STATEMENT OF
LIEUTENANT GENERAL DENNIS M. MCCARTHY
UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS RESERVE
COMMANDER MARINE FORCES RESERVE
18 JULY 2001
Chairman McHugh, Congressman Snyder, and distinguished members of the Committee, it is my privilege to report on the status and the future direction of your Marine Corps Reserve as a contributor to the Total Force. On behalf of Marines and their families, I want to thank the Committee for its continued support. Your efforts reveal not only a commitment for ensuring the common defense, but also a genuine concern for the welfare of our Marines and their families.
The Marine Corps Reserve continues to make an extraordinary contribution at home and abroad. Today, we are approximately 212,000 strong, with 172,600 Marines in the Active Forces and 39,558 in the Selected Marine Corps Reserve. As part of our Total Force, Reserve Marines augment and reinforce the Active Component by performing a variety of missions such as providing civil affairs expertise in the Balkans, providing aviation support in Southwest Asia, and providing logistics support in Central America. This year, Reserve Marines and units participated in several exercises spanning the globe from Germany, Romania, Egypt, Macedonia, Korea, and Thailand to Australia.
Marine Forces Reserve (MARFORRES) deployed approximately 3,200 Marines and 1,200 Short Tons of equipment, via strategic lift, to support our National Military strategy during Fiscal Year 2000; force deployments during the first two quarters of Fiscal Year 2001 show the same level of effort. We supported contingency operations by providing a Civil Affairs detachment for Kosovo and KC-130 support for both Operation Northern Watch and for forward deployed Marine Expeditionary Units (MEUs), relieving Operations Tempo for Active component aviation units. Additionally, our Air Naval Gunfire Liaison Companies (ANGLICO) supported both east and west coast Marine Expeditionary Units (MEUs) in exercises within the United States and overseas.
Marine Reserve units and individuals participated in at least 75% of the counter narcotics missions assigned to the Marine Corps in Fiscal Year 2000. In the continental U.S., Reserves trained to measure and enhance their mobilization readiness with the Active Component and they conducted community service projects in their hometowns, thereby strengthening the vital link between the military and our society.
My intent today is to discuss the future roles and missions and current state of the Marine Corps Reserve with respect to the Corps' Four Pillars of Readiness: Marines and their families, legacy systems, infrastructure, and modernization. During my comments today, I will discuss the status of many programs. I should note, however, that the programs I will discuss may change as a result of the Secretary of Defense's strategy review. I ask that you consider my comments in that light.
Our overall budget has been adequate to sustain the readiness of our Marines. However, we have been maintaining readiness at the expense of modernization and investment in our infrastructure. Recent spikes in the cost of utilities have put even this fragile balance in jeopardy. This year's budget is a good beginning to address our funding challenges. Our future defense capabilities depend upon your continued support.
FUTURE ROLES AND MISSIONS
Our future commitments depend on our Marines to be ready, willing, and able to respond quickly to contingencies worldwide. The value of the Marine Corps Reserve has always been measured in our ability to effectively augment and reinforce the Active Component. All operational units of the Selected Marine Corps Reserve (SMCR) have been assigned to a unified combatant commander and apportioned to each Commander-in-Chief (CINC) for Major Theater War (MTW) plans. In the event of an MTW, our Reserve commanders know: when and where they can expect to mobilize and deploy, what missions and tasks they will be expected to perform, and which Active Component commander will employ them in combat. Most Marine Reserve units are identified to deploy in the earliest phases of a conflict, to include units identified to marry up with Maritime Prepositioned Shipping equipment. These facts clearly demonstrate how important the Marine Corps Reserve is to the total Marine Corps planning effort. Although our primary roles will not change, current global conditions will require increasing contributions from the Reserve to support Total Force demands as contributors to exercises, contingencies and other operations.
Operational tempo relief missions will continue to provide increased opportunities for Reservists to support the Total Force effort throughout the world. Requests for Reserve support cross the spectrum of unit type and capabilities. Outside of the Continental United States, Reserve deployments in Fiscal Year 2001 are supporting contingency operations, participating in bilateral exchanges, and providing OPTEMPO/PERSTEMPO relief to the active component. These units conduct live-fire exercises and participate in amphibious, jungle, mountain, and cold weather training, which will enhance the unit and the individual Marine's skills, proficiency, and readiness. This Reserve participation includes: six New Horizons operations conducted in Central and South America; two Civil Affairs detachments to Kosovo for a six month rotation each; two Dutch bilateral exchanges in Curacao; an Australian exchange in support of Exercise Gold Eagle; and numerous Partnership for Peace Exercises in support of the European Command.
