of force structure changes and program 

budget decisions. 

We no longer have the luxury of large numbers of experienced airmen leaving regular Service. As both the regular Air Force and the Air Force Reserve once again 

build end strength, we expect we will face some recruiting challenges in the near 

future: not only will the Air Force Reserve have access to fewer prior 

servicemembers, but we will be competing with all other Services for non-prior recruits. 

We are also facing challenges with retention. The Air Force Reserve continued to 

execute force structure changes in fiscal year 2008, to include Base Realignment and 

Closure and Total Force Initiatives, which prompted a reduction of over 7,000 positions. As a result, we again missed our historical officer and enlisted retention targets but met end strength requirements. Second Term reenlistments and extensions 

fell slightly for the third straight year—we also attribute this to the large population of airmen affected by the Air Force drawdown over the past few years. There 

is, however, a bright spot: in fiscal year 2008, for the first time in 3 years, we saw 

a dramatic upswing in reenlistments/extensions for first-termers and a modest gain 

for career airmen. 

Nevertheless, our forecast models indicate that we will continue to face challenges. Accordingly, as outlined in our Air Force Reserve priorities discussed below 

in greater detail, we are striving to improve Reserve airmen awareness of benefits, 

incentives, and policies affecting deployments; we are emphasizing the importance 

of the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) program and the Yellow 

Ribbon Reintegration Program (YRRP); and we are striving to better understand 

this very complicated dynamic by surveying the attitudes and beliefs of our airmen 

on the array of policies, benefits, and incentives that affect them to determine what 

appropriate adjustments can be made to improve our retention outlook. The Department of Defense (DOD) and the Air Force have improved our ability to make deployments more predictable. As I discuss below, I believe we need to take a hard look 

at the number of airmen held in Reserve. 

I am confident that as we act on not only our Air Force Reserve priorities, but 

those of the Air Force and the DOD, and with the continued support of this committee and Congress, we will be able to continue to meet the needs of combatant 

commanders and the Nation with a viable operational and strategic Air Force Reserve. 

PRESERVING, LEVERAGING, AND IMPROVING AIR FORCE RESERVE VALUE AND OUR

PRIORITIES

The Air Force Reserve is a repository of experience and expertise for the Air 

Force. Air Force Reserve airmen are among the most experienced airmen in the Air 

Force. Air Force Reserve officers average roughly 15 years of experience, and enlisted members average 14 years of experience, compared to 11 years and 9 years 

for regular Air Force officers and enlisted respectively. In fact, roughly 64 percent 

of Air Force Reserve airmen have prior military experience. 

Airmen of the Selected Reserve remain mission-ready, training to the same standards, and maintaining the same currencies as those in the regular Air Force, and 

are capable of deploying within 72 hours of notification. These airmen provide the 

insurance policy the Air Force and the nation need: a surge capability in times of 

national crises. 

Reserve airmen are a cost-effective force provider, comprising nearly 14 percent 

of the total Air Force authorized end strength at only 5.3 percent of the military 

personnel budget. Put differently, Air Force Reserve airmen cost per capita is 27.7 

percent of that of Regular Air Force airmen, or roughly 3.5 Reserve airman to 1 regular airman.1

The Air Force leverages the inherent value of the Air Force Reserve in furtherance of its priorities, which are to: reinvigorate the Air Force nuclear enterprise; 

partner with the joint and coalition team to win today’s fight; develop and care for 

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2 Airmen of the Selected Reserve are mission-ready, capable of performing ongoing operations. 

Collectively, they have met the operational needs of the Air Force for decades—largely through 

volunteerism, but also through full-time mobilization. For example, Reserve and Guard airmen 

have continuously supported Operation Coronet Oak in Southern Command year-round, 24/7, 

since 1977. Between 1991 and 2003, reservists supported the no-fly areas of Operations Northern and Southern Watch. Since the attacks on 11 Sept 2001, 54,000 reservists have been mobilized to participate in Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Noble Eagle, and Operation Iraqi 

Freedom—6,000 remain on active duty status today. It is a fact that the Air Force, more than 

any other time, now relies on members of the Reserve and Guard to meet its operational requirements around the globe. 

Our Reserve community continues to answer our Nation’s call to duty with large numbers of 

volunteer reservists providing essential support to combatant commanders. Forty-six percent of 

the Air Force’s strategic airlift mission and 23 percent of its tanker mission capability are provided by Reserve airmen. We currently have over 450 C–17, C–5, KC–135, and KC–10 personnel 

on active duty orders supporting the air refueling and airlift requirements. 

In Operations Enduring and Iraqi Freedom, Reserve C–130 crews flew over 6,000 hours in 

2008; Reserve F–16 and A–10 crews flew over 3,700 hours. The Air Force Reserve provides 24 

crews and 12 fighter aircraft to U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) in their regularly scheduled rotations for the close air support mission. 

The Air Force Reserve maintains 60 percent of the Air Force’s total Aeromedical Evacuation 

(AE) capability. Reserve AE crews and operations teams provide a critical lifeline home for our 

injured warfighters. Our highly trained AE personnel fill 39 percent of each AEF rotation and 

fulfill 12 Tanker Airlift Control Center tasked AE channel missions each quarter—all on a volunteer basis. On the home front in 2008, the Air Force Reserve provided 21 of 24 AE crews, 

88 percent of the mission requirement, for the response to Hurricane’s Ike and Gustav. Additionally, the Reserve provided four standby crews, 100 percent of the mission requirement, in support the Democratic and Republican National Conventions. 

In 2008, the men and women of our Combat Search and Rescue forces have been heavily engaged in life saving operations at home and abroad. Since February, airmen of the 920th Rescue 

Wing at Patrick Air Force Base, FL, and their sister units in Arizona and Oregon, flew over 

745 hours and saved more than 300 U.S. troops on HH–60 helicopter missions in support of 

U.S. Army medical evacuation operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. While mobilized for 14 

months in support of combat missions abroad, the 920th continued to provide humanitarian relief in response to natural disasters at home, as well as provide search and rescue support for 

National Aeronautics and Space Administration shuttle and rocket launches. 

The Reserve made use of its organic Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) and 

firefighting capabilities to protect the lives and property of our citizens threatened by an especially severe fire season. Defense Support to Civilian Authorities engagement started with planning and directing exploitation and analysis of the first Global Hawk imagery to support Incident Analysis & Assessments. In fact, the first Distributed Ground System Mission Commander 

was an Air Force Reserve Officer that directed analysis of the areas devastated and movement 

of the fire lines. Aircrews in the 302nd Air Expeditionary Group (AEG) flew more than 980 airdrops and delivered in excess of 1.3 million gallons of fire retardant to help firefighters on the 

ground and mitigate further damage and destruction. The AEG is a Joint unit made up of eight 

C–130 Hercules aircraft equipped with the Air Force Modular Airborne Firefighting System, six 

Marine Corps helicopters, and two Navy Reserve helicopters. Two of the C–130s belong to the 

Air Force Reserve’s 302nd Airlift Wing at Peterson Air Force Base, CO. Reserve and Guard personnel helped fight the more than 2,000 fires that ravaged the California wilderness this past 

summer. The Air Force Reserve provides 100 percent of the airborne weather (hurricane hunting) capability for the DOD. This past hurricane season tied as the fourth most active with 16 named 

storms and 5 major hurricanes. Throughout the year, Air Force Reserve ‘‘Hurricane Hunters,’’ 

C–130J aircraft flown by citizen airmen of the 403rd Wing at Keesler Air Force Base, MS, flew 

over 1,000 hours, collecting lifesaving data that was sent directly to the National Hurricane 

Continued 

airmen and their families; modernize our air and space inventories, organizations, 

and training; and recapture acquisition excellence. 

Preserving, utilizing, and improving this value in pursuit of Air Force priorities 

underlie each of our Air Force Reserve priorities. We must provide an operational, 

combat ready force while maintaining a Strategic Reserve. We must preserve the 

viability of the triad of the relationships reservists must sustain with their families, 

the Air Force Reserve and their employers. We must broaden Total Force Initiatives. We must modernize our equipment and facilities. Each of these priorities is 

vital to preserving our value and sustaining our forces as we meet the needs of the 

Nation. 

OPERATIONAL, COMBAT READY FORCE WHILE MAINTAINING A STRATEGIC RESERVE

The Air Force Reserve is first and foremost a Strategic Reserve, providing the Air 

Force with a surge capacity in times of national crisis. Over time, the Reserve has 

become a mission-ready reserve force capable of serving operationally throughout 

the world. Since Operation Desert Storm, Air Force Reserve airmen have been continuously engaged around the world supporting ongoing contingencies, serving side 

by side with the joint team.2

100 

Center in Miami, FL, contributing to better forecasts and landfall predictions. Following the end 

of the hurricane season in the Caribbean, the 403rd deployed two aircraft and four crews to 

the Pacific region to continue its support of storm research. 

In addition to our hurricane mission, the Air Force Reserve provides 100 percent of the aerial 

spray mission in support of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Centers for Disease Control, and State public health officials. Air Force Reserve aircrews and C–130s from the 

910th Airlift Wing, Youngstown Air Reserve Station, OH, sprayed more than 1 million storm 

ravaged acres of land with pesticides to control the spread of disease. 

Our ISR professionals are providing critical information as they answer the Nation’s call to 

service. In 2008, 192 intelligence personnel deployed in support of worldwide contingency missions to include Afghanistan and Iraq. For the foreseeable future, Reserve intelligence professionals will continue to be deployed throughout the combatant command theaters, engaged in 

operations ranging from intelligence support to fighter, airlift, and tanker missions to ISR operations in Combined Air Operations Centers and Combined/Joint Task Forces. 

These are but a few examples of the dedication and contributions our Air Force Reserve airmen have made and will continue to make around the clock, around the world, each and every 

day. 

Using reservists in operational missions makes sense: it leverages the experience 

and comparatively lower costs of a predominantly part-time force. Moreover, it improves relationships between regular Air Force and Air Force Reserve members— 

it gives airmen of each component an opportunity to demonstrate their capability 

and relevancy to each other, as well as sister Services and coalition forces; it provides airmen of each component the opportunity to lead each other. Equally important, operational duty provides Reserve airmen the benefit of operating as a member 

of the joint team in diverse environments. Operational taskings also improve unit 

morale and enhance unit pride—important factors in achieving and sustaining high 

performance. 

Yet, for all of our operational capability and contributions, we must not lose sight 

that we—along with our Air National Guard brothers and sisters—are also a Strategic Reserve that must be available to surge in times of national emergency. For 

us to serve as both an Operational and Strategic Reserve, it is critical that we find 

the right balance between the two. Too few Reserve airmen means a higher operational tempo for all airmen—regular or Reserve; it means less capacity to surge 

in times of national emergency; it means exhausting our people and jeopardizing the 

cornerstone of Air Force Reserve Service. 

We are now 18 years in continuous combat operations, and in our 8th year of Operation Enduring Freedom; soon to be in our 6th year of Operation Iraqi Freedom. 

By any measure, our airmen are performing admirably. But, our retention rates are 

dropping, our experience levels are dropping, indeed the Air Force is ‘‘going deep’’ 

into the Inactive Ready Reserve and Retired Reserve with its Limited Pilot Recall 

Program. Are these anomalies that can each be explained; or are they the signposts 

of a more serious problem? My concern and challenge, indeed our collective challenge, is to ensure we are able to refocus, reconstitute and recapitalize while remaining engaged in the full spectrum of operations—in a word, our efforts must be 

‘‘sustainable’’ over the long run. 

Volunteerism is vital to the overall capability of not just the Air Force Reserve, 

but the entire Air Force—today we meet roughly 80 percent of our taskings through 

volunteerism. Without it, I do not believe we can sustain this level of commitment 

indefinitely. From this essential fact flow all of my other priorities. 

PRESERVING THE VIABILITY OF THE RESERVE TRIAD—(FAMILY, AIR FORCE RESERVE, 

AND EMPLOYER)

Air Force Reserve airmen must strike a balance between their commitments to 

the Air Force, their families and their civilian employers, i.e. their main source of 

income. We must be ever mindful of these commitments and the balancing act our 

reservists undertake to sustain these relationships. We must strive to preserve 

these relationships through open communication with each of these essential partners. We must strive to provide predictability in deployments, and parity with benefits. Doing so is critically important in ensuring we provide ready and capable Reserve airmen to the Nation. 

This past year, the Air Force Reserve has endeavored to improve communication 

with reservists by rolling out awareness campaigns concerning the differences in 

benefits Congress has provided over the past few years, and how these accrue for 

those who voluntarily deploy and those who are mobilized. We have also put a spotlight on other important benefits such as reduced eligibility age for retirement pay, 

improved availability of health benefits, and lower premiums for TRICARE Reserve 

Select. We have begun surveying focus groups within the Air Force Reserve to better understand the needs of our reservists and whether we are meeting these needs. 

101 

3The Air Force uses three types of associations to leverage the combined resources and experience levels of all three components: ‘‘Classic Association,’’ ‘‘Active Association,’’ and ‘‘Air Reserve 

Component Association.’’ 

Under the ‘‘Classic’’ model, so-called because it is the first to be used, a Regular Air Force 

unit is the host unit and retains primary responsibility for the weapon system, and a Reserve 

or Guard unit is the tenant. This model has flourished in the Military Airlift and Air Mobility 

Commands for over 40 years. We are now beginning to use it in the Combat Air Forces: our 

first fighter aircraft ‘‘Classic’’ association at Hill Air Force Base, Utah, attained Initial Operational Capability in June 2008. This association combined the regular Air Force’s 388th Fighter 

Wing, the Air Force’s largest F–16 fleet, with the Air Force Reserve’s 419th Fighter Wing, beContinued 

I personally send emails to all of our Selected Reserve members to highlight important issues concerning their service. In the coming months, as we learn more, we 

will be rolling out an awareness campaign on the post-September 11 GI Bill and 

how it works vis-a ́-vis other education benefits. 

We have worked with the Small Business Association to provide reservists and 

employers awareness of improved access to increased, uncollateralized, low interest 

loans that Congress authorized last year. We have made it a point to educate our 

airmen about the importance of the ESGR program, and we have asked that they 

nominate their employers for ESGR recognition and take time to accurately fill out 

employer data in the DOD employer database. I am pleased to report that we have 

increased our nominations by 149 percent this past year. 

We are moving ahead with implementation of the Air Force YRRP to support Reserve members and their families throughout the entire deployment cycle. Prior to 

the enactment of this program, Air Force Reserve Wings dedicated time and a notable level of effort to support their deploying airmen and families, as evidenced by 

the number of deployment support and reintegration activities in the past. In 2008, 

the Air Force Reserve hosted 58 YRRP events that served over 1,250 airmen and 

500 family members. 

In addition, the Air Force Reserve Command has formed a Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Office. This multi-functional team has begun identifying challenges, assessing strategic, operational and fiscal gaps, and evaluating effective and 

implementable options. We’re working towards full implementation of DOD directives. 

In the future, the Air Force Reserve will publish an overarching YRRP strategy 

that optimizes benefits to servicemembers and their families. A key component of 

this strategy will be to support and unify the current independent efforts, and identify the successes of those efforts. 

As a Total Force, we continue to work through Continuum of Service challenges 

to better enable varying degrees of service commitment that members can provide 

as their life circumstances change throughout their career. The Air Force and the 

Air Reserve components are taking a coordinated approach to identifying the issues 

that make Reserve component members disinclined to frequently volunteer for active duty tours. We’re identifying barriers and options for reducing or removing impediments to service. These impediments range from financial, cultural, technological to policy, and legislative. Through this program, the Services have thus far 

identified dozens of impediments, three of which were mitigated by improving policies concerning enlisted promotion, chaplain service age waiver, and security clearances. Although still in its formative stage, the Air Force—developed CoS Tracking 

Tools is gaining wider DOD acceptance and we hpe will continue to gain momentum 

as all Services look to act on this important reform initiative. 

Thanks to the help of this committee, the National Defense Authorization Act for 

Fiscal Year 2008 included legislation to authorize reimbursement of travel expenses 

not to exceed $300 for certain Selected Reserve members who travel outside the normal commuting distance because they are assigned to a unit with a critical manpower shortage, or assigned to a unit or position that is disestablished or relocated 

as a result of defense base closure, realignment or another force structure reallocation. Because of this authorization, the Air Force Reserve has been able to retain 

trained and qualified personnel, rather than having to recruit and train new personnel. 

BROADEN TOTAL FORCE INITIATIVES

The Air Force leverages the value of its Reserve components through association 

constructs. The basic model is an associate wing in which a unit of one component 

has primary responsibility for operating and maintaining equipment (such as aircraft), while a unit of another component (Air Force Reserve, Air National Guard, 

or Regular Air Force) also operates and maintains that equipment.3 This arrangeVerDate Nov 24 2008 13:29 Jan 21, 2010 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00105 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6621 Y:\BORAWSKI\DOCS\54509.TXT JUNE PsN: JUNEB
102 

coming the benchmark and lens through which the Air Force will look at every new mission. 

