[House Hearing, 112 Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Printing Office]
[H.A.S.C. No. 112-57]
THE RESERVE COMPONENTS AS AN OPERATIONAL FORCE: POTENTIAL
LEGISLATIVE AND POLICY CHANGES
__________
HEARING
BEFORE THE
SUBCOMMITTEE ON MILITARY PERSONNEL
OF THE
COMMITTEE ON ARMED SERVICES
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
ONE HUNDRED TWELFTH CONGRESS
FIRST SESSION
__________
HEARING HELD
JULY 27, 2011
[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TONGRESS.#13
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SUBCOMMITTEE ON MILITARY PERSONNEL
JOE WILSON, South Carolina, Chairman
WALTER B. JONES, North Carolina SUSAN A. DAVIS, California
MIKE COFFMAN, Colorado ROBERT A. BRADY, Pennsylvania
TOM ROONEY, Florida MADELEINE Z. BORDALLO, Guam
JOE HECK, Nevada DAVE LOEBSACK, Iowa
ALLEN B. WEST, Florida NIKI TSONGAS, Massachusetts
AUSTIN SCOTT, Georgia CHELLIE PINGREE, Maine
VICKY HARTZLER, Missouri
Craig Greene, Professional Staff Member
Debra Wada, Professional Staff Member
James Weiss, Staff Assistant
C O N T E N T S
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CHRONOLOGICAL LIST OF HEARINGS
2011
Page
Hearing:
Wednesday, July 27, 2011, The Reserve Components as an
Operational Force: Potential Legislative and Policy Changes.... 1
Appendix:
Wednesday, July 27, 2011......................................... 25
----------
WEDNESDAY, JULY 27, 2011
THE RESERVE COMPONENTS AS AN OPERATIONAL FORCE: POTENTIAL LEGISLATIVE
AND POLICY CHANGES
STATEMENTS PRESENTED BY MEMBERS OF CONGRESS
Davis, Hon. Susan A., a Representative from California, Ranking
Member, Subcommittee on Military Personnel..................... 2
Wilson, Hon. Joe, a Representative from South Carolina, Chairman,
Subcommittee on Military Personnel............................. 1
WITNESSES
Callahan, RADM David, USCG, Acting Director of Reserve and
Leadership, U.S. Coast Guard Reserves.......................... 10
Carpenter, MG Raymond W., USA, Acting Director, Army National
Guard.......................................................... 5
Debbink, VADM Dirk J., USN, Chief of Navy Reserve................ 8
McKinley, Gen. Craig R., USAF, Chief, National Guard Bureau...... 3
Moore, Maj. Gen. Darrell L., USMC, Director, Reserve Affairs
Division, U.S. Marine Corps Reserve............................ 9
Stenner, Lt. Gen. Charles E., Jr., USAF, Chief, Air Force Reserve 6
Stultz, LTG Jack C., USA, Chief, Army Reserve.................... 7
Wyatt, Lt. Gen. Harry M., III, USAF, Director, Air National Guard 4
APPENDIX
Prepared Statements:
Callahan, RADM David......................................... 153
Carpenter, MG Raymond W...................................... 49
Davis, Hon. Susan A.......................................... 30
Debbink, VADM Dirk J......................................... 122
McKinley, Gen. Craig R....................................... 32
Moore, Maj. Gen. Darrell L................................... 145
Stenner, Lt. Gen. Charles E., Jr............................. 77
Stultz, LTG Jack C., joint with Command Sgt. Maj. Michael D.
Schultz, U.S. Army Reserve................................. 84
Wyatt, Lt. Gen. Harry M., III................................ 41
Wilson, Hon. Joe............................................. 29
Documents Submitted for the Record:
Statement of David L. McGinnis, Acting Assistant Secretary of
Defense for Reserve Affairs................................ 161
Witness Responses to Questions Asked During the Hearing:
Ms. Bordallo................................................. 193
Questions Submitted by Members Post Hearing:
Ms. Bordallo................................................. 200
Mr. West..................................................... 201
Mr. Wilson................................................... 197
THE RESERVE COMPONENTS AS AN OPERATIONAL FORCE: POTENTIAL LEGISLATIVE
AND POLICY CHANGES
----------
House of Representatives,
Committee on Armed Services,
Subcommittee on Military Personnel,
Washington, DC, Wednesday, July 27, 2011.
The subcommittee met, pursuant to call, at 2:12 p.m., in
room 2212, Rayburn House Office Building, Hon. Joe Wilson
(chairman of the subcommittee) presiding.
OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. JOE WILSON, A REPRESENTATIVE FROM
SOUTH CAROLINA, CHAIRMAN, SUBCOMMITTEE ON MILITARY PERSONNEL
Mr. Wilson. Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to welcome
everyone to a subcommittee meeting of the Military Personnel
Subcommittee of the House Armed Services Committee. Our topic
today is ``The Reserve Components as an Operational Force:
Potential Legislative and Policy Changes.''
And we truly have a distinguished panel here today. This is
as good as I have ever seen in my service in Congress. So I
thank you for being here.
Today, the subcommittee will turn its attention to the
important issue of maintaining an operational Reserve that has
been deployed as a partner with its Active Component for the
last 10 years.
The committee believes the Reserve Component will continue
to serve an important and vital role post Iraq and Afghanistan
as the United States military continues to engage in conflict,
partnership efforts, and humanitarian assistance around the
globe.
The key issue before us today is the ability to maintain
access to the operational Reserves in a future peacetime
environment when the military is not operating under the
emergency mobilization authority.
We will examine a Department of Defense [DOD] proposal to
provide a more flexible involuntary mobilization authority and
how the Reserve will maintain a ready and viable force.
To help us explore these issues, we are joined today by an
excellent and extraordinary panel consisting of the chief of
the National Guard Bureau and chiefs of the Reserve Components.
I would ask that all witnesses keep their oral opening
statements to 3 minutes. Without objection, all written
statements will be entered into the record, to include
testimonies submitted for the record by Mr. David L. McGinnis,
Acting Assistant Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs.
[The information referred to can be found in the Appendix
on page 161.]
Mr. Wilson. Before I turn it over to our dedicated ranking
member, Mrs. Susan Davis from California, I would like to
introduce our panel. We are honored today to have General Craig
R. McKinley, U.S. Air Force, Chief, National Guard Bureau;
Lieutenant General Jack Stultz, U.S. Army, Chief, Army Reserve;
Vice Admiral Dirk Debbink, U.S. Navy, Chief of Naval Reserve,
Lieutenant General Charles Stenner, U.S. Air Force, Chief, Air
Force Reserve; Lieutenant General Harry Wyatt, U.S. Air Force,
Director, Air National Guard; Major General Raymond Carpenter,
U.S. Army, Acting Director, Army National Guard; Major General
Darrell L. Moore, U.S. Marine Corps, Director, Reserve Affairs
Division, U.S. Marine Corps Reserve; Rear Admiral David
Callahan, U.S. Coast Guard, Acting Director of Reserve and
Leadership, U.S. Coast Guard Reserves.
I now turn to Mrs. Susan Davis for her opening remarks.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Wilson can be found in the
Appendix on page 29.]
STATEMENT OF HON. SUSAN A. DAVIS, A REPRESENTATIVE FROM
CALIFORNIA, RANKING MEMBER, SUBCOMMITTEE ON MILITARY PERSONNEL
Mrs. Davis. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
And I certainly look forward to hearing from our Reserve
Component leadership today. I have to tell you from where we
sit right here, it really is a very distinguished and
impressive panel and we appreciate you all being here.
It is very bright, actually.
Last year, we focused our attention on what it means to be
an operational Reserve Force and examined what policies, what
laws and practices needed to be addressed to ensure a
sustainable Reserve Force.
Since September 11th, 2001, nearly 650,000 National
Guardsmen and reservists have been deployed, the majority of
whom have served in the theater of combat operations.
Over the past 10 years, the Reserve Components have
transitioned from a strategic Reserve to an operational one.
However, as requirements for deployment begin to decline, the
question for the Reserve Components is how they maintain their
operational role in an era in which we will see decreasing
resources.
One of the questions that we have before the subcommittee
is what legal authorities and policies are needed to best
support the continued development of the Reserves as an
operational Reserve Force while ensuring that the understanding
and support from families, communities, and employers for
continued deployment of Guard and Reserve personnel continues.
