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Success, challenge and the way ahead - Naval Reserve

Officer, The - January 1, 2003

The Naval Reserve has attained astonishing success and seen significant challenges over the past year. We are continuing at an unprecedented pace with support for the war on terrorism, while attempting to guide the Naval Reserve through the complex process known as transformation.

More than 240 years ago, Captain Simeon Ecuyer, a Swiss mercenary serving in a pre-Revolutionary War campaign in Pennsylvania, wrote during the siege of Fort Pitt: "Hammer the Americans hard enough and you will forge the best weapon in the world."

All Americans were hammered hard by the unprovoked attacks at the beginning of this war on terrorism, but, remarkably, this threat has forged new strength and resolve in all of us. Nowhere is that more evident than in the response by the men and women of the Naval Reserve, who are balancing civilian and military careers.

Living in the age of terrorism creates terrible uncertainty. Within the nation's borders we have become deeply suspicious of every domestic incident that may or may not derive from organized terrorism. Outside our borders, real and ever-present terrorist threats focus on every conceivable national symbol. We are a nation on alert.

The men and women of the Naval Reserve, whom I am proud to represent, reflect the best of who we are as a nation. They have been on alert and thousands have been on duty since the beginning of the war on terrorism. They know they must be prepared to do even more.

We ask a lot from our individual Reservists. And they have responded heroically.

Observing the work performed by Naval Reservists over the past year, I have concluded that heroes are just ordinary people who do extraordinary things.

Among the Naval Reserve heroes who represent the extraordinary sacrifices made by all of our members in support of Operations Enduring Freedom and Noble Eagle are people such as:

Petty Officer Second Class John Mason, a police officer from New York City whose patrol areas included the World Trade Center. He mobilized to Rota, Spain, to join a Naval security force there and decided to extend for a second full year.

CDR Neal Bundo and members of Navy Command Center Unit 106 at the Pentagon who mobilized and drilled around the clock to maintain the watch in the aftermath of the destruction of the center and the murder of fellow sailors.

Construction Electrician Second Class Marcia Johnson, a single parent of two daughters and an accounts receivable clerk for Pepsi. She was mobilized to Pearl Harbor with Construction Battalion Maintenance Unit 303 to provide security support for Commander, Navy Region Hawaii. Although she could have waived her commitment, she arranged for a friend to take her apartment and temporary custody of her children for a whole year.

And there are Naval Reserve heroes among the spouses of our Reservists.

The husband of Susan Van Cleve was also recalled with Construction Battalion Maintenance Unit 303. With no formal ombudsman training, she took on the task of representing the dependents and relatives of more than 180 mobilized SeaBees. What's remarkable is that Mrs. Van Cleve has five children at home under age five.

Ordinary people summoned to do extraordinary things. I call them heroes.

I could go on and on with such stories. They are the people whose dedication we honor and must support.

At the height of the mobilization in 2002, we activated almost 10,600 Naval Reservists. Today we have several thousand sailors providing support around the world. Most are individuals with unique specialties.

Those activated included significant numbers of law enforcement officers and security specialists. Medical, supply, intelligence and other specialties were heavily tasked. In addition, Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 201 and entire units of the Naval Coastal Warfare commands were activated.

Naval Reserve fighter pilots flew combat air patrol over our cities. P-3C Orion pilots and crews are still flying surveillance missions. Logistics aircraft crews established a continuous presence in Bahrain and increased their operations tempo by 25 percent.

TOP FIVE PRIORITIES

And while our deckplate sailors continue training to support combatant commanders, at the headquarters level we are still adhering to our Top Five priorities for the Naval Reserve. Let me briefly review highlights of these goals to illustrate our progress.

Manpower. Our recruiting numbers look good and we are meeting goal. A continuing challenge is to fill targeted rates. Although initially the percentage of veterans enlisting bottomed out after 11 September 2001, it quickly rebounded, and we finished the year over end-strength. Our attrition rate hovers near 25 percent, sharply down from a few years ago but short of our goal of 22 percent. One major improvement is that we are consolidating our recruiting efforts with the active Navy--and we expect both to benefit.

Training. Our training emphasis is on providing Joint Professional Military Education and ultimately building a cadre of Reserve officers with joint experience and designated as fully joint qualified. This will involve working closely with joint gaining commands to identify billets requiring joint experience to be filled by Reserve officers, an opportunity that has previously been nonexistent. In addition, in order to take advantage of current and future training available through distance learning, we have been working hard to develop and implement a policy to provide drill pay to those personnel completing distance learning courseware at the direction of their commanding officer. Finally, we are committed to supporting the chief of naval operations' Task Force Excel and commander, Naval Education and Training, through integration of Naval Reserve personnel at all levels in the Navy Training Organization. This integration will enable the Naval Reserve to be in a position to take advantage of training initia tives under way throughout the Navy.

Equipment and Information Technology Compatibility. In FY02, we saw a continuation of the decline in procurement of equipment for the Naval Reserve. Total Naval Reserve equipment procurement has steadily decreased from $260 million in FY97 to about $35 million in FY02.

Among the few bright spots in the FY03 equipment budget is funding for the acquisition of one new C-40A logistics aircraft. These aircraft are vitally important to fleet logistics because the Naval Reserve provides 100 percent of the Navy's organic lift capability and direct logistics support for combatant commanders in all operating theaters. Unfortunately, even this replacement rate is inadequate.

Furthermore, essential F/A-18 modifications, P-3C upgrades, and SH-60B helicopters all require substantial investments. Currently some Reserve F/A-18 A/B aircraft lack the capability to deliver precision-guided munitions and need upgrades to avionics, software and accessories.

P-3C aircraft used by the Naval Reserve make up approximately 40 percent of the Navy's capability. Currently, these aircraft can provide only limited support to combatant commanders because they lack certain upgrades such as the aircraft improvement program upgrade. This capability, used extensively in Afghanistan by active P-3 aircraft, provides added long-range optical, infrared, and electronic intelligence-gathering sensors, synthetic aperture radar, and data links, which give P-3s the ability to gather intelligence, maintain long-term surveillance, and conduct reconnaissance of suspicious targets. To enable our P-3C squadrons to fully participate and integrate with the active component during mission contingency operations, an investment needs to be made to upgrade our 42 P-3C aircraft.

Reserve squadrons integrated with the active force can fully participate in contingency operations. This in turn reduces active operational tempo and increases Navy mission capability. Spending to achieve equipment compatibility between the active and Reserve components is a good investment.

For FY03, Congress appropriated funds for a second littoral surveillance system to support Naval Coastal Warfare. Otherwise, the equipment procurement outlook is stagnant.

In the information technology area, we have implemented the new order writing system online, and it is up and running smoothly. Within budget constraints, we continue with implementation of the Navy Marine Corps Intranet; by the end of FY03, 58 percent of the Naval Reserve is expected to be switched over. Our goal is a seamless information and communication systems integration between the active Navy and the Naval Reserve. Delivering sailors, equipment and units to combatant commanders requires information technology improvements in the manpower, personnel, communications, training and financial management areas.

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