The 477th Fighter Group, an F–22 unit in Elmendorf, AK, continues to mature as the first F– 

22A associate unit. This unit also achieved Initial Operating Capability in 2008 and will eventually grow into a two-squadron association with the Regular Air Force. 

The Air Force Reserve also established its first Intelligence Squadron Association with the 

50th Intelligence Squadron at Beale Air Force Base, CA. This unit of Reserve and regular airmen delivers real-time, tailored intelligence to combat forces engaged in missions in Iraq and 

Afghanistan, with data derived from theater Predator/Reapers, Global Hawks and U–2s, in partnership with the Total Force team. The Air Force is considering additional associate intelligence 

units for Beale and Langley Air Force Bases. These new capabilities create a Strategic Reserve 

Force ready to respond to the call of our Nation, capable of being leveraged as operational crews 

ready and willing to support the regular Air Force in everyday missions around the world. This 

model has proven itself and is the basis for the growth of associations over the last 5 years. 

Under the ‘‘Active’’ model, the Air Force Reserve or Guard unit is host and has primary responsibility for the weapon system while the regular Air Force provides additional aircrews to 

the unit. The 932nd Airlift Wing is the first ever Operational Support Airlift Wing in the Air 

Force Reserve with three C–9Cs and three C–40s. Additionally, the Air Force Reserve will take 

delivery of an additional C–40 in fiscal year 2011, appropriated in the fiscal year 2009 Consolidated Security, Disaster Assistance and Continuing Appropriations Act. This additional C–40 

will help to replace the three C–9Cs, which are costly to maintain and fly. To better utilize the 

current fleet of C–40s at the 932nd, the Air Force created an Active Association. We also are 

benefitting from our first C–130 Active Association with the 440th AW at Pope AFB. 

Under the ‘‘Air Reserve Component’’ model, now resident at Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station 

in New York, the Air Force Reserve has primary responsibility for the equipment while the 

Guard shares in the operation of the equipment and works side by side with the Reserve to 

maintain the equipment. The Air National Guard has transitioned from the KC–135 air refueling tanker to the C–130, associating with the 914th Reserve Airlift Wing. The 914th added 4 

additional C–130s, resulting in 12 C–130s at Niagara Air Reserve Station. This Air Reserve 

Component Association model provides a strategic and operational force for the Regular Air 

Force while capitalizing on the strengths of the Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve. Additionally, in this case it provides the State of New York with the needed capability to respond 

to State emergencies. 

The Air Force Reserve has 9 host units and is the tenant at 53 locations. There are currently 

more than 100 integration initiatives being undertaken by the Air Force and Air Reserve components. 

ment effectively places more people against a piece of equipment, thereby gaining 

more utility from each piece of equipment, and the ability to surge as needed, and 

pull back when not. 

Beyond fiscal efficiencies, however, associations use the inherent values that each 

component brings to the mix. For example, less experienced airmen from regular Air 

Force can be more favorably balanced against higher experienced Reserve component airmen. Moreover, these constructs can foster mutual respect among components, and can lead to a cross flow of ideas. Regular Air Force airmen can bring 

a wider perspective of Air Force operations to an associate unit based on their ability to change assignments on a regular basis. For their part, Reserve airmen lend 

stability and continuity to the organization and the mission. The ultimate goal is 

to provide the Air Force and COCOMs the best possible capabilities with fewer 

physical resources by leveraging the combined resources of the regular Air Force, 

Air National Guard, and Air Force Reserve. 

The Air Force has been using associations modestly, with varying degrees of success, since 1968, primarily in the air mobility missions. However, during the last 

5 years we have aggressively pursued fundamental change to maintain our 

warfighting capabilities. Our central strategy is to use integration/association initiatives to leverage the strengths of all three components to make one strong Air Force 

in many mission areas. Failing to consider the Air Force holistically risks 

unbalancing the contributions of each component, which are central to the success 

of the efficient and effective delivery of combat capability to the warfighter. 

Associations also present new challenges in the way we develop plans to meet the 

needs of combatant commanders. It used to be, and in some cases still is, that our 

mobilization plans were developed for a unit and its equipment to deploy together 

in support of a given operations plan. Associations now must be worked into those 

plans. We have made progress in developing war mobilization plans that deploy 

equipment separately from the units that deploy. But we will undoubtedly encounter difficulties in the execution of these plans. We still will have to find the sweet 

spot in the regular Air Force/Air Reserve component manpower mix when allocating 

our people against various missions within the Air and Space Expeditionary Force 

construct. We will have to determine how long and how best to access Air Reserve 

component personnel—i.e., mobilize or volunteer—to meet that mix so that we can 

give combatant commanders the most effective force. We should consider measuring 

taskings by associations instead of wings. 

103 

If it is to succeed, the Air Force must educate airmen about the unique challenges 

of associations—at all levels, within and among each of the components. Advancement within each Service is premised upon joint education and experience; advancement should also be premised on joint component education and experience. Candidates for leadership in associations should be screened and selected based on their 

experience and abilities to lead and work well with other components. 

Force integration is not a process unto itself; it has a purpose, an end state. Properly understood, an integrated force is a unified, harmonious, effective entity. We 

are merely at the beginning of this process; it will take many, many years before 

we approach the end state. We must look beyond the fiscal efficiencies touted as the 

basis for our undertaking, roll up our sleeves, and get to the hard work needed to 

make us a more effective combat force. Should we do so, we will some day look 

about us and recognize a truly integrated Air Force. 

MODERNIZE EQUIPMENT AND FACILITIES

The DOD’s goal is to fully equip Reserve component units, thereby providing a 

trained and ready force at every stage of the Service’s force rotation plan. The Air 

Reserve components, along with the Regular Air Force, face significant modernization and recapitalization challenges, for both our aircraft and infrastructure. Some 

Air Force Reserve platforms remain out of the fight due to lack of defensive and 

countermeasure systems needed in the CENTCOM Theater, including some of our 

C–5A, A–10, and C–130 aircraft. In addition, as with the regular Air Force, we are 

facing unpredictable fatigue, corrosion, and structural component availability concerns on platforms that even our superior maintainers cannot correct forever, as we 

have seen in our C–5, KC–135, and A–10 fleets. While we continue to meet the requirements of the Air Force and the joint team, the current high operations tempo 

has led to our current reality—the increasing uncertainty of our long-term fleet viability. Similarly, continued risk in the Air Force Military Construction (MILCON) 

program has caused a significant growth in the Air Force Reserve Command’s facility project backlog. Timely modernization is critical to remaining a relevant and capable combat ready Reserve Force. 

National Guard Reserve Equipment Account 

The National Guard Reserve Equipment Account (NGREA) appropriation has resulted in an increase in readiness and combat capability for both the Reserve and 

the Guard. For fiscal year 2009, we received $37.5 million in NGREA appropriations 

which resulted in the Air Force Reserve Command’s ability to purchase additional 

upgrades for Reserve owned equipment. Some of the items that we purchased using 

NGREA funding include: Defensive Systems for C–5s, Line of Sight/Beyond Line of 

Sight capability and new upgraded radar for our C–130 aircraft, and an upgrade 

to the F–16 Commercial Fire Control Computer. Many of these new capabilities are 

directly tied to better air support for our soldiers and marines in Iraq and Afghanistan. NGREA funding has helped the Air Force Reserve to remain relevant in today’s fight as well as the ability to remain ready and capable in future conflicts. 

We thank you for your support with this critical program. 

Military Construction and Facilities Modernization 

Along with challenges in modernizing our equipment, we face challenges modernizing our facilities. During the fiscal year 2008 budget formulation, both the regular 

Air Force and the Air Force Reserve took risk in MILCON appropriation in order 

to fund higher priorities. This reduction coupled with past shortfall funding in 

MILCON has resulted in a backlog nearing $1 billion for the Air Force Reserve. 

We will continue to work within the fiscal constraints and mitigate risk where 

possible to ensure our equipment and facilities are modernized to provide a safe and 

adequate working environment for all of our airmen. 

CONCLUSION

Mr. Chairman and members of this subcommittee, I am excited to have been able 

to take on this role as Chief of the Air Force Reserve and Commander of Air Force 

Reserve Command. I take pride in the fact that when our Nation calls on the Air 

Force Reserve, we are trained and ready to go to the fight. Over 67,000 strong, we 

are a mission-ready Reserve Force capable of serving operationally throughout the 

world with little or no notice. 

The rapidly changing security and economic environment will cause Congress, the 

DOD, and the Air Force to make some difficult choices in the year ahead. The Air 

Force Reserve is highly experienced, cost-effective force provider well-suited for this 

challenge. I submit it is a hedge against the uncertainties we are facing for which 

you pay a relatively small premium. I firmly believe paying this premium will enVerDate Nov 24 2008 13:29 Jan 21, 2010 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00107 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6621 Y:\BORAWSKI\DOCS\54509.TXT JUNE PsN: JUNEB
104 

able the Air Force to achieve its force integration goals and address not only its priorities, but also help Congress address the more pressing issues we will face as a 

Nation in the years to come. 

I appreciate the support of this committee for the authorization and legislation 

it provides to our readiness and combat capability. I look forward to working with 

each of you in the future on the challenges facing the Air Force Reserve, the Air 

Force, and the Nation. 

Senator BEN NELSON. Admiral May. 

STATEMENT OF RADM DANIEL R. MAY, USCG, DIRECTOR OF 

RESERVE AND TRAINING, U.S. COAST GUARD RESERVE 

Admiral MAY. Chairman Nelson, Senator Hagan, Senator Burris: 

It’s an honor and pleasure to be here this afternoon representing 

the Coast Guard Reserve. I want to especially thank you for that 

warm welcome. 

Here with me this afternoon is my deputy, Captain Andrea 

Contrada, and also Master Chief Jeff Smith, the Reserve Forces 

Master Chief. 

First of all, I’d really like to thank you and Senator Graham for 

your commitment and for tackling the tough issues that face our 

military personnel, and all the progress that you’ve made in supporting our military men and women. 

The Coast Guard is one of our five Armed Forces. It has a long 

history, a distinguished history of service to our home, both here 

and abroad, as a military, maritime, and multi-mission service, always ready for all threats and all hazards. Because of this mix of 

military and civil law enforcement authorities, the Coast Guard is 

really uniquely positioned to serve as a lead Federal agency for our 

maritime homeland security, while also acting as a supporting 

agency to the DOD. 

In fact, over 80 percent of our 8,100 Selected Reserve Force is directly assigned to our Coast Guard shore units. The remainder of 

our force is spread out and dedicated to supporting defense operations. These forces are assigned to our eight individual port security units, which are staffed by reservists full-time as well as support personnel. Today, Post Security Unit 311 is serving in-theater. 

The integration of our Active and Reserve components began in 

the 1990s and enables us to respond quickly when and where Operational Reserve Forces are needed. It’s aided, in part also, by the 

unique authority held by the Homeland Security Secretary by 

using title 14 of the U.S. Code. Under title 14, the Secretary may 

recall Coast Guard reservists for up to 30 days at a time for domestic contingencies, including natural and manmade disasters, as 

well as any terrorist attacks. 

This unique authority helped facilitate a rapid response for the 

Coast Guard in response to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, where 

approximately 700 mobilized Coast Guard reservists performed 

nearly 20,000 person-days in support of our rescue and recovery operations in the Gulf region. 

Now, after the tragic events of September 11, and in the wake 

of our largest mobilization, nearly 50 percent of our Reserve Force 

was mobilized. This continues today, where we have nearly 700 

Coast Guard reservists on Active Duty. They are actively participating in a number of missions across the entire Coast Guard. 

105 

We thank you again for the Commission, for all that they have 

done. The Coast Guard has been an active participant in the Commission on the Guard and Reserves. As you pointed out, Mr. Chairman, many of those recommendations and any laws that may come 

from them will apply to the Coast Guard as one of our military 

Services. 

So thank you, again. It’s an honor to be here on behalf of the 

Coast Guard men and women. I look forward to any questions you 

may have. 

[The prepared statement of Admiral May follows:] 

PREPARED STATEMENT BY RADM DANIEL R. MAY, USCG 

Good afternoon, Chairman Levin, Senator McCain, and distinguished members of 

the Senate Armed Service Subcommittee. It is a pleasure to have this opportunity 

to appear before you today to discuss the Coast Guard Reserve, its contribution to 

National Defense and Homeland Security, the issues that face the men and women 

of our Coast Guard Reserve and the Coast Guard’s ability to sustain the high level 

of quality staffing we currently have. 

As one of the five Armed Forces of the United States, the Coast Guard has a long 

and distinguished history of service at home and abroad as a military, maritime, 

multi-mission service always ready for all threats and all hazards. Because of its 

mix of military and civil law enforcement authorities, the Coast Guard is uniquely 

positioned to serve as the Lead Federal Agency for Maritime Homeland Security 

while acting as a supporting agency for National Defense. Founded in 1941, the 

Coast Guard Reserve is the force multiplier for the operational Coast Guard, due 

in part to the complete integration of our Selected Reserve Force into Active component units during the last decade. In fact, over 80 percent of our 8,100-member Selected Reserve Force is directly assigned to Active Coast Guard shore units, where 

reservists hone readiness skills through classroom instruction and on-the-job training side-by-side with their Active Duty counterparts. The remainder of our Selected 

Reserve Force is dedicated primarily to supporting Defense Operations. The majority of these reservists are assigned to our eight deployable Port Security Units 

(PSUs) which are staffed by reservists and Full Time Support (FTS) personnel; the 

PSU’s principal mission is to support the Combatant Commanders in strategic ports 

of debarkation overseas. The remaining personnel are assigned to Department of 

Defense (DOD) units, such as the Maritime Expeditionary Security Squadrons and 

combatant commanders’ staffs. 

INTEGRATION

The strength the Coast Guard gained through integration in the 1990s was the 

creation of this Operational Reserve Force. Although just less than one-fourth the 

size of the Active Duty component at approximately 8,100 personnel, this operational Reserve Force acts as a surge capability ready and able to respond to any 

national or domestic contingency. They responded magnificently to the attacks of 

September 2001, and all contingency operations that have followed. Since 2001, cumulative recalls of Coast Guard reservists under title 10 of the U.S. Code have totaled over 6,800, with reservists serving at home as part of the Coast Guard’s Maritime Homeland Security mission and overseas in direct support of the combatant 

commanders. The majority of those recalled served domestically as members of 

Coast Guard units safeguarding ports and waterways alongside 95,000 miles of U.S. 

coastline or enforcing security zones in strategic outload ports on the Atlantic, Pacific, and Gulf Coasts where supplies and equipment for combat forces begin their 

journey overseas. Coast Guard reservists also served overseas since September 2001 

as members of PSUs operating in Iraq, Kuwait, and Bahrain and as individuals supporting Coast Guard units in the region, including cutters under U.S. Fifth Fleet. 

At the height of Operation Iraqi Freedom combat operations in early 2003, approximately half of the Coast Guard personnel deployed overseas were reservists. 

POST-SEPTEMBER 11

Since September 2001, when we embarked on the largest mobilization of Coast 

Guard reservists since World War II, we have redoubled our efforts to capture and 

capitalize on those lessons learned to further improve readiness and ensure a Reserve Force with the right people, skills, and training for the missions of the 21st 

century. We have examined our systems for recruiting, training, mobilizing, and deVerDate Nov 24 2008 13:29 Jan 21, 2010 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00109 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6621 Y:\BORAWSKI\DOCS\54509.TXT JUNE PsN: JUNEB
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mobilizing reservists to identify and close readiness gaps. More significantly, we undertook a comprehensive review of the Coast Guard Reserve that resulted in our 

Commandant, Admiral Thad Allen, issuing a Policy Statement that embodies the 

three core strategic functions of the Reserve Force: Maritime Homeland Security, 

domestic and expeditionary support to national defense, and domestic manmade or 

natural disaster response and recovery. The individual competencies required to 

support these core functions center on boat operations, contingency planning and response, expeditionary warfare, law enforcement, marine safety, and port security 

with appropriate force levels invested in the administrative and logistical support 

our Reserve Force requires. 