Mr. Chairman, I am interested in hearing from our witnesses
on how best we can address this question and others as we move
forward in this new environment. Thank you very much.
[The prepared statement of Mrs. Davis can be found in the
Appendix on page 30.]
Mr. Wilson. Thank you, Mrs. Davis.
General McKinley, you may begin.
STATEMENT OF GEN. CRAIG R. MCKINLEY, USAF, CHIEF, NATIONAL
GUARD BUREAU
General McKinley. Chairman Wilson, Ranking Member Davis,
members of the subcommittee, it is an honor and a privilege to
be here with you today. Mr. Chairman, we welcome your
leadership to the subcommittee and we are incredibly proud to
have a former member of the National Guard chairing this
important subcommittee. We are also proud to have your son
serving in our ranks. Thank you.
Today, there are 460,000 members of the Army and Air
National Guard. Our strength is on mark and our retention is
even better.
With me today and assisting me is our director of the Air
National Guard, General Wyatt, and our acting director of the
Army National Guard, General Carpenter. And I also have our
director of our Joint Staff Major General Randy Manner with us
today.
Over the past 10 years, the military operations in Iraq,
Afghanistan, and elsewhere around the world, the National Guard
has been a full partner. As a member of the total force,
National Guard successfully transformed into an operational
force.
This transformation would not have been possible without
the significant investments this Congress made in the National
Guard and Reserve. And we thank you all very much for that
support. We must continue to be used as an operational force,
we believe, so that significant investment is not squandered.
Today, our Nation faces many threats. One of the most
significant national challenges is our current fiscal
situation. As the Department of Defense evolves to match
emerging threats, they must do so with an eye towards fiscal
responsibility. This includes openness and transparency in its
planning for the future budget and force structure of the
Reserve Component.
Budget cuts and decisions must not disproportionally affect
the Reserve Component in our new role as an operational force.
The fiscal decisions made today will dramatically influence the
Reserve Component of the future and ultimately the Nation's
ability to respond to future contingencies at home and abroad.
Of particular importance to us is codifying assured access
to the National Guard; that is why we work closely with the
Army, the Air Force, the Secretary of Defense and the Governors
of this Nation to develop a legislative proposal to change
current call-up authorities for the Reserve Component.
This proposal would ensure the Secretary of Defense can
support combatant commanders' needs for missions other than
war. This authority will also allow the Department of Defense
to utilize the National Guard's unique capability throughout
the world.
Today, the National Guard supports many combatant
commanders in theater security cooperation missions. The State
Partnership Program is an example of a global influence the
National Guard's unique capability can provide.
The need for partnership building missions will continue to
grow in the future and the National Guard stands ready to
provide its years of expertise. Although the demands for these
missions will continue to grow, today many of the combatant
commanders' priorities are unfunded to the Department's
guidance for employment of the force. That is why along with
access, it is crucial that the operational force is fully-
funded.
Estimates for the costs of the Reserve's operation role
vary greatly, that is why it is important to begin transparent
budget planning now. Today, the overseas contingency operation
accounts fund much of the Reserve Component deployment,
training, and family support.
To ensure continued funding to support the operational
force, our training readiness equipment and personnel cost must
be included in the base budget. I am thankful that the Active
Army has taken these concerns seriously and included the
National Guard's operational role in their future budget
planning.
The Department of Defense must embrace the reality of the
Reserve as an operational force and the associated costs and
adequately address them in future programming.
As an operational force, it is important that the National
Guard leadership structure reflect the crucial role our forces
are playing. The National Guard Bureau has grown with the
soldiers and airmen of the operational force and is now a joint
activity and no longer simply a support entity.
Our knowledge and experience in homeland security issues is
unrivaled in the Department of Defense. And we are the only
force that can advise the Department of Defense leadership on
the crucial role National Guardsmen play at the local level.
A top priority during my 10 years as chief is to ensure the
organization of National Guard Bureau supports our new role, as
that joint activity to the Department of Defense and fosters
the development and mentorship for future general officers to
serve in my current position.
I would like to ask General Wyatt to make a brief
statement, as well as General Carpenter, and then I look
forward to answering your questions.
[The prepared statement of General McKinley can be found in
the Appendix on page 32.]
STATEMENT OF LT. GEN. HARRY M. WYATT III, USAF, DIRECTOR, AIR
NATIONAL GUARD
General Wyatt. Chairman Wilson and Ranking Member Davis, as
we gather here today, there are Air Guard men fighting in Iraq,
Afghanistan, supporting NATO [North Atlantic Treaty
Organization] operations in Libya, providing air logistics
support to the National Science Foundation in Greenland, and
helping to defend U.S. interests on every continent around the
globe.
In addition, Air Guard men and women are protecting the
skies over our very heads with the Air Sovereignty Alert
mission, assisting civil authorities, protect life and property
in the U.S. including helping flood and tornado recovery
efforts in the Midwest.
There are Air Guard members helping U.S. customs and border
patrols to secure our southern borders. And so far this summer,
Air National Guard aerial firefighting units have dropped over
350,000 gallons of fire retardant on wildfires across the
Southwest in support of the National Forest Service.
Your Air Guard is able to do this because Congress had the
wisdom to provide the funding and the authorities needed to
create and sustain an Air National Guard, a Guard that is
capable of functioning as both an operational force augmenting
the Active Duty Air Force's day-to-day operations and, as a
Reserve Force, permitting the total Air Force to rapidly expand
its capability and capacity to meet threats to our national
security.
As we look to the future, we are working closely with
United States Air Force leadership to ensure the Air National
Guard remains ready and accessible so that your investment and
faith in your Guard is not lost.
To remain a viable operational component, the Air National
Guard requires dedicated professional people, modern equipment,
and training. People are our most valuable asset because a
Guard airman is most difficult to replace of all the elements
of our force.
Training and experience take time and there is no shortcut
or quick fix. We owe them the best equipment and training
available because seamless integration into the joint war fight
requires compatible equipment and practice.
The second part of being an operational component is
accessibility. U.S. Air Force must have confidence that they
can obtain the Air Guard's help when needed; in fact, we have
answered over 75 percent of our request for forces from our
parent service with volunteerism.
The DOD proposed changes to 12304 will help by expanding
the Secretary of Defense's ability to call upon the Reserve
Components. The budget provision of 12304 is equally important
since the major part of accessibility is having the funds, MPA
[military personnel account] days available to use the Air
National Guard.
Again, thank you for your continued support of your Air
National Guard, and I look forward to answering your questions.
[The prepared statement of General Wyatt can be found in
the Appendix on page 41.]
General McKinley. General Carpenter.
STATEMENT OF MG RAYMOND W. CARPENTER, USA, ACTING DIRECTOR,
ARMY NATIONAL GUARD
General Carpenter. Chairman Wilson, Ranking Member Davis,
committee members, it is an honor and a privilege to be here
today to represent the 360,000-plus soldiers in the Army
National Guard. Of those soldiers, 37,266 are currently
mobilized. More than half have had combat experience and the
sacrifice of the soldiers, their families, and employers has
been tremendous.
Looking back on the past decade, the Army National Guard
has been there from the very beginning. The New York National
Guard was among the first on the scene at the World Trade
Center on
9/11, as was the Maryland and Virginia Guard shortly after the
Pentagon was attacked.
Beginning with 9/11, the response of the Army National
Guard has continued to shoulder our responsibilities in the
overseas fight in Afghanistan and Iraq while simultaneously
responding to events in the homeland, including Katrina, Deep
Horizon oil spill, and the many firsts in emergencies and
disasters in 2011, devastating tornados, unprecedented floods
and wildfires affecting almost half of the States. There is no
question the Army Guard has proven its worth and our citizen
soldiers deserve our deepest gratitude.
I would like to specifically address the issue of access to
the Army National Guard for non-named contingencies. The
Department of Defense requested a change in the statute,
Section 12304, which would allow the Reserve Components to be
involuntarily called with prior coordination at the service
chief level as well as the necessary budgetary authority to
support the deployment.
The Army National Guard and the adjutant generals are
staunch advocates of the change in statute. We think that it
will allow for the continued critical contributions of our
soldiers and units in the effective use of soft power, that is
theater security and cooperation, in the hope of reducing the
possibility of a mobilized military response in the future.
We think our soldiers, equipped with their battlefield
experience, and their civilian skills, as well as their strong
desire to be used can make a meaningful contribution to the
State and Nation, are the right force at the right time.