The Marine Corps Reserve is also supporting two additional OPTEMPO relief efforts. We deployed a provisional security unit from the 23rd Marine Regiment to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba to serve a four-month deployment, relieving the Marine Corps Security Force Battalion of the requirement to send one of its platoons to perform that mission. Additionally, we have been asked to assume the Marine portion of the UNITAS exercise. The goal of this initiative is to assign the UNITAS deployment to the Reserve every other year. We will begin by training a reinforced company from the 23rd Marine Regiment in preparation for the 2002 UNITAS deployment. A robust Active Duty for Special Work (ADSW) budget is a critical element in meeting the requirements of the Total Force.
The Marine Corps Reserve at the beginning of the new millennium must be able to adapt to new missions in response to future challenges. The role played by our Reserve units in Weapons of Mass Destruction - Consequence Management (WMD-CM) will not detract from the primary mission of augmenting and reinforcing the Active Component. The Marine Corps Reserve, already "forward deployed" in cities across America, can play an important role in supporting civil-military responses to crises.
Given that we expect a continued increase in the employment of the Reserve in support of Total Force missions, we must maintain current readiness while ensuring that our resources are available for modernization. Congressional support for increased use of the Reserve has been a key element in providing OPTEMPO relief and training. Your support permits us to meet commitments that may go beyond the normal two-week annual training period. While the historical Reserve mission to augment and to reinforce our Active Component remains our focus, the demands of this and emerging missions will increase operational challenges and amplify the need to effectively resource the Marine Corps Reserve. With proper planning that takes into account the specific demographics of the Marine Corps Reserve, and with adequate resources, we can do more and still take care of our Marines. We are not yet approaching the limits on the use of the Marine Corps Reserve, but we are watching this closely.
MARINES AND THEIR FAMILIES
Our future success relies firmly on the Marine Corps' most valuable asset and its first pillar of readiness - our Marines and their families. In fact, our Commandant, General Jones has made it clear that combat readiness and personal and family readiness are inseparable. As such, we are aggressively working to strengthen the readiness of our Marines and families by enhancing their quality of life (QOL). Our Marine Corps Community Services' (MCCS) many programs and services are designed and being developed to reach all Marines and their families regardless of geographic location; a significant and challenging undertaking considering the geographic dispersion of our Marines and their families who are spread across 47 states and Puerto Rico. One area I'm particularly proud of is our Marine Corps Family Team Building program. During the past two years we have made a considerable commitment and investment in building, training, and supporting family readiness teams - comprised of Marines and volunteers - at sites and units across the Force. In short, these teams are vital to our family readiness efforts prior to, during, and after a deployment or mobilization. They are making a difference, and I expect this will only strengthen as our program matures. Our MCCS programs also include Chaplain delivered retreats; physical fitness and healthy lifestyle programs; children, youth, and teen support; and continuing education programs just to name a few. Much work remains to extend MCCS programs and services to our unique Force, but even today MCCS is positively impacting our mobilization readiness, which in turn is contributing to us being ready, willing, and able to contribute to the Marine Corps' Total Force effort.
Reserve manpower augmentation is required in order to meet the Reserve commitment as a capable, ready partner in America's force in readiness. Reserve manpower augmentation consists of ADSW and a reassessment of the remaining QDR reductions in the Marine Corps Reserve. The Marine Corps Reserve is no longer only a force for mobilization for Major Theater War but it is now a daily use force. We are using the Reserve for manpower augmentation to Active and Reserve staffs, units, and exercise forces by providing short-term and fulltime personnel to plan and perform training, administration, maintenance and logistical support not otherwise available through existing manpower levels or traditional Reserve participation (drills and annual training). These additional personnel are also of absolute necessity in maintaining our ability to plan and participate in operational tempo (OPTEMPO) relief operations, Joint and Combined Exercises, and essential combat, combat support, and combat service support training. MARFORRES has traditionally provided 150,000 workdays per year in support of the Active Component - we doubled that number to well over 300,000 in Fiscal Year 2000. Our expanded measures for OPTEMPO relief, including the two important actions of recurring security deployments to Guantanamo Bay and the assumption of the United American States (UNITAS) deployment to South America in alternating years, contribute to ADSW requirements outpacing available resources.