TITLE 14

None of this represents a radical change for the Coast Guard Reserve, but rather 

an affirmation of the vital role our reservists play as the Coast Guard’s operational 

surge force. One key component of that ready surge force is availability and accessibility of individuals for mobilization. As with members of the other Reserve components, our Reserve men and women are subject to involuntary mobilization under 

title 10 for national security contingencies. However, unlike members of the other 

Reserve components, Coast Guard reservists can also be involuntarily mobilized by 

the Secretary of Homeland Security under 14 U.S.C. 712 for up to 60 days at a time 

for domestic contingencies, including natural and manmade disasters and terrorist 

attacks. This unique authority provided under title 14 has been used over a dozen 

times since the 1970s to mobilize Coast Guard reservists for a wide range of emergencies ranging from the 1980 Mariel Boat Lift to floods, hurricanes, and other natural disasters. 

In 2005, it was this special authority used by the Secretary of Homeland Security, 

which allowed the Coast Guard to mobilize approximately 700 members of the Coast 

Guard Reserve for Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, providing a ready force for rescue 

and recovery operations in New Orleans and the stricken areas of the Gulf Coast. 

It was used again this past year for nearly 70 members in response to Hurricanes 

Gustav and Ike. In all, members of the Coast Guard Reserve mobilized under title 

14 for Hurricanes Katrina and Rita performed nearly 20,000 person-days of duty in 

support of Coast Guard rescue and recovery operations. Most served alongside their 

active-duty counterparts as individual augmentees. For instance, several reservists 

assigned as Coast Guard Investigative Service special agents were mobilized to augment active-duty and civilian agents deployed to New Orleans, Baton Rogue, and 

Gulfport, where they provided armed security for senior officials and personnel disbursing cash to Coast Guard members. In addition to individual augmentees, the 

Coast Guard also activated two PSUs to provide physical security in New Orleans 

and Gulfport, and to aid in the distribution of relief supplies, a departure from their 

normal mission of deploying overseas in support of Defense Operations but a testament to the ability of our reservists to mobilize when and where needed to plusup Coast Guard forces responding to an emergency. 

Recent legislative changes have also provided increased capability to use our 

Coast Guard Reserve. The Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Act of 2006 

expanded the Secretary of Homeland Security’s title 14 recall authority to permit 

mobilization of Coast Guard reservists ‘‘to aid in prevention of an imminent serious 

natural or manmade disaster, accident, catastrophe, or act of terrorism.’’ Other language included in the bill extended the limits on the period of recall to not more 

than 60 days in any 4-month period and to not more than 120 days in any 2-year 

period. This significantly enhanced our ability to mitigate major natural disasters 

and thwart terrorist attacks by enabling us to bring Coast Guard reservists on active duty even before disaster strikes. 

ORGANIZATION STRUCTURE

A major component of the Coast Guard’s success in responding to disasters is the 

Coast Guard’s decentralized command and control structure. The authority and responsibility to move forces, including reservists, establish response readiness levels, 

and direct operations is vested in the regional district and area commanders. This 

provides the most direct oversight of operations at the field level and avoids delays 

caused by unnecessary and time-consuming bureaucratic processes. However, the 

most important factor contributing to the Coast Guard’s effectiveness in disaster response is the fact that our forces are engaged in this type of mission on a daily 

basis. As the Nation’s maritime first responder, Coast Guard men and women, Active, Reserve, Civilian, and Auxiliary plan for, train and execute missions every single day. 

107 

DOD IN DESIGN

The Coast Guard also possesses several unique features that help to integrate its 

efforts with those of the DOD, other Federal agencies, the National Guard, and 

State and local authorities. Because the Coast Guard is at all times a branch of the 

military, our communications systems, planning processes, personnel training and 

even our command structures have much in common with the DOD Services. Coast 

Guard commanders can be either supported or supporting commanders for military 

operations and we have extensive experience working in and with DOD Joint Task 

Force Headquarters. This allows for easy integration of forces and unity of effort 

when working together during major catastrophes. Today, we are closer to DOD 

than we ever have been since World War II with numerous active duty and reservists assigned at our combatant commands and various other DOD organizations providing key skills in support of our Nation’s defense. 

JOINT FORCES

The Coast Guard has excellent working relationships with all of the Armed 

Forces, providing support and leveraging expertise through mutual agreements. At 

Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, NC, the Coast Guard partnered with the Marine 

Corps to develop the Coast Guard Special Mission Training Center which is tasked 

to provide training, doctrine, and testing/evaluation in support of mission requirements of the Coast Guard, Navy, and Marine Corps operational forces. The Special 

Mission Training Center offers specialized courses for Coast Guard Reserve 

deployable units, and inclusion of Coast Guard personnel in formal training conducted by the Navy and Marine Corps. 

In today’s joint environment the spirit of cooperation and common purpose is exceptionally high. The Coast Guard welcomed the opportunity last May to participate 

in Patriot Hook when PSU 312 working jointly with the 452nd Air Lift Control 

Flight, leveraged the opportunity to complete required underway live fire, antiswimmer grenade training, and rehearsal of the movement of personnel and equipment by land and air. During the 4-day exercise, held at San Clemente Island, over 

one-half million pounds of cargo is transported by the U.S. Air Force from various 

airfields to San Clemente Island. 

As I report to you here today, 120 members of PSU 311 are deployed to Southwest 

Asia as an integral part of the Navy’s Maritime Expeditionary Squadron. That unit 

is providing vital water and land side security for ports of strategic importance in 

Kuwait. 

INTERAGENCY

In addition to our work with DOD, the Coast Guard works on a daily basis with 

other Federal, State, and local partners. The Service’s Ports, Waterways, and Coastal Security mission requires the Coast Guard to interact daily with State and local 

law enforcement and emergency response organizations, exercising command structures and building the trust critical to effectively execute an emergency response. 

Coast Guard Captains of the Port provide a critical link through Local Emergency 

Planning Committees, Area Maritime Security Committees, Harbor Safety Committees, Area Planning Committees, Regional Response Teams, and other venues that 

allow the Coast Guard to build close relationships with key partners in disaster response. Because of the integrated nature of the Coast Guard, individual reservists 

play a key role in these efforts. Their dual status as Coast Guard members and residents of their local communities frequently enables them to leverage organizational 

and personal relationships that yield immeasurable benefits during a crisis situation. 

The Coast Guard has built on these important relationships to improve our emergency response capability by actively working to implement the National Response 

Framework (NRF). Since 1996, the Coast Guard has trained thousands of personnel, 

including reservists, on the Incident Command System, a central component of the 

NRF and updated its full range of contingency plans to reflect the guiding principles 

of the NRF. Additionally, the Coast Guard has realigned and combined operational 

field units to provide full integration of emergency response capabilities, and directly support staffing for Joint Field Offices, when those entities are in place. 

COMMISSION ON THE NATIONAL GUARD AND RESERVE

The Coast Guard has participated from the start of the Commission on the National Guard and Reserve (CNGR) process providing testimony to the Commission 

participating in each of the fact finding sessions, and providing a dedicated staff 

member. Upon completion of the study the Coast Guard worked with the Office of 

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the Assistant Secretary of Defense, Reserve Affairs (OASD–RA) in evaluating the 

impact of the 95 CNGR recommendations. Participating in work groups with the 

other Reserve components and OASD–RA, the Coast Guard provided official comments on each of the recommendations and implementation plans for those selected 

for action. 

It is appropriate that the Coast Guard continue to be involved in this process as 

the CNGR recommendations that are implemented will likely have significant impact on the Coast Guard Reserve just as it will with the other military Services. 

The Coast Guard is keenly aware that laws and policy that affect DOD have a profound affect on the Coast Guard Reserve program and workforce. Coast Guard Reserve Affairs stands ready to work with OASD–RA at all times. 

WORKFORCE

Staffing the Coast Guard Reserve workforce is unique to the services as Reserve 

and Active Duty recruiting for the Coast Guard is conducted through a single Recruiting Command. The Coast Guard Reserve supplements Recruiting Offices with 

reservists on Active Duty (Temporary Active Reserve Recruiters) under the concept 

that reservists are best suited to recruit reservists. In addition to the Reserve recruiters, the Recruiting Command has found success in the use of In Service Transfer Teams to ensure that all Active Duty personnel that are being released from active duty are briefed on the benefits of the Coast Guard Reserves, and offered an 

opportunity join and continue with their military career within the Reserves. 

RETENTION

Retention in the Coast Guard Reserve has remained steady over the course of the 

past several years with current retention at 92 percent for officers and 88 percent 

for enlisted personnel. These retention rates indicate that members see the Coast 

Guard Selected Reserve as an attractive option and, once they join, they want to 

continue serving. It has not been determined that the economy is a factor in retention as retention for the Coast Guard Reserve was high before recent economic 

downturns. 

EMPLOYER SUPPORT OF THE GUARD AND THE RESERVE

The Coast Guard is actively engaged with Employer Support of the Guard and 

the Reserve (ESGR). In February 2008, five Coast Guard Commands signed a 

pledge of participation in recognition of ESGR’s contribution to the Armed Services. 

Following up on that pledge, the Coast Guard Reserve actively engaged reservists 

to nominate employers for the Secretary of Defense’s Freedom Award resulting in 

a substantial increase in nominees over the previous year. ESGR, working with 

Coast Guard Reserve, saw a positive trend of a steady decline of cases referred to 

ombudsman. 

IMPROVED BENEFITS

The 2008 National Defense Authorization Act along with changes to DOD and 

Coast Guard policy provided improved benefits for members of the Coast Guard Reserve. New dwell time policy established a 12-month limit on mobilization improving 

predictability for members, families, and employees. TRICARE benefits provide for 

up to 90-days early access to TRICARE medical and dental care when members are 

notified of upcoming deployments. TRICARE Reserve Select extends insurance benefits to reservists not on active duty. The Coast Guard initiated an annual Periodic 

Health Assessment that will replace the previous 5 year medical exams making 

them mandatory for all personnel, Active and Reserve. 

CHALLENGES

The Coast Guard has demonstrated its ability to prepare for and respond to a 

wide range of contingencies, including natural disasters and terrorist attack, while 

executing more routine missions, such as maritime law enforcement and search-andrescue. To continue to meet these challenges into the future, the Coast Guard continuously examines best practices and takes steps to adapt. In 2008 the Coast 

Guard Reserve Program developed an initiative called the Reserve Force Readiness 

System (RFRS) aimed at increasing readiness of Coast Guard Reserve Forces. 

Under RFRS, existing billets will be realigned at the operational level providing improved oversight, day-to-day management, and readiness of our Reserve Forces. 

This new organizational construct will also provide additional leadership opportunities for senior Reserve personnel (officer and enlisted), provide increased 

109 

mentorship, and training for junior personnel, and optimize the placement of FTS 

personnel. 

The Coast Guard is the Nation’s premier maritime law enforcement agency with 

broad, multifaceted jurisdictional authority. It is on behalf of the men and women 

of the Coast Guard that I thank you for your continued support of the Coast Guard 

and the Coast Guard Reserve. 

Thank you for the opportunity to testify today. I look forward to your questions. 

Senator BEN NELSON. Thank you very much, Admiral. 

General Vaughn, General Stultz, and to the members of the 

panel: A couple of years ago during the Christmas holidays, 48 

members of the 110th Medical Battalion based in Lincoln, Nebraska, found themselves stranded at Fort Lewis, Washington, 

when training was suspended and the base was shut down for the 

holidays. 

Now, military rules prohibited using funds to pay for their travel 

back to Nebraska until training resumed. In a joint explanatory 

statement that accompanied the National Defense Authorization 

Act for Fiscal Year 2009, we urged the Services to be mindful of 

training suspensions and minimal staffing periods when devising 

training schedules for the Reserve components. I’ve drafted legislation, which Senator Graham and I will soon introduce, that will 

correct this deficiency and would authorize travel if a Reserve or 

Guard member is more than 300 miles from home and is placed on 

leave for 5 days or more because of training suspensions or staffing 

issues. 

Now, it’s our understanding that this is not a unique experience 

among guardsmen and reservists because of a lack of planning on 

the part of the military unit; servicemembers are sent away from 

home, in some cases thousands of miles, for training missions and 

then the training is suddenly suspended. 

In these cases, isn’t it the military’s responsibility to either plan 

appropriately and not to waste the time of our servicemembers or 

unnecessarily keep them away from their families, or if the military doesn’t plan should we pay to send them home? Let me say 

that we got those members home, but we raised money from private sources in order to do it, which means that there were a number of generous folks who helped do it. But it isn’t necessarily the 

responsibility of the private citizen to pay for that public cost. 

So my question is, what are your policies for assigning training 

duty during the holiday season, especially as most posts go to reduced manning and suspend training during that period? Can we 

start with you, General Vaughn? 

General VAUGHN. Senator Nelson, a great issue, inflammatory 

issue. We’re 100 percent on your side. We went through this thing 

for several years, dating all the way back to the 39th Infantry Brigade, and Wal-Mart and a couple other folks paid for that. We have 

no business passing that on. We made our concerns known, and I 

will tell you that Lieutenant General Jack Stultz and I don’t have 

anything to do with scheduling when they mobilize and report to 

the training centers. 

It’s absolutely something that we needed the kind of emotion and 

fervor behind it to get that straightened out. This year, for our big 

formations, everything is after the holiday period. Now, that’s not 

to say there might not be something in there someplace that we 

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don’t know anything about. But the other piece of that is that we 

ought to pay for them coming back home. 

The ARNG agrees 100 percent with your line of reasoning on 

this. 

General STULTZ. Yes, sir. I’ll echo what Lieutenant General 

Clyde Vaughn said. Sir, in 1990, Operation Desert Storm, I reported with my unit to Fort Eustis, VA, in November right after 

Thanksgiving. Now, I deployed with an advance party into Saudi 

Arabia ahead of them, but the rest of my unit sat at Fort Eustis 

during Christmas holidays, and I saw what it did to morale. I said 

this is crazy, that we have soldiers sitting around. 

The past 3 years, as I’ve traveled around Iraq, Afghanistan, 

Kosovo, the Horn of Africa, and I talked to soldiers about what 

makes you feel good and what do you not feel good about, one of 

the number one subjects they said is wasted time: ‘‘I sat at a mobilization station, did nothing, and it was wasted time. I could have 

been with my family.’’ 

It’s a morale issue. It’s a morale issue for holidays. It’s a morale 

issue for any time where we have them sitting in a mobilization 

station and there’s nothing going on. 

So we have made the commitment to wherever possible stop that 

from happening. As Lieutenant General Clyde Vaughn said, look at 

the training and say: ‘‘Hey, listen; if you’re not going to be there 

for training, my soldiers aren’t going to be there.’’ Working together 

with Forces Command and First Army, we are now much better 

than we used to be. We don’t do like we used to, where there used 

to be a pre-mobilization plan which I had responsibility for, but 

once they got mobilized, I handed them to Forces Command, and 

they took over, and I lost control. 

Now we have one training plan and we say: ‘‘This is all we’re 

going to do in the pre-mobilization time period and this is what 

we’re going to do in the post-mobilization time period, and we’re 

going to make sure that every day they’re at a mobilization station 

they’re occupied with some valuable training, or they’re deployed.’’ 

In the past 2 years, we’ve cut the time down, time at a mobilization station, from 90 days down to 40 days. Our target is 30 days. 

A unit doesn’t need to be in a mobilization station longer than 30 

days and they can get going. 

So to that point, we’ve said: ‘‘Listen, if you’re not going to be 

there, we’re not going to be there.’’ If we are there and they suspend training, I agree wholeheartedly we ought to send the soldier 

home for the holidays. It’s a morale issue. 

Senator BEN NELSON. Would anyone else like to make any comments? I think they said it very well, but if there are any other 

comments, we’d certainly like to accept them. 

[No response.] 

I appreciate that very much. It is a morale issue, and we will 

seek to have this legislation introduced shortly. I hope this year 

we’ll be able to get it passed, so if those unintended consequences 

occur in the future, we’ll be able to deal with it appropriately. 

Thank you. 

One other question here. Prior to this hearing, our committee 

sent out a data call on suicide rates in our Guard and Reserve 

Forces, and we’ve received the information, we’ve done some analVerDate Nov 24 2008 13:29 Jan 21, 2010 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00114 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6602 Y:\BORAWSKI\DOCS\54509.TXT JUNE PsN: JUNEB
111 

ysis on the numbers, and we thank you for the responses. The information received, however, did identify what I think are some 

troubling trends. The Army and the Air Force were able to provide 

complete data for suicide rates both while Reserves are activated 

and on drill status. The data you provided consistently showed that 

the number of suicides that occurred while on drill status was more 

than those that occurred while deployed. 

This correlates to the qualitative data we received at the hearing 

last week before our committee, which showed that servicemembers 

tend to exhibit more mental health issues when they’re away from 

the support structure of the military. Obviously, your quantitative 

data proves to us that we need to make certain that our Guard and 

Reserve Forces have access to support structures and medical services even when they’re not activated. 