Without the change in statute, they will be denied the
opportunity.
Finally and as you might expect, I believe the Army
National Guard is the best value for America. Force structure
and military power can be sustained in the Army National Guard
as an operational force for a fraction of the regular cost.
Supporting capability in the Army National Guard not only
makes good business sense, it is a twofer. By that I mean the
same force is available to the Governor of the State,
territory, or district in times of emergency and disaster, as
well as the President of the United States to meet the
requirements of the Nation in a Federal status.
The Army National Guard is a force forward deployed in our
area of operation, the homeland. The same force is battle
tested and well-equipped for the overseas fight, should the
need arise, truly a best value for America.
We should not rush to reduce the size, structure, or
capability of the Army National Guard without significant
analysis and thorough deliberation.
In closing I would like to once again to acknowledge the
critical role your committee has played in building and
sustaining the best National Guard I have seen in my career. I
look forward to your questions and comments. Thank you.
[The prepared statement of General Carpenter can be found
in the Appendix on page 49.]
Mr. Wilson. Thank you very much. We now proceed to General
Stenner, Air Force Reserve.
STATEMENT OF LT. GEN. CHARLES E. STENNER, JR., USAF, CHIEF, AIR
FORCE RESERVE
General Stenner. Chairman Wilson, Ranking Member Davis,
committee members, and fellow service members, thank you for
permitting me the opportunity to be with you to have this
constructive conversation regarding one of the most important
parts of my job, ensuring that over 70,000 citizen airmen
making up the Air Force Reserve have the resources and training
essential to maintaining readiness.
My written testimony outlines our readiness, successes and
challenges but briefly I would like to mention the fact that
reservists continue to play an increasing role in ongoing
global operations. They support our Nation's needs, providing
operational capabilities around the world.
As we speak, Air Force reservists are serving in every
combatant command area of responsibility. There are
approximately 8,600 Air Force reservists currently activated to
support missions. That number includes our forces' contribution
to the Japanese relief effort and direct support to coalition
operations in Libya, as well as others.
Despite increasing operations tempo, aging aircraft, and
increases in depot scheduled downtime we have improved fleet
aircraft availability and mission capable rates. The Air Force
Reserve is postured to do its part to meet the operational and
strategic demands of our Nation's defense but that mandate is
not without its share of challenges.
Our continued ability to maintain a sustainable force with
sufficient operational capability is predicated on having
sufficient manpower and resources. The work of this committee
is key in supporting legislation that enables us to fully
develop members of our full-time support program, both military
technicians and our Active, Guard reservists.
You also provide us with the authority to implement
necessary force management measures and that has been and will
continue to be vital to ensuring Air Force readiness is
maintained at a high level.
In a time of constrained budgets and higher costs, in-depth
analysis is required to effectively prioritize our needs but we
must all appreciate the vital role that Reserve Components play
in supporting our Nation's defense and concentrate our
resources in areas that will give us the most return on our
investment.
Thank you for asking me here today to discuss these
important issues affecting our airmen, and I look forward to
your questions.
[The prepared statement of General Stenner can be found in
the Appendix on page 77.]
Mr. Wilson. Thank you very much.
And General Stultz, Army Reserve.
STATEMENT OF LTG JACK C. STULTZ, USA, CHIEF, ARMY RESERVE
General Stultz. Chairman Wilson, Mrs. Davis, other
committee members, it is a pleasure and an honor to be here
today to testify before you and represent the 205,000-plus Army
Reserve soldiers deployed around the world.
Today we keep 25,000-plus soldiers on Active Duty, plus our
full-time support force of about 16,000 soldiers serving this
Nation ongoing. We have been doing this since 2003.
This morning I conducted a video teleconference [VTC] with
soldiers in Afghanistan as I do frequently with soldiers in
Afghanistan, Iraq, Horn of Africa, and other places. And I can
report to you that they said their morale is great, they are
proud of what they are doing, they are proud of serving. And
every time I conduct a town hall meeting or a VTC session with
Reserve soldiers I get the same report.
Our retention rates right now are 119 percent of goal. Our
recruiting rates are over 100 percent of goal. We are turning
away individuals that want to join the Army Reserve because I
do not have room for them.
Right now the kids that we have coming in, and I call them
kids because I am 59 years old, are well educated, they have
got good civilian jobs, they are living the American Dream, and
for some reason they raise their hand and join our force,
knowing that we are going to tell them, that they are probably
going to be called to go into war and risk their lives. And yet
they are willing to do that.
They tell me three things when I talk to them, ``Give me
some predictability because I have another life. Do not waste
my time. If you are going to train me make it meaningful.'' And
third, ``Use me, do not put me back on the shelf.'' And that is
why this access issue is such a key issue.
Our soldiers that we have in our Reserve Components today
are a national treasure. They are, as Ray said, a great return
on investment for this country, but we have got to continue to
use them in a meaningful way or otherwise we will lose them.
And we cannot afford to lose that national treasure.
And so, I look forward to your questions, sir, thank you.
[The prepared statement of General Stultz can be found in
the Appendix on page 84.]
Mr. Wilson. Thank you very much. We now proceed with
Admiral Debbink of the Naval Reserve.
STATEMENT OF VADM DIRK J. DEBBINK, USN, CHIEF OF NAVY RESERVE
Admiral Debbink. Chairman Wilson, Ranking Member Davis,
members of the subcommittee, thank you for the opportunity to
appear before you today. I have a great appreciation for your
support of the 64,631 sailors in our Navy Reserve and their
family members.
With me today is also my new Force Master Chief, Force
Chris Wheeler. He assumed his role on the 16th of June as the
14th Master Chief of the Navy Reserve Force representing the
52,000 of the Navy Reserve that form the backbone of our force
which is our enlisted sailors.
To testify today, the Navy Reserve sailors are operating
globally. Approximately 30 percent of the Navy Reserve is
providing support to Department of Defense operations including
more than 4,700 Selected Reserve sailors who are either
mobilized in support of overseas contingency operations or in
their training heading out to their mobilization sites.
While fully engaged in these operations ever since
September 11, 2001, the Navy Reserve has answered the call to
assist with major global crisis events during the last several
months including Operation Tomodachi off Japan and Operation
Odyssey Dawn in the Mediterranean. As our motto and our sailors
proudly claim, we are ready now, anytime, anywhere.
Well the legislative proposal before the Congress that
provides for assured access to our Reserve Components for
future routine deployments signifies a fundamental shift in the
use of the Reserves, recognizing both the high level of
expertise resident in our Guard and Reserve Forces, as well as
the desire from today's Reserve sailors to continue performing
real and meaningful work within the Navy's total force.
In order for our sailors to do so we are ever mindful of
the need to address the health and well-being of our sailors
and their families.
As written in the President's report entitled
``Strengthening Our Military Families,'' stronger military
families strengthen the fabric of America.
Our fiscal year 2012 budget request includes funding for
vital programs in support of physical, psychological, and
financial well-being of our Navy Reserve sailors and their
families.
Active support of our employers is also a primary concern.
In fact this month in the Navy we are, once again, focusing on
the more than 7,000 employers of Navy Reserve sailors
worldwide, honoring them with special events here in
Washington, DC, last week, events at all of our Navy
operational support centers in all 50 States around the
country, and directly at their places of employment as well.
The data and the anecdotal evidence that we have gathered
both point towards continued strong support provided that we
respect the three-way nature of the special relationship
between our sailors, the needs of the Navy, and our employers'
needs.
It is a privilege to serve during this important and
meaningful time in our Nation's defense, especially as a Navy
Reserve sailor. With your support I am confident that your Navy
Reserve will be able to continue supporting current operations
while optimizing the strategic value of the Navy Reserve as a
relevant force valued for our readiness, innovation, agility,
and accessibility.
Thank you for your demonstrated support, both to the Navy
and the Navy Reserve and the families of our sailors and I look
forward to your questions.
Thank you, sir.
[The prepared statement of Admiral Debbink can be found in
the Appendix on page 122.]
Mr. Wilson. Thank you very much, Admiral.
And we will proceed now to General Moore with the Marine
Corps Reserve.
STATEMENT OF MAJ. GEN. DARRELL L. MOORE, USMC, DIRECTOR,
RESERVE AFFAIRS DIVISION, U.S. MARINE CORPS RESERVE
General Moore. Sir, thank you very much for the opportunity
to be here today and certainly it is a real pleasure to see you
all here. You asked a question as part of your opening
statement.