The second issue affecting our Marines is the QDR97 reductions. Although the last QDR initially led to tangible improvements, it also resulted in a reduction in our end strength that essentially removed the flexibility in meeting the personnel demands inherent in a robust operational tempo. One of the major factors facilitating Reserve readiness is the significant investment of active duty manpower in full time support of the Reserve. The QDR97 directed reductions of active duty support of the Marine Corps Reserve, particularly the Active Reserve program, are challenging our ability to maintain readiness and meet requirements for Reserve employment. Eighty-one percent of the QDR Reserve reductions will have been taken by the end of Fiscal Year 2001 but any further reductions will negatively impact our ability to provide OPTEMPO relief and maintain Reserve readiness.
The FY02 President's budget affirms our internal Marine Corps reviews, including the Fiscal Year 1999 Force Structure Planning Group and Fiscal Year 2000 General Officers Future Group, that determined the 1997 QDR Reserve reductions require an adjustment. Maintaining overall Selected Marine Corps Reserve (SMCR) end-strength at 39,558 (including 2,261 Active Reserves) will stem the degradation of the Marine Corps Reserve's capability to provide OPTEMPO and PERSTEMPO relief to Active Marine Forces, maintain sufficient Full Time Support at our small unit sites, and retain critical aviation and ground equipment maintenance capabilities.
The most sacred honor we can provide veterans is that of a military funeral. The staff members and Reserve Marines at our 185 manned sites performed approximately 5,500 funerals last year, a45% increase over 1999, and we project a 39-40% increase per year giving us potentially 7,500 funerals to support this year. The steps that Congress took last year to allow Reserve participation at the inactive duty drill rate for funeral honors duty helped us meet this growing obligation. Our current Reserve end strength supports funeral honors at our small sites (where there are less than 10 active duty Marines on staff), not as a primary duty, but as one of the many tasks incident to training and administering the Reserve and providing a military connection to the local community. The authorization and funding to bring Reserve Marines on ADSW to perform funeral honors has particularly assisted us at sites like Bridgeton, MO, where we perform several funerals each week; exempting these Marines, who exceed 180 days on ADSW to provide funeral honors for veterans, from counting against active duty end strength would remove an impediment to greater Reserve component participation and provide greater latitude in manpower application. Furthermore as a result of the increase in funeral honors, we have realized increased operations and maintenance costs associated with vehicle maintenance and fuel for transportation of funeral honors duties and for the cleaning and maintenance of dress uniforms. Continued support for military funeral honors funding, in our Military Personnel and Operations and Maintenance accounts, is critical to ensuring mission success in this most worthwhile endeavor.
Our Career Management Team (CMT) continues to expand its efforts to support "Career Reservists" - those Marine officers and enlisted who have completed their initial obligation and who remain affiliated. The CMT staff provides record reviews and counseling, offers career guidance, and communicates promotion information to assist and guide Reserve Marines in making the best possible career decisions. Via the CMT Website, Marines can access CMT services as well as find and apply for open Reserve billets and ADSW opportunities using the Reserve Career Management Support System (RCMSS) database. RCMSS allows units and the CMT staff to contact Marines qualified for specific jobs and provides units with online visibility of Marines who are actively seeking Reserve career options.
Our benchmark for achieving our goals is simple - "One Corps, One Standard" for all Marines, Active and Reserve. The Marine Corps Total Force System (MCTFS), our single integrated personnel and pay system, encompasses the records of all Marines in a single logical database. To meet the unique requirements of the Reserve, we are constructing MCTFS compatible automated systems to reduce costs and provide better service to our Marines. An example is the Marine Corps Medical Entitlements Data System (MCMEDS) that automated injury claims processing for Reserve Marines, reducing paperwork and facilitating rapid determination of entitlements for the injured Marine. We will shortly field our Reserve Order Writing System (ROWS) to integrate our orders request and writing systems, facilitate reconciliation of funding obligations, and ultimately interface with MCTFS and the Defense Travel System. The ROWS will expedite orders and travel processing, will provide for a smoother transition to active duty, will improve orders and pay action response times, and will provide real time funds accountability. We actively participate in development of the Total Force Administration System (TFAS), a Marine Corps program to update and further automate our Manpower Management System.
The U.S. Navy continues to directly support MARFORRES personnel readiness by providing over 2,700 medical, dental, religious, and naval gunfire support staff. I enthusiastically support the Navy plan to fund a full 15-day annual training for these sailors in Fiscal Year 2002 and out. Our joint training is essential to the successful accomplishment of our training and operational mission. The Navy also provides near total manning for two Status of Resources and Training System (SORTS) reportable Marine Corps commands, the Medical and Dental Battalions of the 4th Force Service Support Group, as well as significant support of air/ground combat elements. I will work with the Director, Naval Reserve to maintain a minimum of C2 readiness.