In your responses to the data call, some of the Services stated 

that they do not have the authority to investigate the death of 

members while the member is in a non-military status. Now, our 

Guard and Reserve are an Operational Force, and so they need to 

be ready at all times to meet the mission requirements. How does 

each of your Services track the suicide of a member who’s on drill 

status? What mechanisms do you need in place and/or what can we 

do to help to ensure that you have the capability to track medical 

records for members while they’re on drill status? 

I guess why don’t we start at this end of the witness table and 

work back. Admiral May, this may be a new issue. I don’t know 

how much you’ve been involved. We did have the other Services. 

We didn’t include the Coast Guard, not because we intended to exclude you; we just didn’t include you. 

Admiral MAY. Yes, sir, Mr. Chairman. We’ve been very fortunate 

in the small numbers of Coast Guard men and women that have 

deployed. We have not suffered any suicides whatsoever of our Reserve Forces. So that’s been a blessing for us. 

We do keep track of our folks as they come back, and they typically return to a drilling status. We make sure that they go 

through a demobilization process. We monitor their progress. There 

are certainly programs that are available to them should they need 

any medical assistance whatsoever. Then, once they go back to a 

drilling status, obviously we have visibility of their health and 

wellbeing, and if there’s anything that’s identified, we immediately 

get them to any care that they may need. 

Senator BEN NELSON. General? 

General STENNER. Mr. Chairman, the data research that we’ve 

done was a pretty difficult dig to go find some of these things, particularly because we don’t have access to their civilian medical 

records and where and when these things happened, unless they 

were filing an insurance claim. Sometimes we never knew that 

there was a cause of death that would have been noted as suicide. 

However, the 2003 to 2008 timeframe where we did research it, 

we had 42 completed suicides, if you want to put it that way. None 

of those occurred, for the Air Force Reserve anyway, while the 

member was deployed. Sixteen of the 42, that we did find, had deployed at least once prior to their death. Then, of the 13 cases that 

we did have available for review, we did have 1 that had deployed 

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prior to committing suicide, but it wasn’t during the deployment 

that we had the suicide. 

Now, regardless, what we really have here is a microcosm of society and some of the realities that occur. The marital difficulties 

and those kinds of things played as well. So, pinning down what 

actually caused that individual to do what they did will be a difficult situation. But we are very, very cognizant of the fact that we 

need to be trained and ready and have suicide prevention going on, 

that our folks watch each other, they understand each other. We 

do have Yellow Ribbon and the reintegration efforts to help us get 

more eyes on and more data. We’re going to put some folks into 

place, both at the command level and regionally, to track the incidence and to keep track of the folks who have these issues. 

It will be something that we have as a high priority for quite 

some time to ensure that our folks are taken care of. 

Senator BEN NELSON. I realize it’s a lot easier in terms of tracking when somebody’s activated or somebody is active and on Active 

Duty. But it also occurs when they’re not. While some might think 

that there would be a greater opportunity for someone to commit 

suicide while they’re deployed, it apparently is not the case. We understand some of the reasons are the breakdown of romantic or 

marital relationships or economic difficulties. 

We also are aware that sometimes the breakdown in the romantic, the marital difficulty, and/or the economic circumstances might 

be because of the deployment or the number of deployments that 

create the separation. We still think it’s important to track it the 

best way that we possibly can. 

General STENNER. Yes, sir, we agree, and we’re going to keep on 

doing what we’re doing. 

Senator BEN NELSON. Thank you. 

General Bergman? 

General BERGMAN. Yes, sir. While absolutely we agree that we 

need to track it, currently in the Marine Corps Reserve we do not 

have the database available to do that. However, because we’re 

about an 80 to 85 percent unit-based force, the ability to contact 

people who don’t show up for drill, just like you would contact 

someone who didn’t necessarily show up for school—what’s going 

on, are you sick, type of thing. We have a little bit of an advantage 

as we focus our efforts in that direction. 

The challenge comes when you have a very small percentage of 

young, usually new marines who decide maybe that the decision to 

become a marine wasn’t part of their life’s plan, and now they just 

quit coming to drill. We deal with that on a daily basis, and sometimes it might be 6, 8, 10 months or longer before we can get good 

locations and data on them, on their whereabouts. 

So we recognize the need, and we will do everything we can to 

ensure that we get everybody on the roster. 

Senator BEN NELSON. Thank you. 

Admiral Debbink? 

Admiral DEBBINK. Chairman Nelson, although not required 

under any instructions to do so, we’ve been actually tracking any 

Navy reservist who committed suicide since July of last year. I’m 

sad to report that we had four such suicides occur, not on Active 

Duty, not in a drilling status. But, as General Bergman has just 

113 

said, we, too, have a unit structure, and when someone doesn’t 

show up for drill, work, or whatever, you know you’re missing 

somebody. 

So we are changing Navy instructions now to make sure that we 

include all sailors, Active component, Reserve component, no matter what status they’re in. 

I’d also like to report that we had a couple of good news stories, 

and that is with the money that’s come to the Yellow Ribbon reintegration program. We’ve stood up our Returning Warrior Workshops and we’ve also stood up Psychological Health Outreach Coordinators. At one of our Returning Warrior Workshops, somebody 

with suicide ideation was identified by another sailor and referred 

to our program, and we believe prevented that from happening. 

Additionally, we had a Psychological Health Outreach Coordinator visiting a Navy Operational Support Center (NOSC) once and 

identified another sailor, and I’m proud to say both those sailors 

are alive yet today. So, thank you for your support of that very important program. 

Senator BEN NELSON. Thank you. 

General Stultz. 

General STULTZ. Yes, sir. We in the Army take suicides very, 

very seriously. We have, in the Army Reserve, been tracking all 

suicides, whether they’re on or off Active Duty or drilling status, 

because any soldier I lose is a loss, whether he was in an active 

or non-drilling status. 

As you probably know, the Army is in the midst of a standdown, 

where we have taken a standdown approach for doing suicide prevention training across the Force. We’re doing that throughout the 

Army Reserve. The challenge we have is what you just mentioned. 

I see my soldiers 2 days out of the month. The other 28 days out 

of the month, they’re with their families. 

What we’re trying to train is awareness, what to look for, what 

the signs are that somebody’s having problems, our goal is to reduce the stigma to show that it’s okay to ask for help and what are 

the resources to reach out to. We’re doing a good job training the 

soldiers. We have to train the families because they’re the ones 

that are with that soldier the other 28 days that we don’t see them. 

We do a psychological autopsy on every suicide that we have and 

try to dig in as much as possible, to try to understand and to see: 

is there anything we could have done differently, is there anything 

we could have done to prevent it? As Vice Admiral Dirk Debbink 

just mentioned, during the training that we’ve been conducting, 

we’ve already had several cases where individuals stepped up and 

said: ‘‘I need help.’’ 

We had one case where a soldier took an overdose of pills, but 

then changed, realized after he’d taken the overdose of pills, I don’t 

have to do this, and called one of his other buddies and said, I need 

help, I just did this. We were able to save him. 

But, we’ve also had a couple of incidents where soldiers took 

their own lives after leaving a weekend drill or a period like that, 

and in doing the psychological autopsy what we find out is we’re 

a support structure to them. They take great pride in being the 

Army Reserve. They feel like we care. When I’m with my unit, they 

114 

care about me, they take care of me. But when I go back home, 

there’s nothing there, and that’s when it’s happened. 

We have to really reach out and figure out how do we get in 

touch and stay in touch to provide that support network, the other 

28 days of the month that we’re not with that soldier, and to be 

able to educate the families and the support structure around them 

what to do when something occurs, when something’s not right. We 

can take care of them the 2 days we have them. It’s the other 28 

days. As has been reported, the majority of our suicides occur off 

duty. It’s not related to a deployment. It’s not related to the Army 

specifically. It’s something that’s going on in their life elsewhere 

that’s failing, and we just don’t know about it. 

Senator BEN NELSON. General Wyatt. 

General WYATT. Mr. Chairman, the ANG has been tracking suicide data actively since September 2004, and we had 46 completed 

suicides from September 2004 through December 2008. To lend 

substance to your observation that most of these take place outside 

of the supervision of the military, none of our suicides have occurred while the members have been deployed. 

Of the 46 members who have had a suicide history, 41 percent 

have had a history of deployment, while 59 had no history of deployment. Of the ones who had deployment history, 32 percent had 

one deployment, 9 percent had two deployments, and 0 percent had 

more than two deployments. 

We share the same concerns that the Air Force Reserve does in 

the inability to investigate deaths that occur when a member is not 

on status because of resourcing and legal authorities. But like the 

Army Reserve, we take each one seriously and do our best to track 

through our contacts with local law enforcement to ascertain the 

cause of death. 

But just to lend support to your observation, most of our problems seem to occur when the member is not under our command 

and control. 

Senator BEN NELSON. General Vaughn? 

General VAUGHN. Mr. Chairman, I would echo what General 

Stultz and General Wyatt have had to say. We have tracked them 

very closely. We’re probably as tight-knit an organization as there 

can be. Most of them, the great bulk of them, are not on Active 

Duty. They occur back here on this side. 

This is a significant issue for the ARNG right now. We’ve averaged over the last few years—you have the data—about 60 in both 

statuses. At the rate we’re going, if we hold with the same rate, 

we may see as many as 90 suicides, based on what’s happened so 

far. 

Our adjutants general are all over this. I get good, accurate reporting, whether on-duty or not. It comes in. We assign it properly. 

As you all know, the report is pending right up until you get a 

coroner’s report. Now, we have asked our Judge Advocate General 

for our commanders to be able to do a 15–6 investigation, a cursory 

look at this to say, ‘‘Yes, this is what it is because we need the 

other pieces of the investigation.’’ 

We are into it. We are on the Army plan. Lieutenant General 

Stultz and you both are right there with General Peter Chiarelli. 

115 

The better part of that, the adjutants general, really have this 

thing in their sights. We’ll do all we can, sir. 

Senator BEN NELSON. Thank you. 

Senator Graham. 

Senator GRAHAM. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I’m going to have 

to run again, I apologize, for a budget markup. This is one of those 

days where everybody meets at the same time. 

General Vaughn, about the dental readiness, are these numbers 

right, 52 percent? For the first quarter of fiscal year 2009, more 

than half the Army Guard and Reserves, 52 percent, were reported 

as nondeployable due to class 3 or class 4 dental readiness status? 

Is that correct? 

General VAUGHN. Senator, that’s probably correct because of the 

screening mechanism. In other words, you know how this goes. If 

you go downrange, you get screened, you come back and you can’t 

drill for 30, 60, or even 90 days. You’re getting pretty close to being 

out of sorts already. 

Now, what is a big deal is that when we started into the mobilization stations, we were running about 50 or 60 percent dental 

readiness. Today, we’re running at 90 to 92 percent readiness. We 

have made overwhelming progress. Now, the screening piece, we 

have to get better on the screening piece. But just because they’re 

not screened out and they’re out of tolerance on the screening 

doesn’t mean they’re not deployable, and that’s what we’re finding. 

Senator GRAHAM. I got you. 

Is there anything we can do to help you there with resources? 

General VAUGHN. We’ll check and see what plays out 

resourcewise here pretty quick. I think that everybody here is pretty candid. We’re going to come up and tell you. You’ve helped a 

great deal, and let us ponder that just a little bit, and we’ll get 

something to you. 

Senator GRAHAM. Sure. Outstanding. 

One last question. This idea of increasing 20- to 30-year retention of military guards and reservists who have hit 20 years of 

service. Usually people, particularly in the Guard, stay as long as 

they can. But I’ve seen, just anecdotally from being a reservist myself and being around the Guard a lot, that at 20 years of service, 

they’re pretty worn out, and they’re punching out. Is that generally 

a problem? 

Let’s start with the Coast Guard and work our way backwards. 

Admiral MAY. Senator Graham, we actually are blessed in that 

folks want to stay. In fact, I had a Coast Guard reservist who 

wanted to stay beyond 60 years of age. 60 years old is usually the 

retirement date. 

Senator GRAHAM. But you’re not losing guardsmen or reservists? 

Your numbers haven’t declined? 

Admiral MAY. No, sir. 

Senator GRAHAM. Okay. What about the Air Force? 

General STENNER. Sir, they want to stay. 

Senator GRAHAM. Okay. The Marines? 

General BERGMAN. They want to stay, sir. 

Senator GRAHAM. Navy? 

Admiral DEBBINK. Sir, they’re staying. 

Senator GRAHAM. Okay. 

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General STULTZ. Sir, it’s an issue for us. 

Senator GRAHAM. The Army’s taking the brunt of this, the Army 

and the Marine Corps. 

General STULTZ. If you go back to Vietnam, we lost the NCO 

corps in Vietnam. If you talk to a lot of the commanders that were 

there during that timeframe, it was because of repeated deployments. By about the third deployment, the family and everybody 

else says: ‘‘You have your 20 years of service in; you can get out.’’ 

The Active Army lost their NCO corps. It took them 10 years to 

rebuild it. 

I’m concerned we’re doing the same thing in the Reserves. 

Senator GRAHAM. Yes, I am, too. 

General STULTZ. Right now, I’m short. 

Senator GRAHAM. But the Marines, you’re okay? 

General BERGMAN. At the senior levels. Where we, sir, have room 

to go and grow, and we’ve identified this, is they’re not even near 

the 20-year level. It’s a question of how we take those corporals 

and sergeants in the Reserve component and get them over that 

hump to make them want to become E–6s and then populate that 

senior enlisted level. 

Senator GRAHAM. Got you, okay. 

So it is a problem in the Army. I want to get with Senator Nelson and find a way to incentivize people to stay past 20 years of 

service. 

Air Force again, not a problem, right? 

General STENNER. No, sir. 

Senator GRAHAM. Thank you. 

General Vaughn, you agree with that? We need to get ahead of 

this in the Army? 

General VAUGHN. I agree with what Lieutenant General Stultz 

says, that it’s mid-level. It’s mid-level stuff. If they’ve made the 

commitment as a colonel or a master sergeant, E–5s, E–6s, and E– 

7s have been stagnated a little bit. What they’re after is the early 

retirement piece, the piece that may get them to stay. When you 

come with the 90-day and 1-year per fiscal year program, all of a 

sudden we see people’s eyes going wide open. 

Senator GRAHAM. What I’ve been thinking about doing is in certain selected areas, critical need areas, if you’ll stay to 22 years of 

service you can retire maybe at 59 years old, and just walk your 

way down to 55 years old, as an incentive to stay on. 

Thank you all for your service. All I can tell you is that this war 

has been an incredibly difficult challenge for the Active Duty component. For the Guard and Reserve it has been a phenomenal challenge. The communities have stood up and stepped up. The employers are the unsung heroes of this war as far as I’m concerned, 

along with the Guard and Reserve families. 

We’re going to win this thing, and you could not possibly fight 

this war without the Guard and Reserve. Mr. Chairman, we talked 

about this yesterday. From a national point of view, we have the 

most war-ready, combat-ready Guard and Reserve in the history of 

the Nation, and they’re being well led. So God bless them. 

Senator BEN NELSON. Thank you, Senator. 

When it comes to retaining and incentivizing that group, there 

are a lot of good reasons to do it, not the least of which is those 

117 

are very expensively trained and prepared personnel. When we lose 

them prematurely, we lose part of the investment, if not all the investment that we’ve made, beyond what we’ve received in the way 

of service. So we obviously have every reason in the world to want 

to retain the members at that level if we possibly can. 

So we will look for ways to be able to do this. Before we drop 

them in, we’ll run them by you because we want to make sure that 

the incentives really do in fact make sense. 

When we worked on the new GI Bill, the first effort at it was 

comparable to the draft military, and that was taking care of people who were leaving. So the first effort at the GI Bill, I looked at 

it, and I said, ‘‘Now we’re going to create incentives for people to 

leave, as opposed for incentives for people to stay.’’ I think that’s 

clearly what we want to do here; to make certain that we know exactly what it is that we’ll get from any kind of solution we come 

up with. 

Senator Burris, any other questions? 

Senator BURRIS. Mr. Chairman, thank you. I do have one question to all the commanders. Mine deals with a family question, in 

particular the requirement for supporting the family members of 

our deployed or frequently deployed Reserve components, the Coast 

Guard, the Army, the sailors, the marines, and the airmen. 

If not properly prepared and supported, the family member’s negative experience will transfer to the servicemembers who are thousands of miles away. So my question is, a RAND study, which addressed the deployment experience of the Guard and reservists, 

found that family readiness was a critical aspect of preparing a 

servicemember for Active Duty service. Also in the RAND study, 

emotional and mental problems were mentioned most frequently— 

39 percent of the spouses and 26 percent of servicemembers mentioned such problems. 

So, commanders, can you each tell us what steps are we taking 

to deal with the deployment related to the problems with the family members that are experiencing the absenteeism and the constant uncertainty in the deployments? However you want to start; 

Coast Guard can start. 