I think we are all trying to divine the future here and
really figure out, you know, what this does look like post
Afghanistan.
One thing I can tell you is that the Marine Reserves and
their families, and the employers of our Marine Reserves expect
our Marine Reserves to continue to deploy. As has been
previously mentioned this morning or this afternoon rather we
do need--as General Stultz said we need predictability.
The Marines tell me constantly to ``put me in the game,
coach.'' They want to continue to do that. Last week I was in
Tbilisi, Georgia, and Constanta, Romania. We have got about
1,000 Marine Reserves out there for 4 months or so as part of
the Black Sea rotational force.
I think that does reflect a bit of the future force there.
That kind of theater security cooperation and partnership
efforts that are important around the world.
This afternoon besides Afghanistan we have got Marine
Reserves in 17 countries around the world. I think that
represents the future force. And then after we finish today, I
am going to go out to Andrews and fly out to California.
We have got 5,000 Marine Reserves in the field at Mountain
Warfare Training Center, integrated with the 1st Marine
Expeditionary Brigade headquarters at Camp Pendleton so we have
got an Active Duty headquarters sitting on top of the Reserve
infantry regiment, the Reserve Marine air group and Reserve
combat logistics regiment.
That is actually the largest exercise that will be
conducted, Active or Reserve, for the Marine Corps CONUS
[continental United States] this year. So we are an integral
part of the total force. We train together. We have common
bonds. And I look forward to your questions.
Thank you very much for this opportunity, and I yield back
the balance of my time.
[The prepared statement of General Moore can be found in
the Appendix on page 145.]
Mr. Wilson. Thank you very much. And you actually saved
time. It is amazing. General, thank you.
And Admiral Callahan with the U.S. Coast Guard Reserve.
STATEMENT OF RADM DAVID CALLAHAN, USCG, ACTING DIRECTOR OF
RESERVE AND LEADERSHIP, U.S. COAST GUARD RESERVES
Admiral Callahan. Good afternoon, Chairman Wilson and
Ranking Member Davis, and distinguished subcommittee members,
thank you for including the Coast Guard Reserve in today's
hearing and for your continued support of Coast Guardsmen
serving across our Nation and overseas.
We are pleased to have this opportunity to appear before
you today. And also sitting behind me is the Master Chief Petty
Officer of the Coast Guard Reserve Force, Master Chief Mark
Allen, who represents the 8,100 members of our Reserve Force.
For the Coast Guard Reserve 2010 was an extraordinarily
challenging year for us dominated by the Deepwater Horizon oil
spill and the largest Title 14 mobilization in the United
States history. It involved almost a third of our Selected
Reserve.
The Deepwater Horizon event affirmed the Coast Guard's
effectiveness as America's maritime first responder and
particularly revealed the value and capacity and capability
that our Coast Guard Reserve delivers in large-scale surge
operations.
At the peak of the Deepwater Horizon event nearly 60
percent of the Coast Guard's individual responders were from
our Reserve Component. Now this large-scale mobilization did
highlight a limitation in the Secretary's authority to order
recall when demand for Reserve mobilization exceeds Title 14
authorized limits of--not more than 60 days and 4 months and
not more than 120 days in any 2-year period.
As a stop-gap measure we were able to issue more than 600
Active Duty for Operational [Support of the] Active Component,
ADOS, orders to reservists who requested and were supported or
then approved for Title 10 voluntary Active Duty upon
completion of their 60-day Title 14 orders.
Now, although this course of action allows us to keep a
sufficient number of Reserve personnel eligible for involuntary
recall, it would not give us the flexibility to manage at the
multiple events scenarios such as domestic hurricane responses
that we were likely to face. So we are currently exploring
options to address the 60-day Title 14 recall limitation and
its effect on our readiness.
I am also pleased to report that we have woven the Yellow
Ribbon Program as part of our congressionally mandated DOD
Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program into our Coast Guard
Reserve deployment process. There are numerous Yellow Ribbon
events and have more scheduled for the rest of the year.
As our reservists continue to deploy in overseas
contingencies operations in other contingencies, I want to
thank you and my fellow service Reserve Component chiefs for
your continued support in the Yellow Ribbon program. And we
look forward to more support in the future.
We continue working with the Office of the Secretary of
Defense Reserve Affairs and our fellow Reserve Components to
execute the commission on National Guard and Reserve
recommendations and have implemented the many benefits enacted
into law.
The 2008 National Defense Authorization Act authorized
early retirement benefits for eligible reservists who serve on
Active Duty under various sections of Title 10 and Title 32. We
are actively reviewing options to ensure that Coast Guard
reservists mobilized under Title 14 qualify for that same early
retirement benefit.
Our Reserve Force remains actively engaged in expeditionary
and domestic missions in support of overseas contingency
operations and natural disasters. And since September 2001, we
have recalled more than 7,800 reservists under Title 10 and
more than 3,300 under Title 14.
Mr. Chairman, our experience over the past year has clearly
demonstrated the value of the Coast Guard Reserve in the
defense and security of our Nation, not only in the homeland
but overseas as well. Our Coast Guard serving in the Reserve
Component proudly stand the watch and remain true to the Coast
Guard's motto, Semper Paratus, always ready.
So, on behalf of the men and women of the Coast Guard, we
thank you for your support and thank you for the opportunity to
testify today. And I look forward to your questions.
[The prepared statement of Admiral Callahan can be found in
the Appendix on page 153.]
Mr. Wilson. Thank you very much. And at this time, we will
begin the questions. We will abide by the 5-minute rule, which
applies to me, too, and each member of the committee, and Craig
Greene, who is our professional staff member, who will keep the
time for us.
I would like to point out, too, how grateful I am. We have
another record turnout of members of the subcommittee. They
truly have so many different obligations and so it is a real
testimony to their commitment to our military that they would
be here today.
As I begin, I would like to thank each of you for your
service. And as I look at each of you, I am just so impressed,
and it reminds me why I served 3 years in the Reserves, 28
years in the National Guard. And that is that it was the people
that I had the privilege of serving with. The most capable,
confident, patriotic persons that I have had the privilege of
working with have been in the Reserves and the Guard.
I want to thank you. Obviously, it had an effect on my
sons. My youngest son was just commissioned a second lieutenant
and is working for General Stultz. He is a combat engineer and
so--he is at annual training right now, today. And then I was
really grateful. Only one son is a bit off track. He is a
doctor in the Navy.
And General Moore--and I give all credit to my wife. But
General Moore, you mentioned about visiting Constanta. I was on
a sister city visit to Cluj-Napoca, Romania, in 1997. And my
son was getting ready to go to the Naval Academy, and members
of the city council there with tears in their eyes, said that
one day, we dream of the American military and Navy appearing
in Constanta with a relationship with Romania.
And so, this was a country that had been under Ceausescu
and so, how exciting to me of what success of the American
military. You should be proud that there is the greatest spread
of democracy and freedom today in the world because of your
service.
With my question, General McKinley, the Defense
Authorization Act that we, the House version, provides for the
creation of a vice-chief for the National Guard Bureau. And it
reflects a change, transforming your office from one which is
administrative to operational. How do you feel about this? And
then, is there any potential of conflict with your role with
NORTHCOM [U.S. Northern Command]?
General McKinley. Thanks, Chairman Wilson. As you know, I
have worked within the building for the past 2\1/2\ years to
seek support for the vice-chief of the National Guard Bureau. I
think it is essential for our continued assumption of new
responsibilities as a joint activity of the Department of
Defense.
Obviously, with some of the downsizing that former
Secretary Gates had pushed through building, the timing was not
that good. But I think my fellow Reserve chiefs can attest to
the fact that having a strong deputy or vice-chief in this very
critical time to cover the required meetings and to support the
soldiers, sailors, airmen, marines that we all work with is
vitally important.
So I certainly look forward to the debate that occurs. We
certainly can use the vice-chief of the National Guard Bureau,
put them to good service, it also helps build our bench for
future officers to assume my grade.
Mr. Wilson. And for each of you in 3 minutes. Certainly, we
will not be able to get all the way through, but Admiral since
you are sitting first proceeding this way. The issue of
mobilization authority, the Department of Defense has made
recommendations for flexibility. How do you feel about this?