Our recruiters continue to be challenged to attract and to retain quality men and women in the Marine Corps Reserve as young people are presented with numerous alternatives to military service due to the positive economic growth in the private business sector. Our mission is to find those potential Marines who choose to manage a commitment to their family, their communities, their civilian careers, and to the Corps. While such dedication requires self-discipline and personal sacrifices that cannot be justified by a drill paycheck alone, adequate compensation and retirement benefits are tangible incentives for attracting and retaining quality personnel.
During the past fiscal year we achieved 103.4% of our recruiting goal for prior service and 102.5% for non-prior service Marines. It was not easy! Our retention rates for Reserve enlisted Marines who stay beyond their initial obligation are also improving. We do, however, still have some work to do in keeping non-prior service Reserve Marines in a satisfactory participation status for the full length of their obligated drilling commitment. The incentives provided by Congress, such as the MGIB and the Kicker educational benefits, enlistment bonuses, medical and dental benefits, and commissary and PX privileges, have all contributed to the stability of our Force. These incentives and the continued Congressional support have helped us to attract and to retain capable, motivated, and dedicated Marines for the future.
The Montgomery G.I. Bill (MGIB) and the G.I. Bill Kicker (Kicker) provide up to $600.00 per month for college and it is our most popular incentive. I appreciate the additional MGIB funding the Congress provided in Fiscal Year 2001. It expanded our ability to offer the Kicker to more Marines in critical billets and it helped to level the field of competition between the Guard and the Reserve Component.
Many of our Reserve Marines serve initially in the Active Component and we staff transitional recruiting stations at Marine Corps bases and stations to begin the prior service recruiting process before Marines leave active duty. I appreciate the Congressional support for the increased educational benefits and reenlistment and affiliation bonuses that help us attract these Marines to join and to stay in our units. The transitional recruiters are also the portals of entry for a program of high value to the Commandant, "Marine for Life."
The Marine For Life Program is being developed to achieve the Commandant's vision of "improving assistance for our almost 27,000 Marines each year who honorably leave active service and return to civilian life, while reemphasizing the value of an honorable discharge." The Marine For Life Program will enhance current assistance by providing valuable sponsorship to these Marines as they transition to civilian life. The Marine for Life Program will build, develop, and nurture a nationwide network of transitioning Marines, veterans, retirees, Marine Corps affiliated organizations, and friends of the Corps. The program will foster a mutually supportive life-long relationship between the Marine, his/her Corps, and the public that we serve, thereby strengthening our ethos of "Once A Marine, Always A Marine."
LEGACY SYSTEMS
Our second pillar of readiness -- our legacy systems - represents systems and equipment that we will fight with today - our near term readiness. These legacy systems are currently operational due to the hard work of our skilled Marines and the assistance of Congress in providing resources for maintenance and spare parts. The escalating maintenance costs associated with maintaining aging equipment competes with monies that would otherwise be spent on modernization. While we must maintain our equipment, we cannot afford to continue this trend at the expense and risk of modernizing the Force.
Even though the Marine Corps is
replacing some equipment and modernizing
others through extensive modifications, these
initiatives take
years to complete. Since the Reserve generally receives
new equipment and modifications to existing
systems after the Active force, the equipment
we currently possess will continue to age and
require more frequent repairs.
Lengthy repair cycles greatly reduce
the amount of time that Reservists have for
annual training and time is a valuable
commodity that is extremely limited in the
Reserve environment. The more burdensome these repairs
become to our units, the more the quality of
training will diminish, eventually directly
affecting recruiting and retention.
MODERNIZATION
Our third pillar of readiness focuses on the ongoing modernization initiatives. The MARFORRES top modernization priority is to upgrade our fleet of 48 F/A-18A aircraft (4 Squadrons) with Engineering Change Proposal (ECP)-583. While our Marines and their F/A-18A's performed superbly last year in the Bright Star exercise, these are the same type aircraft that could not be employed in support of Kosovo operations due to the lack of self-designating capability. ECP-583 is a hardware and software upgrade designed to make the current aircraft compatible both operationally and logistically with other F/A-18C/D models utilized in theater by CINCs or Marine Air Ground Task Force Commanders. This upgrade provides the capability to self-designate precision munitions, to employ the newest generation of air-to-ground/air-to-air weapons, and to conduct night operations. Although billed as a modernization program, ECP-583 is also a readiness and sustainment issue linked directly to the roles and missions these squadrons uphold in the Total Force. This Total Force program also includes 28 Active Component aircraft for a total of 76. The modernization of these F/A-18A's will make these Active and Reserve aircraft capable, relevant, and fully interoperable in support of the Total Force Marine Corps. Current funding will upgrade 22 active and 22 reserve aircraft to full ECP-583 standards, while 32 aircraft await funding for their upgrades.