Admiral MAY. Yes, sir. Sir, I think General Stultz mentioned this 

earlier, but taking care of the families of our reservists is absolutely the best thing we can do to ensure reservists’ wellness and 

that they’re ready to fight and be as ready as they can for us. 

We have several programs that are in place to support the families of the members either while they’re deployed or when they 

come back. We have a work life program. We also have an Employee Assistance Program that is available for members and their 

families should they need that. 

The other thing we’re doing, and this is on behalf of Admiral 

Debbink and the Navy, they have reached out to the Coast Guard 

and offered us to participate in their reintegration program, and 

we’re going to sign a Memorandum of Agreement with the Navy 

that will allow Coast Guard men and women to take advantage of 

that great program that they’re offering for members that have deployed and come back. 

So we’re with you, sir, and we’re going to do everything we can 

to take care of our families. 

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Senator BURRIS. Thank you. 

Yes, sir? 

General STENNER. I’ll echo those sentiments. I’ll tell you, one of 

the biggest things we’ve done, sir, is the predictability that comes 

with starting well ahead of time and announcing when it is these 

folks will be leaving. That gives us plenty of time. Six months is 

the Secretary of Defense’s red line right now for advising soldiers, 

sailors, airmen, and marines when they’re going to be called up to 

go. 

That gives us and our family readiness shops 6 months prior 

time to get everybody ready, to let them know what it is that they 

have, as far as their benefits go to get them prepared with the 

pieces of paper that they would need in the case of wills and child 

care. Then our family readiness shop takes up and we use our 

spouses as well. We have Key Spouse programs, Phoenix Spouse 

programs, Military OneSource, all of the kinds of things that are 

available to them, and we prep all those families prior to the deployment of the member. 

Then we, as was said by Admiral May, keep up with them when 

they come home and make sure that the things that have happened along the way that can uproot and upset families are accommodated and taken care of, and we get them in touch with the 

right agencies. The Yellow Ribbon program, again, becomes a very 

useful tool to keep those families engaged. 

Senator BURRIS. How about the Marines? 

General BERGMAN. Yes, sir. First of all, great question. Thank 

you. 

I think it’s important to note that, whether you’re Active or Reserve in any Service, but I’ll speak about the Marine Corps here, 

when we deploy a Reserve marine we take that marine from their 

home, wherever their home is in this country, and their family 

stays most of the time in that comfort zone of where they grew up, 

where they’re living. So they have a natural support network, 

whereas an Active component marine might have been from Chicago and gotten stationed at Camp Lejeune, and that marine deploys and the family decides to go back to Rolling Meadows, 

Naporville, or somewhere to sit out that 7-month deployment. 

We have a different set of metrics for support of the families, 

whether it be Active or Reserve. The good news is is that, when 

General Conway became Commandant, one of his first statements 

was: ‘‘I’m going to put the family readiness programs and family 

support programs on a wartime footing.’’ He felt there was room to 

grow. 

We have made a myriad of changes, the largest two of which are 

full-time family readiness officers, hired on the payroll of the Marine Corps, both Active and Reserve units, down to the battalion 

level. Second to that, once you have the people in place, now you 

add the communications systems because largely—now, getting 

back to the Reserve component—what our families need, if they’re 

sitting in Chicago, they want to know what’s going on with their 

marine. They want to know where he or she is. So, as that marine 

is activated and joins that gaining force command, it could be a Reserve command, it could be an Active command, the ability to track 

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where he or she is because we all want to know where he or she 

is, how he or she is doing. 

So, thanks to General Conway’s efforts, we have made great 

strides in the last couple of years in coupling together the Reserve 

and Active needs through the full-time family readiness program. 

Senator BURRIS. How about the Navy? Do they get on those ships 

for those 6-month tours and the family doesn’t know where they 

are? 

Admiral DEBBINK. Yes, sir, Senator Burris. I think one of the 

keys to all of this is, of course, we all recognize that we recruit a 

servicemember and we retain a family. You’ve heard that saying 

before. 

Senator BURRIS. Absolutely. 

Admiral DEBBINK. So we need to continuously communicate with 

those family members. We look for ways for doing that, whether 

they’re deployed, whether they’re back here at home, or whether 

they’re on a ship. We have things like Family Days. We have a 

very robust Ombudsman program at all of our units. 

Our Navy Operational Support Centers are located throughout 

the country, and they all know to stay in touch with these family 

members while the members are deployed. 

We also have the program you’ve heard about before, Returning 

Warrior Workshops, where we incorporate the family member 

when they come back, so you’re communicating with them before 

they leave and after they come back as well. Military OneSource 

is a fantastic thing we all have available to us. It is being funded, 

of course, by DOD. Just almost anything you could ask for, a family 

member can get via Military OneSource. 

Finally, I do believe the most important thing we can do for family members is ensure each and every one of our servicemembers 

has real and meaningful work to do, so when they’re deployed, 

they’re gone, they’re out doing our work, our Nation’s work, they 

call back home, they email back home, they maybe can’t tell you 

what they’re doing, but they can say, ‘‘Hey, I’m making a huge difference.’’ As long as that’s the case, the family members have been 

very, very supportive, sir. 

Senator BURRIS. Thank you. 

General, how about the Army? 

General STULTZ. Yes, sir. Family readiness, family support, is 

critical for us. As Vice Admiral Debbink mentioned, if we don’t retain the family we don’t retain the soldier. We’ve seen what the 

operational tempo will do in terms of performance. I’ve been there 

on the battlefield with a soldier who can’t focus because he has 

family problems back home. He becomes a liability, a liability not 

only to himself, but also to his buddies. 

We have put, as Lieutenant General Bergman said, a lot of structure into the Army Reserve. We have hired family readiness support assistants, full-time people, because we said we can’t depend 

on volunteers. The volunteers are burning out, they’re getting tired. 

So we’ve put full-time structure in there, trying to get it down to 

the battalion level. We’re not there yet. 

We’ve reorganized our structure on our family readiness programs. It’s become a command priority, and it’s become a command 

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ness by personnel readiness, by equipment readiness, by training 

readiness. We never measured family readiness. We’ve said we 

have to put that into the equation because the unit’s not ready if 

the family’s not ready. 

The last thing I would tell you is, as we’ve developed what we 

call the Army Force Generation Cycle, the 5-year rotation where 

we bring a unit back from theater, reset the unit, get it into training year 1, 2, 3, and then deploy it, that family readiness becomes 

part of that cycle, too, because when you come home, you have to 

reset that family readiness group, then you have to rebuild them, 

and then you have to prepare them so that when the unit gets 

ready to deploy we can check the block and say the family readiness group is ready, too, and all the families are taken care of. 

The last thing I’ll mention, because it is a particular issue for 

me: We can’t forget about the kids, the stress on the kids. We don’t 

know what’s going on in their mind. My wife, Laura, and I were 

down at a kids camp, these Operation Purple camps we have for 

kids of deployed soldiers, sailors, marines, and airmen. Great 

camps. We were down at one at Fort Bragg a couple of years ago, 

talking to the counselor, and he said: ‘‘You never know what’s on 

their mind. We’re sitting there with two young kids around a campfire, and one’s talking about when his dad comes back, they’re 

going to go fishing. The other kid looks at him and says: ‘You mean 

they come back?’ ’’ 

We don’t know what they’re thinking, and we can’t forget about 

the kids and make sure we’re taking care of them also. 

Senator BURRIS. Absolutely. 

General, the Air Force? 

General WYATT. Yes, sir. The ANG has been deploying AEF rotations since about the mid-1990s. My particular wing in Oklahoma, 

for example, first deployed in 1996 and has deployed either in Operation Northern Watch, Operation Southern Watch, Operation Enduring Freedom, or Operation Iraqi Freedom, nine times. Granted, 

the deployments aren’t as long, but they are more frequent. We 

have a few different challenges than perhaps the Army does with 

different types of deployments. 

We’re seeing also with some of our reachback capabilities, some 

of our Predator operators, and some of the people who provide the 

information processing, that they’ll go to work at an ANG base one 

day, work 8 hours, see some things that most Americans don’t see, 

and then go home to the wife and kids. It poses or it presents a 

different challenge. 

The adjutants general tell me that they recognize that there are 

different challenges with the Services, and they need to have programs that consider the equities of the Services, but they would 

also like to integrate and leverage the capabilities of different programs that are provided by our parent Services. To that extent, I 

think we are in the process of working extremely well with the 

ARNG to lash our two programs up so that they complement one 

another. 

We could use some help, at least the ANG could, in our joint 

force headquarters manning to help facilitate that. But we have, 

for example, one program, the Yellow Ribbon program, that has 

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nomer because I consider it more of an integration; it’s not just 

after the deployment. It starts, actually, before. An outreach program to the families, the member, the kids, to teach them about 

the programs that are available to them to handle all the different 

challenges that they might face and to facilitate access to those 

programs that are out there. Strong Bonds marriage seminars is 

another. 

It’s getting better. I remember back in the days when we first 

started deploying, we had one family support person who did all of 

the work for the entire wing and it was a wait-and-see-what-developed approach, as opposed to what it is today, which is an active 

outreach program to reach out and touch our families and help 

them through the process. 

Senator BURRIS. General, do you have any other comments on 

the Army’s situation? 

General WYATT. Senator Burris, I would mirror several of the 

comments here. A couple of things. One is the ARNG manages 325 

family assistance centers by charter throughout the United States. 

Now, that’s Air and Army, Navy, Marines, everybody who walks in. 

That’s 2.2 million inquiries. Now, that just gets at the issues that 

are out there. 

I think one of the most powerful things that has come out of the 

conflicts that we’re in is the power of the family readiness groups. 

Every unit, every deploying unit, has them. Now, when you look at 

the soft spot in what’s wrong with our organization, we identified 

something here: the people that aren’t served by that are the crosslevel soldiers, the ones that are coming in there from different 

units, that the families are way away from those tight-knit communities. 

So when we looked at that, we said, ‘‘the way to get at this family readiness problem and the family issue, so that we have the 

families with their arms all the way around everybody and know 

everybody, is to bring more unit cohesion to our organizations.’’ 

That’s why we’re all about readiness, we’re all about getting our 

strength as high as we can in trained soldiers, and not cross-leveling, and getting all that out of the way because it actually empowers family readiness groups because they can get their arms 

around everybody. So that’s what we’ve done. Thanks for the great 

question. 

Senator BURRIS. Mr. Chairman, I was out at Walter Reed Hospital last Friday, and this is neither a Reserve nor a National 

Guard issue, but I was interviewing some of the warriors that were 

being treated at Walter Reed. I came into the room of this young 

warrior from Illinois. He was being discharged, and I asked him: 

‘‘Son, what are you going to do?’’ 

You know what he told me? He said: ‘‘Senator, I’m trying to figure out how in the hell I can get back to my unit in Iraq.’’ I looked 

at that kid and I almost broke down in tears, because he was getting out of his bed with a prosthesis, talking about he wanted to 

go back to be with his unit. You guys are training those young men 

to defend us. God bless you. 

Thank you. 

Senator BEN NELSON. Thank you, Senator. Thank you. 

122 

General Wyatt, it’s my understanding that under the auspice of 

Total Force Integration (TFI), the Air Force is now considering 

transfer of priority missions that align with the traditional Guard 

construct to the ANG, thus enabling the Air Force to reallocate 

those freed Active Duty resources to missions requiring higher fulltime manning. 

I support operationalizing the Total Force, and I want to make 

sure this is done, but I also want to preserve your ability to perform the homeland defense and civil support missions. Maybe you 

can give some examples of TFI missions that have been assigned 

to the ANG and in the process of having those reassignments have 

you received the necessary resources to see them through so that 

they don’t in some way diminish your other resources? 

General WYATT. Thank you, Senator. Great question, and you’re 

right on target. 

The ANG is working with General Stenner, Air Force Reserve, 

and the Air Force Active Duty airmen to identify those capabilities 

that the U.S. Air Force needs that would be ideal situations for associations. 

You’re very aware of probably one of the greatest association examples in your cryptolinguist unit there in Nebraska. But you’re 

also aware, because of that association, that sometimes we’re not 

properly resourced, even though that’s a great example of how a 

guardsman can associate with an Active Duty member force structure to provide the capability that this country needs. 

Each of the three components has strengths that can be leveraged to make us even stronger. We also have some weaknesses 

that, if we can avoid through these associations or at least minimize, we can provide more capability to the country. We’re looking 

at just about every mission that the U.S. Air Force wants to get 

into, we’re looking at ways to associate. We’re looking at the high 

operations tempo missions that the Air Force is more suited to take 

because of their full-time force, but also associating guardsmen in 

there to provide the surge capability that particular unit might 

need. 

The Air Force Reserve is doing the same thing. We have different 

types of associations that we’re looking at, the classic association 

which originally started with Air Force owning the platform, and 

the Reserve component going to the Active Duty. But we see Active 

associations now where the force structure is coming the other way. 

We sometimes get caught up, I think wrongly so, in arguing over 

who owns the capability and because an Active Duty component 

may own the capability that the association should take place on 

an Active Duty base. I think we need to consider things like ability 

to recruit to that particular mission, the demographics, the type of 

mission it is, the particular mission design series or the weapons 

system that we’re talking about, and then take a look at the different association constructs and see which one fits a particular situation better. 

We’re investigating a new construct called an Embedded Associate, that may offer opportunities to take TFI to the next step. I 

think you’re aware that Secretary Donnelly has encouraged us, 

through his TFI–2, to continue working together, and I’m proud to 

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eral Charlie Stenner, Air Force Reserve, and the Active Duty to do 

exactly that, sir. 

Senator BEN NELSON. Are there any examples of what you could 

do on a TFI mission, if you had greater end strength or additional 

resources that could be put together? 

General WYATT. Yes, sir. The demand far exceeds the supply. 

The Air Force brought its manpower down and is in the process of 

bringing it back up. I think General Stenner is adding 4,000-plus 

to his end strength after having taken his force down a few years 

ago. 

The adjutants’ general counsel to the Air Guard was: Don’t take 

your manpower down (a few years ago) but take your risk in a reduction of our flying hour program, and we did that. But if you 

take a look at the missions that the ANG has already accepted 

from the U.S. Air Force, and the validated required manpower 

needed to perform those missions, we are 2,228 positions short of 

what we need. 

That doesn’t count the need for air guardsmen to populate our 

joint force headquarters, and it doesn’t count all the other missions 

that the Active Duty Air Force is asking the Guard and the Reserve to consider. So if the Air Force wants us to do these missions, 

we’ll be happy to do it. Our recruiting vector is going in the direction that would allow us to recruit to those, but we need appropriate resourcing if that’s the call that will be made by our senior 

Air Force and Nation’s leadership. 

Senator BEN NELSON. I certainly agree with you, and I hope that 

as these opportunities are there, and if they do in fact increase, 

that everyone will make us aware of the need to add the resources, 

the end strength, and/or the financial resources, to make sure that 

they happen so we don’t end up with a cryptolinguist situation 

where, great idea, just not resourced, and therefore a missed opportunity. 

General WYATT. You’re exactly right, sir. At last count, we had 

136 TFIs that were still pending work with the Active Duty and 

the Reserve. The ANG is involved in 94 of those, so we’re extremely 

interested in participating in TFI, but when it drives an additional 

manpower requirement, we would ask to be appropriately 

resourced if that’s the direction the Air Force wants to go. 

Senator BEN NELSON. As you should. So if you will keep us 

aware of that, that would be very helpful. We’d be more than willing to assist and take that into consideration. 

To the other witnesses today: Have you experienced similar 

issues with assignments or consideration of additional missions 

that you might have engaged in if you’d had the resources, either 

the end strength or the financial resources to be able to do so? Let’s 

see, yours is a little different, Admiral May, but are you running 

into some things like that? 

Admiral MAY. Yes, sir, Mr. Chairman. I think that’s the biggest 

thing we struggle with each and every day, both on the Active Duty 

side of the Coast Guard and on the Reserve side. It’s our limited 

capacity. If you look at the Active Duty component, it’s about a 

41,000 force. The Reserve component is about 8,100. So, combined, 

you’re looking at a total force of less than 50,000. That’s about the 

124 

size of the New York City Police Department, and we have a worldwide mission. 

So we’re only limited by our capacity, and certainly if there was 

an opportunity there, we could certainly provide greater service to 

this Nation if we had additional forces, yes, sir. 

Senator BEN NELSON. With the concern we have about port security and other needs to secure our borders, oceanfront property, as 

well as landlocked locations, certainly it makes a lot of sense to be 

certain we have adequate resources for your missions. 

Admiral MAY. Yes, sir. 

Senator BEN NELSON. Thank you. 

General Bergman? 