Admiral Debbink. I think it is essential in the current
proposal. I believe we will meet the need. As we started down
this path, say, 2 years ago, it was all about accessibility to
the Reserve and Guard. And then, in the end, I think the most
important thing this legislation will do is provide the
assurance to the Department, that when we are doing the
planning and programming at the Reserve Component, the Guard
Component, we will be there for them because that has been the
issue that that has been, the debate on the other side of the
river taking place, is, how do we know you are really going to
be there for us? Unless we know you are going to be there, we
cannot program. We cannot plan for you. We cannot budget for
you. So this will give them that assurance.
Mr. Wilson. And General Wyatt.
General Wyatt. Mr. Chairman, I agree with the admiral. You
know, I mentioned earlier that the Air National Guard provides
75 percent of the request for forces for, from the Air Force
with volunteerism, but that was not meant to diminish the
importance of this legislation, because there are different
scenarios that would help the Air Force. I believe that it has
more access with the passage of this legislation.
So, it is important for the accessibility of all the
Reserve Components. Not to be confused with the fact that we
already are accessible, but this would help assure the service
chiefs that they can reach out and touch the Guard and Reserve
when they need to.
Mr. Wilson. Thank you. General Stenner.
General Stenner. I will second each of the previous
speakers and go along the lines of it will give us the access
but it will also allow the planners to do as they need to do,
to size our force appropriately.
After that, I think it is incumbent on us in the uniform
here to figure out the policies that go along with that access
to ensure there is no overuse of this particular access because
that could, in fact, be a downside when a particular skill set
is required over and over, we will, in fact, have a dwell
issue. So, I would caution against that. It is up to us in the
uniform to make that.
Mr. Wilson. Thank you very much. And I am going to call the
time on myself. General McKinley, I apologize but we proceed to
Mrs. Davis.
Mrs. Davis. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and again, to all of
you. We appreciate your service and, certainly, your
leadership.
You know, we are certainly aware that the proposed language
offered out of the Department would provide broad authority to
call up and to deploy reservists and National Guardsmen. And I
want to ask you all if there are any factors that you think
would impede that, would make it more difficult for that to be
carried out?
And I think the other, I guess the flipside of that, is
what can be done to assure the reservists that they will be
utilized for operational mission and not just called back to
backfill, essentially, requirements as the Active Force draws
down? We know that there are likely to be changes as we look at
limiting resources in some way. And I would be naive to think
that that is not going to hit the Guard and Reserve in some
way.
So I am just interested in knowing from your perspective
how you see that issue, and it really does speak to the
meaningfulness of the role, the operational role particularly
that Guard and Reserve speak of which I think does keep them
engaged and certainly committed to continuing their service.
General McKinley. Ma'am, these last 10 years have been
remarkable years in American history and for all of us who
represent our Reserve and Guard. We have seen this great
resilience created in a force of over a million people
represented here at this table who do work. They strive to do
the best job they can. But they are now the best equipped, best
led, most combat seasoned force in the Reserve Component
history.
So, I do not see things impeding the progress that the
Reserve Components have made over the last 10 years. But as
General Stultz said, if we can create the environment of
predictability and stability, if we can assure our young men
and women who joined--predominantly, most of us since September
11, 2001--that they will have a meaningful job and that they
will be used effectively, then I think we stand shoulder to
shoulder with the young people who have dedicated themselves to
this Nation.
General Stultz. I will just add that I think this is
critical to our national defense, because as we eventually get
out of Iraq and Afghanistan, I think we are going to shift our
focus in the four Ps of prepare, prevent, prevail, preserve,
from prevail to prevent.
Where can we get engaged, just like when we were talking
Romania, Georgia, and places like that and the places we are
engaged today to prevent getting into the future conflicts? And
that theater engagement security cooperation, really they are
asking for medical support. They are asking for engineer
support. They are asking for logistics support. They are asking
for those capabilities that between General Carpenter and I, we
have the preponderance of.
Today, between the Guards and Reserve, we have 75 percent
of engineer capability of the Army. We have 70 percent of
medical capability of the Army. We have about 70 percent of the
MP [military police] capabilities, 70 percent of logistics
capability, 85 percent of civil affairs capability. So it is
not a matter of us backfilling the Army. We are the Army.
And we are going to be the future. And so, to do the
security cooperation of theater engagement this Nation is going
to need to the future, they are going to have to use the
Reserve. So we need to change the law so that we make it easy
in that context.
General Carpenter. From the Army Guard perspective, a
couple of comments. First of all, the process we have for
mobilization right now calls for 2 years notification of
sourcing. And through the National Guard Bureau and through our
director in the Army Guard we source units against missions. So
we will have 2 years to sort out which mission we are going to
take and which unit or which State is going to shoulder that
mission.
We do that today. And we are very successful in the
mobilization business. We have not had any significant problems
at all as we have dealt with the adjutant generals in that
role.
The coordination for that is going to take place between
the Army National Guard and the Army and with the adjutant
generals. The adjutant generals are strongly in support of this
access issue. And I am confident that they are going to figure
out exactly the process for mobilization.
That really is where the crux of the matter is, is the
soldier who has a job going to be allowed to leave that job to
go for 60 days for one of these theatre security cooperation
efforts?
And I can tell you, I am an engineer officer, and I have
got a book. And it shows a picture in 1960 of a paving project.
And that paving project is the corps of engineers in
Afghanistan in 1960. And think what, how things would have
changed if we had been willing to stay in that kind of an
effort over the longer period of time since 1960.
And so this theatre security cooperation, if we do this
right, our soldiers will understand the importance of that.
That it is just as important as going down range and serving in
Iraq and Afghanistan because it is a preventative measure.
Mrs. Davis. Thank you. I certainly appreciate that.
And I just want to applaud very quickly. I know that I have
had an opportunity to speak to several of you about the
transition programs for our soldiers, airmen, Navy, Marine
going back. And I think that we need to learn from some of the
good work that you all have done.
Thank you.
Mr. Wilson. Dr. Joe Heck.
Dr. Heck. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I did not realize I was
up that fast in the queue.
First, thank you all for the service, not just to our
Nation, but to the men and women that you represent.
Mr. Chairman, in all full disclosure, I am still a member
of the Active Reserve, and General Stultz is my chief.
[Laughter.]
Dr. Heck. So I am not going to ask him any questions. I am
asking everybody else--no.
I appreciate, General Stultz, your comment of, you know,
how we want to be used. And one of the issues that always seems
to come up is how can we best utilize folks in their community
in support of community-type operations from the Title 10 side,
not the National Guard side, necessarily.
And the issues that we face when trying to do that,
primarily in funding and getting the MOU [memorandum of
understanding], running it up the JAG [Judge Advocate General]
chain and making sure that we can do all these things. And by
the time that is done, the community event is over.
So in the vein of, you know, this being a great recruiting
tool plus it gets our folks out into the community. It keeps
their skills sharp. It builds their confidence and unit
cohesion. And ``it keeps them off the shelf '' which is what we
are all looking to do.
What can we do to help streamline that process, so that if
a community event comes up, for instance one of my units, they
want a medic to stand by with an aid bag in case somebody goes
down, that we can get that done and do that mission without
having to take so long to get it processed?
General Stultz. Well, I think we have been in discussion,
obviously, with some of the members of Congress of changing the
policy on the use of Title 10 Reserves in the homeland.
And make sure that, you know, the National Guard is always
going to be the military first responder because the Title 32
authority the Governor has and being able to utilize them and
the magnificent response that they give. But we have said, we
have got a lot of capabilities also in the communities that
should be made available for disasters or whatever type events.
We need to change some of the laws that restrict us in
doing that of how you can use the Title 10 Reserve in the
homeland.
And then I think, within the Department, we need to change
some of the policies of what it takes to get approval because
just as you have indicated, the soldiers want to do that. They
are citizens of Nevada. And they want to help out in their
State and they want to be recognized by their State. We limit
them from doing that because of our laws and our policies.
Dr. Heck. I appreciate that.
General McKinley, can you give us an update on how the
process is going with NORTHCOM doing the training of National
Guard officers to be the dual-hatted commander when we move
forward and integrate Title 10 forces under Active Guard?
General McKinley. Thank you, sir.
It has been a great year with Admiral Sandy Winnefeld being
out as the combatant commander of NORTHCOM in Colorado Springs.
