Jeffrey W . Talley Lieutenant General Jeffrey W . Talley is the 32nd Chief of Army Reserve ( CAR ) and 7th Commanding General , United States Army Reserve Command ( USARC ) . As the Commanding General , USARC , he reports directly to the Commanding General , U . S . Army Forces Command ( FORSCOM ) and commands all Army Reserve troop program units worldwide , with total end strength of 205 , 000 Soldiers and 12 , 600 civilians . As CAR , he is the principal staff adviser to the Secretary of the Army and the Army Chief of Staff on all Army Reserve Affairs . He develops Army Reserve budgets , training programs and policy decisions ; manages the Army Reserve troop program units , individual mobilization augmentees , and the active guard / reserve program ; and serves as the appropriation director of all Army Reserve funds . Biography . Military career . Talley graduated from Louisiana State University in 1981 with a Regular Army commission in the Corps of Engineers . In February 2003 , he mobilized and deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and Iraq Freedom as Chief of Operations , 416th Engineer Command , Coalition Joint Forces Land Component Command . Upon return from theater , he served in the Pentagon as a strategic planner in the Deputy Directorate for the War on Terrorism , Strategic Plans & Policy Directorate ( J - 5 ) , Joint Chiefs of Staff . In January 2008 , he mobilized again , deploying in support of OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM where he was the Commander , 926th Engineer Brigade , 4th Infantry Division , Multi - National Division - Baghdad and the Baghdad Provincial Engineer . His efforts , described as " Engineering the Peace " enabled the people of the Iraqi capital and its government to advance security and stability efforts . From June 2009 to April 2012 he served as Commanding General , 84th Training Command at Fort Knox where he was responsible for assessing the readiness of Army Reserve units through Combat Training Center - like exercises . He also served on the Secretary of Defense ’ s Reserve Forces Policy Board from 2009 to 2012 . Civilian career . As a Citizen - Soldier , Lt . Gen . Talley was President and CEO of Environmental Technology Solutions ( ETS Partners ) , in Phoenix , Arizona . ( Spivey , 2012 ) ; and also , an Adjunct Professor at The Johns Hopkins University . He has over 30 years in various academic , design , consulting , and military positions involving hundreds of different environmental sites and business projects throughout the United States and abroad . Education . Talley holds a Ph . D . in Civil and Environmental Engineering from Carnegie Mellon University and an Executive M . B . A . from the University of Oxford in England . He also holds multiple master ’ s degrees in strategic studies , environmental engineering and science , liberal arts ( history and philosophy ) , and religious studies . He is a graduate of the Army War College . He is a registered Professional Engineer , a Board Certified Environmental Engineer in Environmental Sustainability , and a Diplomate , Water Resources Engineer . Military Awards . Talley ’ s military awards and decorations include the Army Distinguished Service Medal , the Legion of Merit Medal , three Bronze Star Medals , the USACE Silver De Fleury Medal , four Meritorious Service Medal s , the Joint Service Commendation Medal , two Army Commendation Medal s , four Army Achievement Medal s , Parachutist and Air Assault Badges , Ranger Tab , Joint Staff and Office of the Secretary of Defense Identification Badges . Vision for the Army Reserve . Talley shared his Rally Point 32 strategy with Army Reserve leaders at the Senior Leader Conference in Raleigh , June 10 , 2012 . Rally Point 32 ties together the Chief of Staff of the U . S . Army ’ s Marching Orders , Army Reserve Vision and Strategy 2020 , and the Army Reserve Campaign Plan . It describes the Talley ’ s intent to sustain a high - quality , all - volunteer , operational Army Reserve for Army and Joint Force missions at home and abroad . Talley said the Army Reserve will posture itself through “ progressive readiness ” by providing appropriate levels of readiness at the right place and right time . Another key component of Rally Point 32 is getting back to basics through home - station training . He is putting the responsibility for these training requirements on the unit command teams with support from the training commands and USARC staff . The reason for the existence of the Army Reserve is to serve the Army , Talley stated . He added that Gen . Raymond T . Odierno , the Army chief of staff , coming to Fort Bragg for the change of command ceremony , sends a “ pretty clear message to the Army how important the Army Reserve is . ” .