General BERGMAN. The short answer, sir, is no, we haven’t seen 

anything significant, whether it be on the potential addition of missions or the need for manpower. But we must be very mindful of— 

and General Conway has discussed this in his vision and strategy 

for 2025—the need for the sustainable Reserve with the skill sets 

that the Marine Corps requires. I would suggest to you that, as we 

deploy worldwide, some of the skillsets in the Marine Corps Reserve are available because these marines, largely senior Marine 

Reserves, have acquired a combination of Marine Corps leadership 

traits and civilian occupation skill sets which provide a very unique 

and very positive blend for some of the places we go. 

Senator BEN NELSON. Admiral Debbink? 

Admiral DEBBINK. Yes, sir, Mr. Chairman. We talked, of course, 

about there being Navy capabilities, and then the question is how 

best to source those, either with the Active component or the Reserve component. This is where the really hard work is going on. 

One example is our Navy Expeditionary Combat Command down 

in Norfolk, which is presently 51 percent Reserve component and 

49 percent Active component. It seems to be working okay right 

now during the current overseas contingencies, but what about 

later on and what about post this period? What’s the right mix? 

Those are very difficult questions to answer. We’re doing the 

analytics on that question right now. That analysis will drive the 

real solution as to where those capabilities exist on the Active component or Reserve component. So it’s hard work, but we’re hard at 

it. 

Senator BEN NELSON. Thank you. 

General Stultz? 

General STULTZ. I get asked every day by the Army to do more. 

If you’d have asked me 3 years ago when our end strength was at 

20,000 below what we were authorized, we would have probably 

said we couldn’t take on any more. Today, we’re 500 short of what 

our authorized end strength should be, so we’re growing at a great 

rate. 

I think there is more we can do. Yes, sir. I just came back from 

a trip to European Command in Stuttgart, Germany, and Africa 

Command, at their request, specifically, because they’re looking at 

the same thing we do down in Southern Command regarding security cooperation partnership-type programs for medical readiness 

and engineering missions. We’re doing things in Africa already, 

building schools, building roads, drilling wells, those kind of things 

that they say—within the Reserve components, Guard and ReVerDate Nov 24 2008 13:29 Jan 21, 2010 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00128 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6602 Y:\BORAWSKI\DOCS\54509.TXT JUNE PsN: JUNEB
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serve—you guys have the civilian skills that blend nicely with this, 

and they’re not long-term missions. In a lot of cases, it’s 3 months 

or 4 months of work. Can you do more? Can you take these on because the Active Force is committed to Afghanistan or Iraq, and we 

can’t get any resourcing for these types of exercises? 

We could do more if we had more to work with. Likewise, when 

the Army was given the go-ahead to grow to 547,000, which was 

an increase of 65,000 over 482,000 that they originally had, what 

we saw happening out there was that everybody thought they had 

something of a blank check. So a lot of these Army units that were 

at one time a multiple component unit, split between Reserve and 

Active, the Army came to us and said: ‘‘We’re just going to go Active pure; we don’t need the Reserve anymore because we’re growing. So you go ahead, take your structure, and grow something 

else,’’ which we did. 

We grew 16,000 additional military police, transportation experts, engineers, and medical personnel in the Army Reserve. Now 

the Army’s coming back to us and saying: ‘‘Just kidding; we really 

do need you in these multiple component units.’’ We’ve said: ‘‘But 

we’ve already committed the spaces. So, if you’re going to ask us 

to fill out these Active component units now as multiple component 

headquarters, you have to give us more strength at the end.’’ 

So I think there is a lot more we can do. As I led off with, we 

are a great return on investment, as are all the Reserve components. We’re limited in terms of end strength and capability. 

Senator BEN NELSON. General Vaughn? 

General VAUGHN. Sir, we take on every mission that’s out there, 

and we don’t turn any down. It’s those that we can’t see that really 

disturb us. We are on track in our surge to be a great at-the-ready 

organization. We need to keep the equipment thing flowing like it 

is, get our full-time support piece that you’ve helped us with in the 

appropriate numbers, and it’s probably getting there now. 

The issue that we have in front of us for the Army Guard is that, 

today, we stand at 368,000. It’s about 16,000 over the appropriated 

strength, but about 10,000 over the language that was in the supplemental. We don’t have the money, and we’re going to have to 

pull back towards that 358,000. 

But I will tell you this: It’s going to be healthy for us, because 

we have two problems. We have a dinosaur of a Cold War era relic 

in the way that we man up our Force. We take individuals in that 

want to be soldiers, but that are not yet soldiers, and swear them 

in at day 1. This is 60 years old, the nearest that I can see. 

Now, those soldiers count against our spaces. On the Active side, 

they only count those folks that are really soldiers. We’re going to 

convert into a system just like the Active Army does over the next 

8 months. I think we’re going to get there. Then my successor’s 

going to come back and ask for an end strength increase because 

we also need an over strength account to take care of those that 

are in training, just exactly like the Active Army has. This will 

then have you exactly postured to where, when you ask the Guard 

to do something, you can rest assured they’re not going to have to 

cross-level a bunch of folks to do it, and they’re going to go and do 

it. 

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So, we just have to keep it on the rails that we’re on right now. 

I think we’re going to have to look at a strength increase at some 

point in time for this training account, or we’re going to have to 

reduce some force structure to get the readiness we need. 

Senator BEN NELSON. I think it’s important that you do that and 

get into that position because it’s easy to predict that we’re going 

to be needing some help along the southern border with the drug 

war. It’s war nevertheless, no matter what it may consist of. It 

would not be surprising if you were asked to take some role in 

helping quell the violence along that border; that is almost certainly going to happen soon. 

I’ve asked all the questions I have, but I may not have asked all 

the questions I should have. So I ask, is there anything that I 

haven’t asked you that I should have or anything that we’ve left 

out that you’d like to comment on? I won’t be embarrassed for not 

having asked something I should have if you add anything to it. 

Have I missed anything? 

[No response.] 

Senator BEN NELSON. We, as a committee, appreciate very much 

your involvement. Thank you for being here at this hearing today. 

There’s a great deal of interest in these subjects and we want to 

get it right, and we want to make sure you receive whatever you 

need. You know that there’s a place to come, tell us, ask for it, and 

we’ll work with you to get it accomplished. It’s too important not 

to. 

May God bless you. May God bless the men and women under 

your command and all those who wear our uniform all over the 

world. 

Thank you very much. 

This hearing is adjourned. 

[Questions for the record with answers supplied follow:] 

QUESTIONS SUBMITTED BY SENATOR DANIEL K. AKAKA

YELLOW RIBBON REINTEGRATION PROGRAM

1. Senator AKAKA. Secretary Hall, in my own State of Hawaii, over 5,000 members of the National Guard and Reserve have deployed in support of Operation Iraqi 

Freedom (OIF) and Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF). Because of Hawaii’s geographically separated environment, it complicates outreach efforts to these National 

Guard and Reserve members before, during, and after deployments. I’m encouraged 

that the Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program (YRRP) will go a long way in addressing this issue. How would you assess the YRRP’s impact on Guard and Reserve 

members that are geographically separated from military installations? 

Mr. HALL. The Department of Defense (DOD) YRRP events provide National 

Guard and Reserve members and their families with information, services, referrals, 

and proactive outreach opportunities throughout the entire deployment cycle. While 

some events are held at National Guard and Reserve component installations, we 

usually use non-military facilities to provide events in geographically centric locations for Reserve component members and their families, which negates most, if not 

all, YRRP accessibility issues that might occur by holding YRRP events at remotely 

situated military installations. Prior to the establishment of the DOD YRRP, the 

Services’ Reserve components (Army National Guard, Army Reserve, Navy Reserve, 

Marine Corps Reserve, Air National Guard, and Air Force Reserve) used Service 

programs to meet the intent and requirement of the program. DOD is working with 

all Services, both Active and Reserve components, to create standardized programs 

that combine the best practices of each Service to better support servicemembers 

and their families. The impact of the DOD YRRP enables the components to deliver 

conveniently located, effective, timely, and standardized support to servicemembers 

and their families throughout the entire deployment cycle regardless of Service affiliation or unit location. This will assist commanders in ensuring the highest posVerDate Nov 24 2008 13:29 Jan 21, 2010 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00130 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6621 Y:\BORAWSKI\DOCS\54509.TXT JUNE PsN: JUNEB
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sible readiness of their units and the health and well-being for our entire DOD military community. 

As this is the first year of implementation for the YRRP, we are working to ensure that the program can be tailored effectively to meet local needs. We are particularly sensitive to the difficulties we may encounter in establishing the program 

in geographically challenged areas such as in Hawaii and Alaska. The advisory 

board created by the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 

2008, section 582, will provide an initial report to the Armed Service Committees 

on September 11, 2009, which will assess our progress. The report is to cover an 

evaluation of the implementation, an assessment of resource requirements, and any 

recommendations they deem necessary to ensure the YRRP maintains ‘‘closer coordination with the State National Guard and Reserves.’’ 

COMMISSION ON THE NATIONAL GUARD AND RESERVES

2. Senator AKAKA. Secretary Hall, the Commission on the National Guard and Reserves recommended ‘‘. . . DOD should be prepared to provide the bulk of the response to a major catastrophe that incapacitates civilian government over a substantial geographic area and that DOD should initiate the necessary planning, 

training, and coordination for such events.’’ In my State of Hawaii, this is of particular interest to me because of our location. From the information your office has 

received to this date, what recommendation(s) would you make to current policy to 

address any planning or training shortfalls to prepare DOD for an incapacitating 

catastrophe? 

Mr. HALL. Based on this recommendation of the Commission on the National 

Guard and Reserves, the Secretary of Defense, in a November 24, 2008, memorandum, directed the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, in consultation with the 

Department of Homeland Security and other Federal agencies, and representatives 

of State and local officials as appropriate, to assess U.S. Pacific Command, U.S. 

Northern Command, and National Guard Bureau plans to determine their adequacy 

to meet the demands of an incapacitating catastrophe. 

In addition, there are two significant planning efforts ongoing at the Federal and 

State level. On December 3, 2007, the President issued Annex I (‘‘National Planning’’) to Homeland Security Presidential Directive-8 (‘‘National Preparedness’’). 

Annex I required the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), in 

coordination with the heads of Federal agencies with a role in homeland security, 

to develop interagency plans for each of the 15 national planning scenarios and for 

the head of each Federal agency with a role in homeland security to develop an operations plan to execute the roles and responsibilities assigned in the interagency 

plans. 

At the State level, last October, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, in 

partnership with DOD and State Governors, began the Task Force for Emergency 

Readiness (TFER) initiative. A TFER is a planning activity, operating under the authority and direction of a Governor, supported by the Secretary of DHS and the Secretary of DOD and augmented by the expertise of the National Guard, that is intended to: (a) support participating States’ Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment processes to identify threats/hazards, vulnerabilities, and consequences; (b) develop State operations plans for the national planning scenarios; (c) synchronize and 

integrate, as appropriate, State operations plans with Federal operations plans for 

the national planning scenarios; (d) synchronize and integrate such State operations 

plans with those of other States; (e) support the use of State operations plans for 

training and exercises consistent with section 648 of the Post-Katrina Emergency 

Management Reform Act of 2006 (6 U.S.C. section 748); and (f) support State efforts 

to monitor and improve their operational readiness consistent with the national preparedness system required by sections 641–647 of the Post-Katrina Emergency 

Management Reform Act of 2006 (6 U.S.C. sections 741–747). Currently, a five State 

TFER pilot program is underway in Hawaii, Massachusetts, South Carolina, Washington, and West Virginia. In the future, DOD hopes to see a TFER established and 

planned in every State. With a TFER in every State, we will have taken a revolutionary step in moving beyond asking questions about needed capabilities and resources, proper response actions, and responder readiness to actually having answers. 

RETENTION

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tenant General Stenner, and Rear Admiral May, during the hearing, Secretary Hall 

mentioned the remarkable 111 percent recruitment rate of the National Guard and 

Reserve. I applaud the efforts of Secretary Hall’s office and the Services for accomplishing this level of success during a time of war. In your opinion, what are the 

most critical programs available to your Service that will retain our servicemembers? 

General VAUGHN. The strength of the ARNG is in communities, service, and belonging to a proud organization. In addition to that basic reason for serving, the 

pay, retirement benefits, vacation, and travel savings, and other related benefits of 

service, to include Veteran’s preference in hiring and housing loans, are great 

motivators for our citizen soldiers. 

Currently there are several programs being utilized to retain soldiers in the 

ARNG. These programs help to keep quality soldiers in our organization. The following are some of the programs that have been proven to be effective: 

The Extend to Defend program recognizes the soldier and spouse with a certificate 

and other awards of appreciation when the soldier extends his/her service. The 

awards presented vary based on the length of time the soldier has served. The 

Bronze Level recognizes soldiers with 1 to 9 years of service, the Silver Level represents 10 to 14 years and the Gold Level is 15 to 20 years. The recognition of years 

of service rendered by the soldier and family has been very successful, especially 

since families are rarely recognized for their selfless support. 

TRICARE and dental benefits that are now offered to National Guard soldiers are 

instrumental not only in readiness, but in retention as well. These affordable and 

convenient programs are excellent benefits, and in today’s economy this has been 

a strong retention tool to many people who may otherwise be uninsured. 

Reenlistment bonuses have been a staple of the ARNG. These bonuses retain 

quality soldiers by means of extra income which could be used for a home, car, bills, 

et cetera. Retention bonuses have been used for many years by the military to retain top quality soldiers and help the ARNG retain strong, qualified individuals. 

Lieutenant General WYATT. In the Air National Guard, the most critical programs 

for retention are: the Montgomery GI Bill, Reenlistment Critical Skill Bonus, Residency Stipend, Health Professional Critical Skill Bonus, Family Readiness Program, 

Yellow Ribbon/Hometown Heroes and TRICARE. 

Lieutenant General STULTZ. The following are Army Reserve critical programs. 

These programs will provide the maximum benefit to soldiers and their families. 

Reenlistment Bonuses 

The Army Reserve will most likely meet its end strength objective of 205,000 this 

year. However, a strength imbalance currently exists within some grades and career 

specialties. It is critical that we sustain the flexibility to offer monetary and nonmonetary incentives to continue to recruit and retain the best and brightest soldiers. 

We must retain maximum flexibility to quickly tailor incentives to manage the force. 

Additionally, TRICARE Reserve Select (TRS) and all education benefits, including 

tuition assistance (TA), have proven to be very valuable resources in retention efforts, especially in challenging economic conditions. Finally, we must sustain the 

flexibility to offer incentives such as the Critical Skills Retention Bonus, targeted 

to specific grades and specialties, to manage and shape the force. 

Education Benefits 

The Army Reserve TA Program, the Montgomery GI Bill-Selected Reserve 

(MGIB–SR), and the Reserve Educational Assistance Program (REAP) have all been 

directly related to retaining quality Army Reserve soldiers. TA is available for voluntary off-duty education and pays up to $250 per semester hour with a maximum 

of $4,500 per fiscal year. A Reserve soldier must be actively attending battle assemblies as a satisfactory participant in order to use TA. To qualify for the MGIB–SR, 

a soldier must have a 6-year obligation to serve in the Selected Reserve after June 

30, 1985. Servicemembers may be entitled to receive up to 36 months of MGIB–SR 

benefits. The REAP makes certain soldiers eligible who were called or ordered to 

Active Duty in response to a war or a contingency operation for at least 90 days 

or more after September 11, 2001. They may be eligible to receive up to 36 months 

of REAP benefits depending on length of service. Both the MGIB–SR and REAP can 

be combined with TA. 

Retirement System 

First, the Army Reserve retirement system helps provide a sense of closure for 

those who have selflessly dedicated so many years of their lives to the defense of 

and service to our country, often at great personal sacrifice to themselves and their 

families. Additionally, it provides a very important and valuable incentive to 

servicemembers to continue service to 20 years. Retirement eligibility following 20 

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years of service in the Army Reserve remains one of the most effective incentives 

to promote retention and continued service. Since fiscal year 2003, over 36,000 

Army Reserve soldiers and families have retired. When treated with dignity and respect, each of them can become a future recruiter for the Army Reserve. Second, 

changing the Reserve component servicemember retirement eligibility age to less 

than 60 for Active Duty mobilization tours in support of OEF can be a longer-term 

retention factor for both the soldier and their families. This change also could potentially equalize retirement benefits across the Federal Government while giving soldiers a tangible reason to continue to serve. 

Health Care TRICARE Reserve Select 

TRS provides health care coverage and prescription medications for our soldiers 

and their families. It is a flexible, premium-based system, available to our soldiers 

serving in a Select Reserve status. 

TRS provides an excellent benefit for our soldiers and families who may not be 

offered a health care plan through their employers, or who have a plan with higher 

costs. It also provides an opportunity for seamless health care coverage as our soldiers are called to Active Duty and return to Select Reserve status. 