He walked in with a fresh idea, fresh thinking, and involved
all of us actually.
The contingency dual status commander now, we just call
dual status command, has been embraced by the Governors of the
50 States, the three territories, and the district. We have
made significant progress in getting the unity of effort and
the chains of command set so that we can utilize all the
services that you see before you today.
And so I am pleased to report that we are making great
progress in that area--38 States have the dual status commander
already trained. The rest will be in the next class in Colorado
Springs.
So we will be set to represent the Governors and the
Federal Government so that we can utilize all the forces to
save citizens' lives here at home.
Dr. Heck. All right. Thanks for that update.
And last question, I do not know if it applies across all
Reserve Forces or, again, it is just USAR [United States Army
Reserves] specific.
But, you know, the idea of providing predictability,
obviously, is very important for somebody who has got--who is
twice the citizen. But, what we find, sometimes, for those of
us that are in TDA [table of distribution allowance] units that
do not necessarily get sourced, as opposed to a TOE [table of
organization and equipment] unit that we do become the manpower
pool. And although you may not be in year five of your ARFORGEN
[Army Force Generation] cycle, you are getting yanked to be a
backfill person.
What kind of prevention or preventive strategies are we
putting in to try to keep TDA in line with that ARFORGEN 5-year
cycle?
General Stultz. That is a great point because, as you very
well know, for the Army Reserve, we have a huge portion of the
generating force for the Army.
The medical force, we represent 60 percent of the medical
structure of the Army.
But we represent a huge force in the training base of the
Army--the drill sergeants, the MOS [military occupational
specialty] trainers, the people who do the collective training
for the Army.
And what we have recommended is we need to apply that same
model to the forces that are in those units; one, because we
owe that soldier predictability that he is not going to get
yanked if we have this authority. But number two, to provide
predictability to the Army.
So, if I can take a--let us say, a training battalion that
has got five companies of drill sergeants, and I can say to
TRADOC [Training and Doctrine Command], every year, I will give
you one of those companies. Then I would give them
predictability how they can plan their training cycles. And I
have given my soldiers predictability.
So I think we have got to take our TDA force as well as our
MTOE [modified table of organization and equipment] force and
put them into that ARFORGEN cycle.
Dr. Heck. All right. Again, thank you all very much for
your lifetime of service to our Nation and to our men and women
in uniform.
Mr. Chair, I yield back.
Mr. Wilson. Thank you.
Mr. Loebsack.
Mr. Loebsack. Thank you, Mr. Chair. And thanks to all of
you on the panel today for your service and for being here.
And I want to make a particular mention of the great
turnout today, too, as the chairman did. And I think it is
actually a credit to the chairman and to Mrs. Davis. And they
are working together on bipartisan basis in the subcommittee
and in the larger committee. So I want to make sure that we all
give them tremendous credit, especially the chairman.
General McKinley, it is my understanding that the Per Diem
Committee ruled in February that members of the National Guard,
being put on Title 10 orders, from Title 32, should have their
Basic Allowance for Housing [BAH] recalculated based on their
home of record.
And since the BAH, when they are under Title 32 orders is
based on their permanent duty location, soldiers, airmen, and
their families are often losing money because of this
recalculation. I do not think this recalculation makes much
sense to me. And that is why Congresswoman Bordallo and I are
working together to take a hard look at solutions to the
problem in general.
Can you just share some of your thoughts on that issue
today?
General McKinley. Well, if I could ask my colleagues who
represent the proponents of the Guard Force to talk
specifically to the Army Guard and the Air Guard piece of that.
And then I am sure we all do. And I have a comment at the end,
sir.
Mr. Loebsack. Thank you.
General Carpenter. Congressman, I--this first came to our
attention here about 6 months ago, when the adjutant general of
Massachusetts surfaced this issue. And it was disadvantaging
his soldiers in Massachusetts as they mobilized and deployed.
We went to and worked with the Army on this specific issue
and the problem that we have got is it is a statutory issue.
And so, it is in the joint travel regulation. And so--and that
is a DOD-level decision.
We are now in the process of submitting through the Army a
request to change that particular part of the joint travel
regulation to allow for the change that you are advocating so
that we do not disadvantage the soldiers.
So it is in process now, sir.
Mr. Loebsack. Okay.
General Wyatt. What the current DOD instruction does as
General Carpenter indicated--sets up differences between the
calculations as it applies to a drill status guardsman which is
based upon home of record.
And an NGR [National Guard regulation], for example, that
is based upon permanent duty stations. You have accurately
outlined the differences.
And I guess, maybe the reason why there was a difference is
because most--a lot of the drills status guardsmen might have a
tendency to live further away.
But regardless, I think anything that could be done with
the DODI [Department of Defense instruction], and we are going
through the same thing with the Air Force that General
Carpenter's with the Army, to put consistency and eliminate the
differences between the different statuses that we have in the
Air National Guard would certainly be fairer to all of our
members.
And that is the objective, I believe.
Mr. Loebsack. Thank you.
General McKinley. My final comment is we are working with
the Department Secretary McGinnis and the Chairman and the
Secretary to try to resolve this, sir.
Mr. Loebsack. Thank you very much.
One other question, that is for the three of you also.
And I just preface it by stating how proud I am of our Iowa
National Guard. The 2,800 who are largely back now from
Afghanistan. And they have done a great job over there.
But again, the dual role that the National Guard plays to--
you all know about the floods of Iowa in 2008. Now we have got
floods in Western Iowa along the Missouri River.
And just a general question, how are we going to keep the
training, the equipment, everything that we need for the
Guard--not to take away from the Reserves as well, but it is a
Guard question specifically. How are we going to do this going
forward?
I know that is a big question. We only have a minute and 5
seconds left. But to the extent which you can answer that
question, that would be great.
Thank you.
General McKinley. We are in the midst, as you can imagine,
of some serious budget talks for us with the Army and the Air
Force. And the two directors are up to their necks in trying to
make the case that this great force that we have created over
time needs to have adequate resources to sustain itself.
And for that dual mission of the State and the Federal
mission, the Guard is trying to make the case with the services
that you just cannot walk away from it.
So Ray, and Bud, in 30 seconds, how are we doing?
General Wyatt. Accessibility, whether it is the fight
overseas or at home, takes proper statutory authorities, we are
talking about that today. It also takes proper training and
resourcing to make sure that we are trained to that level.
But also it takes appropriate planning. And what this
legislation does for the fight overseas helps us with that. But
to be accessible you have to have the statutory, you have to
have the people, and the equipment, and the training, but you
also have to plan for MPA days to pay the folks when they come
on duty.
General Carpenter. Mr. Congressman, not unlike General
Stultz, we are seeing unprecedented retention rates as well as
recruiting rates and that is a function of people who want to
come and do something for their Nation and they want to be part
of something.
If we do not use these soldiers, if we do not meet their
expectations, they will leave us just as quickly as they came
to us. The Guard right now has more equipment, modern
equipment, than we have ever had. We have got the battle-
experienced soldiers and it would be a shame for us to walk
away from that.
Mr. Loebsack. I am very proud of the readiness centers we
have been able to build around the country as well, thanks to
this committee and to the Appropriations Committee as well.
Thanks to all of you for your great service and thank you
for indulging me, Mr. Chairman, for letting me go a little
longer. Thank you.
Mr. Wilson. Well, Mr. Loebsack, thank you for your active
involvement in the committee.
And we next proceed to Mr. Coffman.
Mr. Coffman. Well thank you, Mr. Chairman. I am a big
proponent of the Guard and Reserve having served in the Army,
the Army Reserve, the Marine Corps, and the Marine Corps
Reserve and having deployed twice in combat in the Marine Corps
Reserve.
The--my fundamental concern is this, that we are in an
environment of tremendous fiscal pressures, and I think that
Defense is going to have a target on its back in these coming
debates. And I think Secretary of Defense--former Secretary of
Defense Gates, I think, expressed before the Armed Services
Committee on a number of occasions his concern about the
trajectory of cost, the growing personnel cost relative to
acquisition cost and if it is not corrected will we in fact
become a hollow force over time as some of our NATO allies have
become.
And so I think that from my view, one of the solutions in
this equation is the Guard and Reserve, that we know that the
personnel cost are greatly reduced with the Guard and Reserve
relative to Active units with the same capability, retaining
that capability.