Our second modernization priority is to upgrade the remaining 11 of our 21 CH-53E helicopters with the helicopter night vision system (HNVS). The HNVS improves the capability to navigate and operate at night and during periods of reduced visibility and supports the full operational and logistical integration of Reserve forces with Active forces. Another top priority is KC-130T Avionics modernization and standardization. The current Reserve aircraft configuration is not fully compliant with emerging Communication, Navigation, and Surveillance/Air Traffic Management or mandated Navigation/Safety requirements. Funding these and other modernization initiatives to maintain readiness and safety will facilitate the effective integration of Reserve aviation assets with the Active Component.
While fixed and rotary wing aviation modernization are the most pressing needs of the Marine Corps Reserve, they must not eclipse vital ground combat and logistics modernization that will ensure the Reserve remains an effective combined arms team. The Marine Corps commitment to Reserve modernization to expand Total Force capability is demonstrated by our plans to field the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) to the Reserve to provide all weather fire support for major theater war. As currently planned, the fielding of the Medium Tactical Vehicle Replacement (MTVR) and the HMMWVA2 to the Marine Corps Reserve is scheduled for completion by 2004 and 2005, respectively. These assets will materially increase the readiness posture of the MARFORRES. We are continuing to work with Headquarters Marine Corps and the Marine Corps Materiel Command to develop optimum Total Force fielding plans for new equipment.
The Marine Corps Strategy 21 reaffirmed that Reserve Integration Expertise is a core competency of the Marine Corps. Ready, rapidly responsive Marine Reserve forces are a vital part of the Marine Corps and provide depth, flexibility, and sustainment. Modernization of our Reserve force should parallel the modernization of our Active force if we are to ensure our Total Force is ready, when called upon, to fight and win tomorrow's battles. Modernization of equipment, along with investment in infrastructure has been a bill-payer for near-term readiness for eight of the last ten years. We must reverse this trend and invest appropriately in these critical areas.
INFRASTRUCTURE
Investment in infrastructure and its associated costs represent our fourth pillar of readiness. An ongoing challenge will be in finding ways to budget for facility maintenance costs at our 185 training center sites. The Marine Corps has demonstrated a commitment to training center modernization and replacement through increased Military Construction Naval Reserve (MCNR) funding levels across the Future Years Defense Plan. Additionally, a recent Program Budget Decision added sufficient additional MCNR funding in FY02 that will allow us to complete one of our high priority projects in Great Lakes, Illinois. Under the current construction plans, MARFORRES facilities are on a schedule for replacement once every 100 years. We appreciate your continued support to ensure that our Reserve training centers remain ready for our Marines "forward deployed" in 185 communities across America.
Our costs for facilities operations and maintenance have increased 20% in less than three years. This fiscal year we are experiencing unusually high utilities costs, both at sites we own and those where we must reimburse a host. In November 2000, we were advised that our electricity and natural gas cost at our facilities on Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton would increase by 87% and 60%, respectively. These increases, in conjunction with current funded and unfunded maintenance and repair of real property projects, exceed $25 million, which is greater than the annual resources programmed for training. Currently, we are performing our mission with many facilities in deteriorated conditions as indicated in the FY-00 Commanding Officer's Readiness Report System (CORRS). The CORRS report identified 65% of the Marine Corps owned facilities as inadequate. These facilities are built to allow performance of mission operations or provide quality of life. When these facilities deteriorate, they can no longer provide the services as effectively as was intended. Rising infrastructure costs challenge our finite resources. Without adequate training facilities, our Reserves are limited in their training capabilities and in the long term it will affect mission readiness, recruiting, and retention.
SUMMARY
We are ready today, but our future readiness depends on the continued investment in our four pillars - our Marines and their families, our legacy systems, our modernization initiatives, and our sustainment of adequate training facilities. We are ever mindful that it has been Congress' consistent, steadfast support that preserves our ability to answer the Nation's call - anytime, anywhere. The Marine Corps appreciates your continued support and collaboration in making the Marine Corps and its Reserve the DoD model for Total Force integration and expeditionary capability.
2120 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515
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