Employer Partnership Initiative 

The Army Reserve is implementing leading-edge employer relations programs 

that promote a continuum of service, sustain soldiers’ well-being during mobilization 

periods, and provide career-enhancing employment opportunities. This partnership 

initiative benefits employers by referring highly qualified, competent, and disciplined soldiers to work within their communities. This collaboration builds new capabilities to compliment both military and civilian skills. The employers and the 

Army Reserve share the same talent pool. Partnering with industry for a shared 

workforce helps to ensure success in better qualified soldiers/employees and it facilitates a longer-term relationship as the soldier cycles through training opportunities, 

tours of duty, and reintegration. 

Admiral DEBBINK. There are several critical factors and programs that influence 

sailors’ decisions to ‘‘Stay Navy’’ and facilitate the retention of top performing Selected Reserve sailors. 

At the tactical level, our affiliation and retention bonus programs, targeted at specific year groups, communities, and critical wartime specialties, remain essential to 

retaining the right people for the right job. Reserve bonuses are critical to our ability to target sailors in undermanned ratings and critical skills. 

Additionally, drill pay, which provides Selected Reserve sailors a source of competitive monthly income that augments their overall earnings, a robust retirement 

plan that offers a monthly annuity adjusted for inflation, and access to comprehensive quality health-care, continue to provide unique and unparalleled financial and 

medical security and stability for Reserve component sailors and their families. 

Also key to Reserve component retention success, at all pay-grades, is that we provide sailors with meaningful work that allows them to see the results of their efforts 

and how that contributes to mission success. During a recent visit to the Central 

Command Area of Responsibility, as I spoke with many Reserve component sailors, 

I observed first-hand their high levels of motivation and heard of their continued 

desire to serve. 

Among our highest priorities is to recruit and retain the best and brightest sailors 

so we can continue to deliver full-time excellence through part-time and full-time 

service that enhances the Navy Total Force, now and in the future. These programs 

and initiatives contribute significantly to the success we are having in achieving this 

vital goal. 

General BERGMAN. The Reserve incentives that are currently offered under title 

37 U.S.C. and the NDAA are critical to continuing to access and retain both our 

Reserve officer corps and our Reserve enlisted marines. Funding of these programs 

is essential. The various incentives provide flexibility and options for the 

servicemember to consider while giving the service level headquarters the ability to 

target certain critical skills, as needed. Programs in question are: 

Officer Programs 

• The Selected Marine Corps Reserve (SMCR) Officer Education Loan Repayment Program that provides up to $30,000 for college loan repayments 

for officers that affiliate and continue to participate in the SMCR. 

• The Officer Accession Incentive that offers $4,000 to infantry officers who 

affiliate and continue to participate for at least 4 years with the SMCR. 

130 

• The Officer Affiliation Bonus that pays a $10,000 lump sum payment for 

company grade officers and those majors that are naval aviators for a 3- 

year affiliation with an SMCR unit. 

• The Transition Affiliation Bonus (TAB) that provides for a $3,500 lump 

sum payment for those Active component company grade officers that affiliate with the SMCR for 3 years. The TAB is also available to Active component naval aviators who affiliate with the SMCR for 3 years. 

Enlisted Programs 

• The SMCR Enlistment Bonus provides a $20,000 lump sum payment to 

enlisted marines with critical skills who enlist for a standard 6 × 2 obligation. 

• The SMCR Reenlistment Bonus provides a $15,000 lump sum payment 

to enlisted marines with critical skills that reenlist and serve a minimum 

3-year obligation with the SMCR. 

• The SMCR Enlisted Affiliation Bonus provides a $15,000 lump sum payment to Active component marines who affiliate with the SMCR for a 3- 

year commitment upon their EAS from Active service. 

• The MGIB–SR Kicker provides up to $350 a month for up to 36 months 

of full time enrollment for those SMCR marines with critical skills who 

commit to a standard 6 × 2 obligation to the SMCR. 

• The Active Reserve Enlisted Affiliation Bonus provides a $15,000 lump 

sum payment to marines with a critical skill that joins the Active Reserve 

for a 3-year obligation. 

• The Active Reserve Reenlistment Bonus provides a $15,000 lump sum for 

those Active Reserve marines with a critical skill that reenlist for at least 

a 3-year obligation. 

General STENNER. Congress continues to provide the Air Force Reserve with the 

tools necessary to improve retention rates among our career airmen. In recent years, 

the list of notable retention tools has grown to include retention bonuses for our 

hard-to-fill critical skills, the post-September 11 GI Bill, reduced TRICARE premiums, reduced age retirement pay eligibility, in-active duty travel pay, and the 

YRRP. Predictable deployment and mobilization schedules are additional tools we 

use to aid our retention efforts. Having the ability to inform our reservists, in advance, when they are vulnerable for deployment allows us to take care of the all 

important Reserve Triad: the reservist; the family; and the civilian employer. 

With the assistance of this committee, the Air Force Reserve has expended a great 

deal of time and effort in developing recruitment and retention programs that attract and keep the talented citizen airmen that are this country’s great strength. 

In our efforts to do so, we remain cognizant of our capacity to integrate with the 

Regular Air Force and Air National Guard, and our role as a force provider in support of the joint warfighter. To that end, we gain from the civilian skills, capabilities, and experience that our citizen airmen provide and match those attributes with 

requirements developed from the mission areas of the Air Force. We retain talented 

airmen by providing them with meaningful service in relevant and vital mission 

areas. As the Air Force evolves to assume emerging missions, the Air Force Reserve 

will evolve with it. 

Admiral MAY. Since September 11, 2001, the retention rates in the Coast Guard 

Reserve have remained relatively high, ranging from 87 to 89 percent, in spite of 

a significant increase in the operational tempo of our Reserve Forces. I feel this is 

directly related to the many benefits we continue to provide our servicemembers and 

continually strive to improve, such as TRS, dental coverage, and TA programs. 

We have also answered some of their concerns about the increase in operational 

tempo by providing clear mobilization and dwell-time expectations in the utilization 

of the Total Force so our reservists, their families, and employers have the planning 

factors and stability required to balance their civilian career, family, and service in 

the Reserves. Most importantly, the high retention rate is a testament to our 

servicemembers’ dedication and loyalty to our Coast Guard missions and our country. 

4. Senator AKAKA. Lieutenant General Vaughn, Lieutenant General Wyatt, Lieutenant General Stultz, Vice Admiral Debbink, Lieutenant General Bergman, Lieutenant General Stenner, and Rear Admiral May, what initiatives/programs do you 

recommend implementing to assist with retention efforts? 

General VAUGHN. The following initiatives assist with retention: funding for soldiers to attend military schools as part of the retention effort has a substantial impact on ARNG retention. The benefits to the Guard would be substantial savings 

131 

over traditional bonuses, a better trained force, and improved morale. The ARNG 

is currently using Air Assault School as an incentive template of how such retention 

efforts could work. 

Educational benefits motivate many applicants to enlist in the ARNG. As our soldiers grow in their careers, advanced degrees and certifications progress them in position and income. 

Education programs focused on our mid-grade NCOs and officers benefit both 

their civilian employer and their military employer. Currently, the ARNG is working with the United States Border Patrol for the benefit of both organizations. This 

partnership allows soldiers the opportunity to gain full time employment with the 

Border Patrol upon enlisting into the ARNG. Implementing this as a retention tool 

helps retain soldiers as they see full-time employment opportunities available to 

them. 

Similar to the Border Patrol partnership is the Drive the Guard program. This 

program offers the soldier training as a commercial truck driver that will lead to 

a Commercial Drivers License. Once the soldier has completed the training he is 

guaranteed a job with a trucking company, arranged by our partners in this program. This program is not only a recruiting program, but can be used as a retention 

program as the ARNG is helping members enter a civilian career field that offers 

future growth and benefits. Additional funding would allow more new and existing 

ARNG soldiers to begin careers as truck drivers and remain active members of the 

ARNG. 

Recognizing the spouse and families sacrifice is also imperative to retention. Providing family strengthening experiences in appropriate settings which demonstrate 

our Nation’s gratitude to soldiers and families will increase family support for 

ARNG membership. 

General WYATT. Our Air National Guard incentive program is a critical component in our recruiting and retention efforts and serves to motivate and support manning requirements in units with skills that are severely or chronically undermanned. It is established to encourage the reenlistment of qualified and experienced 

personnel. The Air National Guard saves on average $62,000 in training cost for 

every qualified member we retain or recruit. 

We believe reenlistment and affiliation bonuses would encourage members to retrain into critical skill areas such as chaplains and health professionals. While we 

do have the authorization to offer these bonuses, we lack the flexibility within our 

current budget to fund many of them. Further, we need changes to the cumbersome 

program requirements and process for paying student, chaplain, and health professional loans. These requirements and processes are impeding our retention efforts 

in these critically needed areas. Finally, offering Federal TA for Air National Guard 

members in Title 32 status would also enhance our retention efforts. 

General STULTZ. The Army Reserve is in the process of developing a strategy to 

transform the Full-Time Support (FTS) at the unit level which will better support 

readiness and mobilization of Army Reserve units on a continual basis. Evolving the 

FTS program requires addressing: Active-Reserve soldier staffing (AGRs); Army civilians; contractors; and unit members on orders beyond their statutory 39 training 

days per year. Currently, there are three studies underway to quantify FTS issues 

and inform policymakers. One study is determining the adequacy of FTS billets 

across the Reserve components. Another study is providing a ‘‘capabilities and competencies’’ analysis of FTS across the Army Reserve. The third is examining the use 

of dual status military technicians within the Army Reserve. These studies will lead 

to the development of a capabilities-based FTS solution for the operational demands 

in support of Army Force Generation. 

Admiral DEBBINK. I appreciate Congress’ foresight and concern for the retention 

of our Reserve servicemembers, and I’d like to thank Congress for the authorizations of these retention bonus initiatives to date. Continued congressional support 

for flexible special and incentive pays, which allows us to target specific year 

groups, communities, and critical wartime specialties remain vital to our ability to 

recruit and retain the right people for the right job through the most cost effective 

means. These authorities are critical force shaping tools to retain sailors in undermanned ratings and critical skill areas. 

Additionally, your continued support for development of flexible and responsive 

policies, processes, and systems that support ‘‘Continuum of Service’’ and ‘‘Sailor for 

Life’’ initiatives will ease the burdens of service for Reserve sailors and their families, while helping us provide a favorable life/work balance for all who serve. Initiatives, such as the recently enacted post-September 11 GI Bill and Early Retirement 

Credit for Active Duty service, enhance our ability to recruit high quality sailors 

and to retain them and their families for life. 

132 

Reserve component retention rates among both officer and enlisted remain high, 

while attrition rates remain at historic lows. In fiscal year 2008, attrition rates were 

approximately 25 percent for enlisted and 15 percent among officers, contrasted 

with historical averages of approximately 29 percent and 19 percent, respectively. 

Additionally, we are continuing to judiciously apply force shaping tools to maximize 

‘‘Fit,’’ while targeting the optimal number of prior service enlisted accessions to comply with budgetary and strength controls. 

Congress’ continued legislative support of these programs and initiatives provide 

us with the necessary tools to retain our best and the brightest sailors, as part of 

the Navy Total Force. 

General BERGMAN. The key to any retention effort is retaining quality Career Retention Specialists throughout the Marine Corps, not only the Reserves, and providing them with the tools to encourage marines to consider making a career out 

of the military. Targeting programs to retain/expand the Career Retention Specialist 

Force would ultimately benefit the Marine Corps and more importantly the individual marine. This would enable every marine the opportunity to explore more 

fully career opportunities available to them. 

General STENNER. This committee’s support of family support programs such as 

the YRRP, retention bonuses for our hard-to-fill critical skills, affordable TRS, and 

reduced age retirement eligibility, is essential to our retention efforts. While this list 

is not all inclusive, we believe there are additional tools that would help to increase 

retention rates. For example, identifying avenues to reduce the age for collecting Reserve retirement pay would be another great incentive to help us keep our experienced career airmen. We routinely hear of incidents where members of the Millennial generation, born in the 1980s, are not willing to serve over 20 years then have 

to wait an additional 10 years to receive a reduced annuity as compared to the Active component. We believe it would be beneficial if the mandatory age for collecting 

retirement pay was lowered. Additionally, medical coverage after retirement is a 

priority for the care of our members and their families. Providing the option of purchasing TRS beyond retirement should also increase retention. 

Admiral MAY. Since September 11, 2001, the retention rates in the Coast Guard 

Reserve have remained relatively high, ranging from 87 to 89 percent, while the 

operational tempo and demands on our Reserve Forces have significantly increased. 

Although retention rates remain within our goal, we continue to analyze the use of 

reenlistment bonuses to incentivize servicemembers with critical skill sets at pay 

grades with a shortfall to stay past their initial obligations. The many existing benefits, combined with new benefits such as the post-September 11 GI Bill and reduced 

premium TRS continue to assist in the improvement of our high retention. 

Additionally, within the Coast Guards modernization effort, we are reprogramming senior enlisted billets where best positioned to mentor junior enlisted reservists and strengthen participation and training plans. This senior enlisted cadre will 

provide expertise, oversight, and leadership at the field level, giving junior Reserve 

servicemembers guidance for a successful career and ensure more effective and efficient training of our integrated workforce. Experience shows that a higher level of 

engagement with a junior enlisted member’s career and training results in a more 

satisfied and trained reservist who is more inclined to reenlist. 

5. Senator AKAKA. Lieutenant General Vaughn, Lieutenant General Wyatt, Lieutenant General Stultz, Vice Admiral Debbink, Lieutenant General Bergman, Lieutenant General Stenner, and Rear Admiral May, the 21st century GI Bill provides 

enhanced educational benefits for veterans and servicemembers who have served in 

the armed services after September 11, 2001. The bill goes into effect on August 1, 

2009. What steps has your Service taken to implement this program across the 

Guard and Reserve by August 1, 2009? 

General VAUGHN. The post-September 11 GI Bill is a Title 38 Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) run program; however, this new program will affect all servicemembers ordered to Active Duty under U.S.C. sections 688, 12301(a), 12301(d), 

12301(g), 12302, or 12304. For the ARNG this equates to Title 10 Active Guard and 

Reserve, Title 10 Active Duty for Operational Support, Title 10 Contingency Operations Temporary Tour of Active Duty mobilizations, and those who join the ARNG 

with Active component service post-September 11. 

Currently the ARNG is awaiting final policy from the Army G1. Once this policy 

is received, potentially by June 1, 2009, the ARNG will send out an Education and 

Incentives Operation Messages to all States and territories with policy guidance for 

this program. Education Service Officers (ESO) and Educational staff will be informed on this new program in July at the annual ARNG Education Conference. Additional training is under development as a special 2-day workshop to be conducted 

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gram will also be incorporated into the curriculum of our semi-annual training offered to State educational staff; the next class is scheduled for November 2009. 

General WYATT. The Air National Guard provides weekly information to the field 

Retention Office Managers regarding post-September 11 implementation and VA resources available to members. To date we have not received official instructions for 

implementation from the Office of the Secretary of Defense, Reserve Affairs. While 

we await this guidance, we do have a tentative plan in place to provide additional 

training to the Retention Office Managers when the web application comes online. 

We believe there will be a need for additional manpower resources to train site 

users for the web application, facilitate the benefits transfer application process, and 

to provide conflict resolution for eligibility questions from the VA. 

General STULTZ. The Army Reserve has partnered with the Office of the Secretary 

of Defense (OSD) Reserve Affairs and other Reserve component service representatives, the Army G–1, the Defense Manpower Data Center, and the VA regarding the 

post-September 11 GI Bill initiative since it was enacted on June 30, 2008. The 

Army Reserve has participated in all post-September 11 working group efforts 

hosted by OSD Reserve Affairs over the past 10 months and will continue to provide 

feedback to OSD Reserve Affairs on post-September 11 GI Bill policy and procedural 

issues. Additionally, the Army Reserve has conducted various informational workshops and seminars with Education Services Specialists, retention personnel, and 

Human Resources Officers. The Army Reserve will continue to track the implementation and impact of the new GI Bill program for Army Reserve soldiers and families. The Army Reserve is advertising the new GI Bill program through its websites 

and will continue coordination efforts with OSD Reserve Affairs until full implementation occurs on August 1, 2009. 

Admiral DEBBINK. Navy has taken several steps as a Total Force in preparation 

for the post-September 11 GI Bill program launch later this year. Navy, in an ongoing collaborative effort with the OSD and the other Services, is working to develop 

implementing policy for Service management of the program. Additionally, Navy has 

conducted analyses on the potential retention and recruiting impacts for both Active 

and Reserve components. 