And so it is my view that we need to look at restructuring
our military with emphasis in the Guard and Reserve. The fact
is, today, we do not have the kind of pure competitor--we do
not want one--that we did during the cold war that required a
very large standing military.
We are not going to be doing another Iraq and Afghanistan.
I think the former Secretary of Defense said it well with--that
is--I think in his speech before West Point, words to the
effect that if another general came to me and said we ought to
invade, pacify, and administer another country and I would tell
him, I think, words to the effect he was nuts. We are not going
down that road again.
I think Yemen and Somalia are the template for the future.
It is more counterterrorism, more lighter footprint, more
special operations. So I just think that we need to retain this
capability and the only way to retain this capability under the
kind of fiscal pressures that we have is to--is a greater
emphasis in the Guard and Reserve Components of the United
States military.
And I am--General McKinley, could you respond to that?
General McKinley. Thanks, Congressman Coffman. After every
major war in the 20th century, the Guard and Reserve was put
back on the shelf. My intuition tells me that we are going to
have to argue very strenuously in front of our services to make
the case that you just made.
We are but one vote in councils that are decided mostly on
Title 10 issues. We have just started making our case on the
value proposition but you said it better than I could say it
for sure. We are here to tell you that we believe we are the
answer to America's security needs in a time of fiscal
constraint. And we are willing to put our forces on the line,
operationally, their capability, their equipment and their
leadership to make that case in front of the American people.
Mr. Coffman. You know, I think there are, certainly there
are within our force structure, there is the expeditionary
components that are necessary to retain on Active Duty but it
is my position that we need to expand, we need to--in this
restructuring, we need to look at expanding the Guard and
Reserve as--because it is the only way that the United States
can maintain its military capability given the fiscal pressures
that we have.
And I think that we could do that certainly without in any
way sacrificing the national security interests of the United
States. But if we in fact go in with making cuts that simply
reduce end strength without doing the restructuring I have
talked about, we will compromise our capability. And I am very
concerned about that.
With that, Mr. Chairman, I yield back.
Mr. Wilson. Thank you very much, and thank you for your
military service.
And we are grateful to have Congresswoman Madam Bordallo of
Guam.
Ms. Bordallo. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman.
And I thank all of our witnesses, and there are a lot of
stars out there. My first question is for General Carpenter. As
you know, we have more guardsmen serving per capita on Guam
than does any other State or territory in our country.
The western Pacific, and of course, our chairman is aware
of that, he was there when that was presented to us on Guam.
The western Pacific has unique challenges as all of you know.
And one of these challenges is funding for travel for soldiers
to get between the islands within the Northern Marianas to get
to their drill site.
Now, we have repeatedly passed the authority to reimburse
certain members of the National Guard for traveling expenses
related to inactive duty training, yet movement to get this
going has yet to come.
However, this broader authority has run into issues with
the Per Diem Committee's 150-mile rule. And as I understand it,
there is a business case for waiving the 150-mile rule for Guam
National Guardsmen and possibly other locations because travel
is only permissible through expensive airfare.
When will these policies be amended to take into
consideration the distinctive challenges that we face on Guam?
And I get the sense that there continues to be a disconnect
between the Active Duty Army and Army Guard on this matter. And
I want to see a resolution sooner than rather than later.
General Carpenter. Congresswoman, you brought this issue to
our attention about almost a year ago.
Ms. Bordallo. That is correct.
General Carpenter. And we raised the issue with the Army.
We prepared the request for the exception to the authority to
be able to provide support for people in Saipan who wanted to
be part of the Guam National Guard for them to be able to get
their commuting expenses covered between the islands.
That is still in process. Let me take that for the record.
And I owe you an answer, ma'am.
[The information referred to can be found in the Appendix
on page 193.]
Ms. Bordallo. Thank you very much, general. And I will
expect that is going to be a good answer.
General Carpenter. Yes, ma'am.
Ms. Bordallo. My second question is for, well, each of the
Reserve chiefs but I do not know that I have the time to hear
but if a couple of you can answer this. Given that Reserve and
Guard benefits and entitlements are earned based on the kind of
orders an individual is serving and the length of time, are
each of the services ensuring that their members know exactly
what legal authority they are on orders under every time they
go on Active Duty? And do their orders capture this important
information?
Whichever one of you----
General Stenner. I will start and just be brief, and also I
will give my counterparts the time, but we do put on those
orders under which authority they were ordered to duty. So
there are specific entitlements that they can have, and that is
the technical answer to your question.
What type of orders the folks are asking for right now has
also kind of evolved from we are ready to go on a volunteer
status to over a 10-year period of time we found that that has
increased from 80 percent or decreased from 80 percent to about
65 percent that do want the authorities and the protections
that come with some of the other types of order to duty.
So we are working through that issue as we speak with how
to ensure that they get on the right set of orders at the right
time.
Ms. Bordallo. Thank you.
General Stultz. I will echo what Charlie said, but the
thing that we are really trying to focus on in the Army
Reserve, one is we want to reduce the number of duty statuses.
We have got way too many duty statuses. It makes it too
confusing and just as you pointed out, you have got too many
differences in benefits.
And the problem comes in, in which pot of money because
that soldier may say, ``Put me on this type of order because
this is the benefit I need.'' But we may have a different pot
of money that comes from a different order. And you may have
two soldiers serving in the same location on two different sets
of orders with two different types of benefits. And that to me
is not acceptable.
So we are trying to say let us reduce the number of duty
statuses we have down to the minimum so that when we put
somebody on orders they are all on the same type of orders.
Ms. Bordallo. Thank you and is there another--yes?
Admiral Debbink. And I should offer that one of the
benefits of the long war that we have been about for the last
10 years is refining our procedures, and in particular in our
case that we have a Navy mobilization processing centers that
we send all of our sailors through, because communications is
one of the biggest challenges in making sure those sailors
understand the type of orders and the benefits with those
orders. In fact one of the problems we have is pushback on why
do I have to go to the NMPS [Navy Mobilization Processing
Site]. Well, this is why. In order to be informed--fully
informed as we work through the challenges of streamlining
things in the future.
Ms. Bordallo. Thank you very much.
And, Mr. Chairman, I yield back.
Mr. Wilson. Thank you very much.
We now proceed to Congressman Robert Brady, of the
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
Mr. Brady. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Again, thank you for your service to our Nation and thank
the men and women who serve underneath you. I really have a
request more than a question. I have a full-time staff under my
staff that deals mainly on military issues, 90 percent of the
requests that he gets are with medical and disability issues.
And it pertained to, you know, expediting their issues and
their problems. I mean it is a good morale factor that when
they know that they are out there serving, that there are men
and women out there serving in harm's way, note that when they
come back into civility, back to the civilian status, that they
do have these benefits that are readily, you know, offered to
them and do not have to call Congressperson, not that I do not
mind taking the calls, or trying to help them.
But myself and my staff people run into major red tape
trying to get things done for disability pay or for their
request for medical care. So I would just ask you again if you
could, you know, look into that and, you know, make sure that
our men and women that are in harm's way when they do come back
home that we do show them the proper respect by taking care of
their issues that they have whether be a medical issue or a
disability that they need that cannot go back to the workforce
that they started out in. And it is a pretty important issue
that we get 90 percent of the calls. So I thank you for that.
Again, thank you for your service.
And thank you, Mr. Chairman for your time.
Mr. Wilson. Thank you, Mr. Brady.
And as we conclude, Mrs. Davis would like to make a
comment.
Mrs. Davis. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I was just going to
follow up really on the question that Mr. Coffman and, I think,
others were raising as well, just in terms of that, the access
issue. And I think just from our point of view, certainly from
my point of view, is trying to understand, you know, what those
costs are. Obviously, the mobilization, there are additional
costs that are built in to that. But that does not necessarily
mean that all the cost, you know, are higher.
And I think when we can break that down transparently and
really understand it then we can be active in trying to present
that argument as well. Thank you all so much for, again, for
your service and leadership.
Mr. Wilson. And as we conclude, I want to thank you again
for your service, the people who work with you, the service
members, their military families, the veterans who make it
possible for us to have the freedoms that we enjoy.
Additionally, I want to thank you for the opportunity that you
provide to the young people of our country to serve our country
to truly use their talents that they have.
And that is why I am very impressed, and I know that
Reserve and Guard members want to be actively involved. And it
makes the difference for our country. At this time, we shall be
adjourned.