In order to facilitate implementation, Navy has begun a rigorous communications 

plan to educate the fleet on the provisions of the post-September 11 GI Bill and to 

provide sailors with updates as details are refined. Navy has been working extensively with OSD and the Defense Manpower Data Center to develop an online interface for seamless eligibility determination and transferability election. The website 

will have an Active component portal and a Reserve component portal to convey 

general program information as well as facilitating automated eligibility verification 

and election to transfer benefits. We have also initiated a training plan to educate 

recruiters (Navy recruiters are responsible for both the Active and Reserve missions), Navy Operational Support Center leadership teams, career counselors, Navy 

College Office counselors, Recruit Training Command instructors, officer commissioning program mentors, and educational services officers to effectively impart information regarding the provisions and eligibility criteria of the program. 

Post-September 11 GI Bill information is readily available on our integrated online learning network, Navy Knowledge Online, and other frequently-visited Navy 

websites, which link to the VA Web site. We have also communicated information 

about the new program to sailors in the fleet through entries on each sailor’s leave 

and earnings statement. We continue to circulate news articles and bulletins 

through various media outlets and host fleet-wide question-and-answer outreach 

sessions through mobile team trainers. These endeavors will continue to include the 

Active and Reserve component—both are working as a team to ensure the entire 

Navy stays abreast of the new program and any changes forthcoming. 

Strategic communications about the post-September 11 GI Bill are essential to ensuring sailors are well-informed and prepared to take full advantage of benefits the 

program offers. We will continue to work collaboratively to ensure successful implementation of the post-September 11 GI Bill. 

General BERGMAN. MFR MCCS continues to market Lifelong Learning Programs 

to include the post-September 11 MGIB through all available means; direct emails 

to units, briefings at various conferences and trainings and through our Family 

Readiness Officers. Additionally, we have created a dedicated email to support lifelong learning issues/questions: MFREDUCATION@USMC.MIL and have revamped 

and updated a more user friendly Education Web site http://www.mfr.usmc.mil/hq/ 

mccs/edu/edu.html. In January 2009 we conducted our first Lifelong Learning site 

visit and another in February. In March 2009 we started conducting customer surveys to better serve the Force and to evaluate their needs. We have been approved 

for funding to conduct our first ever Lifelong Learning Conference for Unit Education Officers, currently scheduled for August 2009, specifically to provide the most 

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up-to-date information on the new post-September 11 MGIB. We will also continue 

to conduct site visits upon request. A power point presentation was created and 

emailed to units with as much details as possible provided from HQMC/OSD. 

MFR MCCS is committed to provide quality education opportunities and information to all marines and sailors with TA and counseling services on most up-to-date 

changes stationed onsite and at 184 sites located throughout the United States. 

General STENNER. Air Force representatives have been working closely with the 

DOD in establishing the service policy for the implementation and execution of the 

post-September 11 GI Bill. The Air Force Reserve has been involved in several 

working groups and other sessions to ensure that all pertinent details are identified 

and addressed prior to final development of the policy guidance. We stand ready to 

implement the new program and are keeping functional agencies that will play a 

key role in implementing and sustaining the program abreast of pending guidance. 

Admiral MAY. The Coast Guard Personnel Management Directorate and the Coast 

Guard Office of Reserve Affairs continue to work closely with the Office of the 

Under Secretary of Defense, Personnel and Readiness, to ensure the timely transmittal of information to the Defense Manpower Data Center regarding qualified personnel. This process will ensure that the VA has the most accurate information required to make determinations on qualified benefits when our servicemembers make 

application for GI Bill benefits for higher education. 

The Coast Guard has also disseminated information to its members through message traffic, through information posted to Coast Guard Central on the internet and 

intranet, and through various periodicals distributed to the field announcing the 

new educational benefits available to Active and Reserve military members. We will 

continue to use this multi-media approach to provide our servicemembers with the 

most up-to-date information regarding this new benefit. 

QUESTIONS SUBMITTED BY SENATOR CLAIRE MCCASKILL

DUAL-USE EQUIPMENT

6. Senator MCCASKILL. Lieutenant General Vaughn, due to ongoing requirements 

and demands related to overseas missions such as OIF, the historic equipment onhand (EOH) percentage for the ARNG has been about 70 percent. Fiscal year 2006 

EOH declined to approximately 40 percent due to cross-leveling of equipment to 

support immediate deployment requirements. It increased to about 49 percent in fiscal year 2007. By the end of fiscal year 2008, the ARNG had 76 percent of its required EOH when deployed equipment is included. One of the primary reasons why 

these numbers are so low is that Guard components traditionally have had to leave 

equipment and vehicles in country (i.e. Iraq) for follow-on forces’ use. As a result 

of these vehicle and equipment shortages, National Guard personnel have limited 

mobility when conducting military support to civilian authority missions. Up-armored and tactical vehicles do not necessarily maneuver well in urban environments 

and have limited seating capacity. Many National Guard units, therefore, require 

commercial, non-tactical vehicles (i.e. passenger vans, pick-up trucks, and sport utility vehicles) to fill the gap between authorized and on-hand vehicles for transportation and evacuation purposes during emergency response operations. 

National Guard units continue to respond to State and federally declared disasters requiring passenger transportation, evacuation support, and cargo movement. 

Often times, units are unable to bring enough manpower to bear on a mission in 

a timely manner due to limitations of tactical vehicles. To overcome this obstacle, 

some have argued that their National Guard forces be allowed to make up the difference between authorized and on-hand tactical vehicles through the procurement 

of commercial vehicles. National Guard units could potentially draw these commercial vehicles from a centralized pool for use only during an emergency event. This 

would in turn greatly increase response time for both State-wide response and when 

providing emergency and medical assistance forces to other States. 

Do our National Guard forces have the adequate mix of non-tactical vehicles it 

needs to respond to domestic emergencies and disaster events? If not, where are the 

shortfalls and what are the funding or bureaucratic constraints to get what you 

need? 

General VAUGHN. The concept of utilizing nontactical vehicles to bridge the gap 

in authorized equipment such as HMMWVs has been reviewed by the ARNG. The 

basis of meeting both the Guard’s wartime and Homeland Defense and Defense Support to Civil Authorities (DSCA) missions has always been on hand unit equipment. 

The goal is to equip units to 100 percent of requirements to ensure that adequate 

equipment remains in the State to perform domestic response missions when a porVerDate Nov 24 2008 13:29 Jan 21, 2010 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00138 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6621 Y:\BORAWSKI\DOCS\54509.TXT JUNE PsN: JUNEB
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tion of its forces are deployed. A 100 percent equipped ARNG ensures we can train 

and deploy the unit for a Federal mission while simultaneously having the proper 

and authorized EOH, which our soldiers are trained to use for State missions. As 

the base requirement, using unit equipment for domestic response minimizes the 

overall ARNG equipping bill and enables training on the equipment used in wartime. Dual use of unit equipment is what makes the ARNG a modern and interoperable force. Reliance on a commercial fleet of vehicles for State missions may not 

meet the training requirements of our soldiers to ensure their readiness for overseas 

contingency operations. 

Good progress has been made in improving the posture of the ARNG light tactical 

fleet. The ARNG currently has 84 percent of authorized HMMWVs on hand. By the 

end of fiscal year 2010, the ARNG will field 93 percent of required HMMWVs. While 

this is not fully modernized equipment, as most vehicles are not armored, it works 

in favor of mobility and maneuverability to support the domestic response mission. 

Some specific new up-armored HMMWV models are extremely heavy and wide, and 

of questionable value in domestic response. 

The ARNG is already authorized approximately 10,000 light vehicles in the Table 

of Distribution Allowance non-tactical fleet. Some of these vehicles are governmentowned and some are leased from General Services Administration. This non-tactical 

fleet has been funded at 65 percent. The shortage of buses, sedans, and light trucks 

does inhibit moving people and equipment. 

DISASTER RESPONSE

7. Senator MCCASKILL. Lieutenant General Vaughn, it has been stated by some 

that while advances have been made in pre-event coordination of National Guard 

forces with the interagency prior to a disaster response, there is not always a commensurate level of re-event resourcing and authorization that it needs to adequately 

respond to civil emergencies. At times this situation has manifested itself in the adjutants general being unable to control their own organic equipment and assets due 

to coordination mechanisms and chains of command that have to occur with Federal 

authorities. For instance, coordination of limited DOD aero-medical evacuation assets continues to be an ongoing issue for many States during a disaster response. 

The adjutants general have to compete for limited assets and even work with Transportation Command (TRANSCOM) for approval to use their own resources even at 

times. One might argue that the conditions should be set to better enable DOD aircraft transportation resources be made available for Governors and adjutants general to handle their own evacuation problems prior to an emergency. 

Is the process for adjutants general and Governors to coordinate use of critical assets with Federal authorities in times of domestic crisis relatively efficient or in 

need or review? 

General VAUGHN. The ARNG is now an operational force, supporting requirements and missions both at home and overseas. We continue to increase our equipment readiness posture, as well as improve the relationships we have built with the 

interagency. State Joint Forces Headquarters will equip their units to their required 

level, while balancing both domestic and overseas contingency requirements to prepare for or respond to emerging crises. Emergency Management Agreement Compacts (EMACs) involve the temporary movement of equipment across State lines to 

help address shortages of equipment in other States during emergencies. The ARNG 

prioritizes its equipment fills according to mission type, and continues to fill toward 

100 percent. Although your question indicates a competition for resources between 

the Governors, their adjutants general, and Federal organizations, within the 

ARNG, each Governor has control over his/her State’s equipment to respond to 

emergencies within their State. EMACs facilitate the use of that equipment between 

States, prior to crises. At NGB, we work with States to help coordinate equipment 

sharing. 

You gave an example of how aero medical evacuation assets continue to be an ongoing issue for many States during disaster response, and that States have to compete with TRANSCOM for assets. In the ARNG, that is not the case. Any rotary 

wing assets within the ARNG are only moved with the consent of the State’s Adjutant General. With that said, the advent of the chemical, biologic, radiologic, nuclear, or high yield explosives (CBRNE) Consequence Management Response Force 

(CCMRF) has created some constraints in rotary wing aircraft employment across 

State boundaries. Although aircraft designated for the CCMRF mission cannot cross 

State lines while designed as CCMRF assets, they can however participate in the 

response to their own State’s emergencies. This constraint applies to personnel and 

equipment in support of the ground forces CCMRF mission as well. Insofar as a 

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State’s ability to handle their own evacuations prior to an emergency, for evacuation 

by air, the Air National Guard would be better suited to answer that question as 

they have the fixed wing aircraft capability that would better address the requirement for mass evacuation. To answer your last question, there is always room for 

improvement in the coordination done between the States and Federal authorities. 

Some of the improvements we have implemented within the ARNG include the employment of Joint Enabling Teams, comprised of subject matter experts from various 

staff elements who are sent to an affected area to act as liaisons from National 

Guard Bureau to the State to facilitate information flow. Prior to hurricane season, 

conferences are held with the hurricane States, National Guard Bureau, and Federal agencies, to work through process improvements, changes to procedures, and 

update agreements. 

There are always challenges in responding to any crisis. We are better as an organization and continue to gain efficiencies. We are better as a response force. We are 

better as a Nation since Hurricane Katrina in responding to crisis situations. Even 

during Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, units across the country quickly mobilized and 

responded to the needs of the Governors of Louisiana and Mississippi, beginning 

within 72 hours after receiving the call. More than 50,000 trained and equipped soldiers and airmen deployed to the Gulf Coast to help with rescue and recovery. The 

ARNG will respond in the future when needed, quickly, and to the best of our abilities, wherever we are needed in the United States to perform the mission we are 

given. 

MEDICAL EVACUATION ASSETS

8. Senator MCCASKILL. Lieutenant General Vaughn and Lieutenant General 

Wyatt, are there adequate numbers of DOD aero medical evacuation assets available to National Guard forces in times of emergency? 

General VAUGHN. The ARNG is on a path over the next few years to potentially 

possess a total of 27 aeromedical evacuation companies, but is pending Army’s approval. This equates to 252 ARNG UH–60 aeromedical evacuation aircraft and 48 

ARNG UH–72 medical evacuation aircraft. This amount of future aeromedical evacuation capability given our requirements overseas greatly enhances the ARNG’s 

ability to be available in times of emergency. The ARNG may still have a small capability gap in additional UH–72 aircraft. Currently, the Guard is assessing that 

gap to determine any additional requirements across all the States, territories, and 

the District of Columbia 

General WYATT. In the Air National Guard, we have identified a requirement for 

three additional complete equipment sets. Additionally, there is a need for specific 

equipment packages to accommodate the transfer of special needs patients. Finally, 

we have requested a manpower study (priority one) to determine the proper manning for support of U.S. military operations overseas and homeland defense support. 

CONSEQUENCE MANAGEMENT RESPONSE FORCE

9. Senator MCCASKILL. Lieutenant General Vaughn, the CCMRF consists of about 

4,700 joint personnel who would deploy as the DOD’s initial response force for a 

CBRNE event. The force would support civil authorities to save lives, prevent further injury, and provide temporary critical life support. The current CCMRF consists of three brigades that form the core of the multi-component, multi-service response force. These three units are the 1st Brigade Combat Team of the 3rd Infantry Division from Fort Stewart, GA; the 1st Medical Brigade from Fort Hood, TX; 

and the 82nd Combat Aviation Brigade from Fort Bragg, NC. The force also includes 

Air Force medical and engineering elements, Marine Corps technical support forces, 

and elements of the Defense Threat Reduction Agency and Defense Logistics Agency 

in order to conduct assessment, search and rescue, decontamination, medical, aviation, engineering, and logistics missions. The next CCMRF scheduled for 2009 is 

scheduled to be comprised of National Guard forces, which might tend to pull soldiers in high-demand/low-density occupational specialties from their organic units 

and might impede a State’s ability to provide military support to civil authorities 

during emergency response operations. 

Do you foresee Governors losing control of high-demand/low-density Guard assets 

by having to commit forces to the CCMRF, or are these concerns unfounded? 

General VAUGHN. No. Once units have been identified for the CCMRF mission, 

these units are dedicated specifically to that mission, but will remain available for 

State missions, if required. CCMRF units can perform DSCA operations, but not simultaneously to a CBRNE incident. As a result, Governors will not lose assets and 

137 

forces that have been identified for the CCMRF mission unless a CBRNE incident 

occurs. 

10. Senator MCCASKILL. Lieutenant General Vaughn, what States/units are slated 

to source their forces to the CCMRF in the near term? 

General VAUGHN. 

Units scheduled for 2009 

Kentucky ...................................... 63rd Theater Aviation Brigade 

Colorado/Nebraska ...................... Headquarters 2–135th General Support Aviation Battalion 

Colorado ...................................... A/2–135th General Support Aviation Battalion 

Colorado/Nebraska ...................... B/2–135th General Support Aviation Battalion 

Colorado/Nebraska ...................... C/2–135th General Support Aviation Battalion 

Colorado/Nebraska ...................... D/2–135th General Support Aviation Battalion 

Colorado/Nebraska ...................... E/2–135th Field Support Company 

Arkansas ..................................... Detachment 1, B/449th Aviation Services Battalion 

Florida/Alabama .......................... B/1204th Aviation Services Battalion 

Units scheduled for 2010 

South Carolina ............................ Headquarters 218th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade 

South Carolina ............................ 4–118 Infantry Battalion 

South Carolina ............................ 218th Support Battalion 

South Carolina ............................ 251st Area Support Medical Company 

South Carolina ............................ 111 Signal Company 

South Carolina ............................ 1052nd Medium truck Company 

South Carolina ............................ 108th Public Affairs Detachment 

North Dakota ............................... 3662nd Maintenance Company 

Michigan ..................................... Headquarters 146th Medical Battalion 

Michigan ..................................... 1171st Area Support Medical Company 

Alabama ...................................... Headquarters 115th Signal Battalion 

Alabama ...................................... B/115th Signal Company 

Wisconsin .................................... 357th Signal Company 

11. Senator MCCASKILL. Lieutenant General Vaughn, will Governors and adjutants general be able to pull these forces back from this requirement in the case 

of an exigent circumstance requiring their presence, i.e. natural disaster? 

General VAUGHN. Yes, the CCMRF units remain available for State missions. 

However, it is recommended that units perform State missions only and not respond 

to DSCA operations outside their State due to the CCMRF mission requirement. 

12. Senator MCCASKILL. Lieutenant General Vaughn, will all these forces be collocated in one location on a constant alert level or will they be kept in their organic 

State to be called upon whenever needed? 

General VAUGHN. The CCMRF forces will remain organic to their State until Federalized for a CBRNE incident. This applies for both CCMRF aviation and ground 

forces. 

[Whereupon, at 4:41 p.m., the subcommittee adjourned.] 

Æ