[Whereupon, at 3:16 p.m., the subcommittee was adjourned.]
=======================================================================
A P P E N D I X
July 27, 2011
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PREPARED STATEMENTS SUBMITTED FOR THE RECORD
July 27, 2011
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DOCUMENTS SUBMITTED FOR THE RECORD
July 27, 2011
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=======================================================================
WITNESS RESPONSES TO QUESTIONS ASKED DURING
THE HEARING
July 27, 2011
=======================================================================
RESPONSE TO QUESTION SUBMITTED BY MS. BORDALLO
General Carpenter. A resolution addressing this issue is expected
to be complete by 1 October 2011. The ARNG has worked closely with the
HQDA DCS G-1 on this issue since its inception.
The Military Advisory Panel to the Per Diem Travel and
Transportation Allowance Committee is expected to vote in favor of
changing the Joint Force Travel Regulation (JFTR) to allow for the
reimbursement of Guam National Guardsmen travel expenses. A memo dated
6 September, 2011 was issued by the Per Diem Travel and Transportation
Allowance Committee which allows for payment of transportation costs
for OCONUS Inactive Duty for Training (IDT). These changes are
scheduled to appear in JFTR change 299, dated 1 November 2011. This
determination became effective on 6 September 2011.
The change will reduce the JFTR IDT commuting distance from 150
miles to 50-75 miles for non-contiguous States and U.S. territories.
The JFTR change will require that the Soldier be in a shortage MOS as
per initial discussions on this matter. This change to the JFTR will be
approved and signed by Mr. Retherford, Deputy Assistant Secretary of
the Army (Military Personnel) prior to the end of September. It will be
officially added to the JFTR within 1-2 weeks after he has signed and
approved the change.
Guam Army National Guard Soldiers living less than 150 miles from
their duty station in a shortage MOS will then be allowed reimbursement
for travel expenses related to IDT. [See page 21.]
=======================================================================
QUESTIONS SUBMITTED BY MEMBERS POST HEARING
July 27, 2011
=======================================================================
QUESTIONS SUBMITTED BY MR. WILSON
Mr. Wilson. The use of an operational Reserve post current
contingency operations in Iraq and Afghanistan will certainly require
an increased commitment by service members and their families. Some
members may prefer to continue to serve as a traditional Selected
Reserve member, one weekend a month and 2 weeks in the summer, and
others may want to commit to a more robust mobilization schedule. How
do you plan to accommodate for the different levels of commitment?
General McKinley. The ``one weekend per month and two weeks in the
summer'' model as the sole experience of a National Guardsman is one of
the distant past. The inherent operational duality of our Citizen
Soldiers and Airmen is understood by the members of our force now more
than ever, as more than three quarters of our current force entered
service in a post-9/11 environment. In addition to Afghanistan and
Iraq, our ongoing missions include Africa, the Balkans, America's
southwest border, and the State Partnership Program which involves more
than 60 countries. Interested Army and Air National Guardsmen and women
will continue to have multiple opportunities to volunteer for such
missions. The Army and Air National Guard expend significant effort
from top to bottom toward providing the tools for Soldiers and Airmen
to balance civilian careers with their obligations to national
security.
These efforts are coordinated through the Army Force Generation
Model (ARFORGEN). This model provides the predictability required for
units to organize and plan. The predictability of this model also
enables Soldiers who are looking for a more robust mobilization
schedule to anticipate future volunteer opportunities. Such volunteers
reduce the margin of cross-leveling in our formations, resulting in
increased predictability. In turn, this increases the time individual
Soldiers have between deployments and reduces stress on the operational
Force. The Army National Guard's current posture as an Operational
Force, along with the ARFORGEN model, will allow Soldiers to serve both
as traditional Guardsmen, and as full-time Soldiers throughout their
respective military careers. The Air National Guard utilizes
predictability, volunteerism, and ``rainbowing'' to aid Airmen in
balancing civilian careers with their obligations to our national
security. The Air Force's Aerospace Expeditionary Force (AEF),
implemented in 1999, helps provide predictability while meeting
commitments to theater commanders. Volunteerism provides individual
flexibility within the AEF system. By permitting Airmen to volunteer
for mobilization under Title 10 US Code, Sec. 12301(d), an individual
Airmen can tailor their AEF deployment commitment to match their
civilian career commitments. ``Rainbowing'' is a deployment management
tool that allows individuals to serve units other than their assigned
unit, and deploy in AEF cycles other than their own. AEF, volunteerism,
and rainbowing combined allow individual Guard Airman to optimize their
Air Force and civilian commitments by planning and preparing for
federal service within the matrix of their civilian careers.
Mr. Wilson. The use of an operational Reserve post current
contingency operations in Iraq and Afghanistan will certainly require
an increased commitment by service members and their families. Some
members may prefer to continue to serve as a traditional Selected
Reserve member, one weekend a month and 2 weeks in the summer, and
others may want to commit to a more robust mobilization schedule. How
do you plan to accommodate for the different levels of commitment?
General Wyatt. The ``one weekend per month and two weeks in the
summer'' model as the sole experience of a National Guardsman is one of
the distant past. The inherent operational duality of our Citizen
Soldiers and Airmen is understood by the members of our force now more
than ever, as more than three quarters of our current force entered
service in a post-9/11 environment. In addition to Afghanistan and
Iraq, our ongoing missions include Africa, the Balkans, America's
southwest border, and the State Partnership Program which involves more
than 60 countries. Interested Army and Air National Guardsmen and women
will continue to have multiple opportunities to volunteer for such
missions. The Army and Air National Guard expend significant effort
from top to bottom toward providing the tools for Soldiers and Airmen
to balance civilian careers with their obligations to national
security.
These efforts are coordinated through the Army Force Generation
Model (ARFORGEN). This model provides the predictability required for
units to organize and plan. The predictability of this model also
enables Soldiers who are looking for a more robust mobilization
schedule to anticipate future volunteer opportunities. Such volunteers
reduce the margin of cross-leveling in our formations, resulting in
increased predictability. In turn, this increases the time individual
Soldiers have between deployments and reduces stress on the operational
Force. The Army National Guard's current posture as an Operational
Force, along with the ARFORGEN model, will allow Soldiers to serve both
as traditional Guardsmen, and as full-time Soldiers throughout their
respective military careers. The Air National Guard utilizes
predictability, volunteerism, and ``rainbowing'' to aid Airmen in
balancing civilian careers with their obligations to our national
security. The Air Force's Aerospace Expeditionary Force (AEF),
implemented in 1999, helps provide predictability while meeting
commitments to theater commanders. Volunteerism provides individual
flexibility within the AEF system. By permitting Airmen to volunteer
for mobilization under Title 10 US Code, Sec. 12301(d), an individual
Airmen can tailor their AEF deployment commitment to match their
civilian career commitments. ``Rainbowing'' is a deployment management
tool that allows individuals to serve units other than their assigned
unit, and deploy in AEF cycles other than their own. AEF, volunteerism,
and rainbowing combined allow individual Guard Airman to optimize their
Air Force and civilian commitments by planning and preparing for
federal service within the matrix of their civilian careers.
Mr. Wilson. The use of an operational Reserve post current
contingency operations in Iraq and Afghanistan will certainly require
an increased commitment by service members and their families. Some
members may prefer to continue to serve as a traditional Selected
Reserve member, one weekend a month and 2 weeks in the summer, and
others may want to commit to a more robust mobilization schedule. How
do you plan to accommodate for the different levels of commitment?
General Carpenter. The ``one weekend per month and two weeks in the
summer'' model as the sole experience of a National Guardsman is one of
the distant past. The inherent operational duality of our Citizen
Soldiers and Airmen is understood by the members of our force now more
than ever, as more than three quarters of our current force entered
service in a post-9/11 environment. In addition to Afghanistan and
Iraq, our ongoing missions include Africa, the Balkans, America's
southwest border, and the State Partnership Program which involves more
than 60 countries. Interested Army and Air National Guardsmen and women
will continue to have multiple opportunities to volunteer for such
missions. The Army and Air National Guard expend significant effort
from top to bottom toward providing the tools for Soldiers and Airmen
to balance civilian careers with their obligations to national
security.
These efforts are coordinated through the Army Force Generation
Model (ARFORGEN). This model provides the predictability required for
units to organize and plan. The predictability of this model also
enables Soldiers who are looking for a more robust mobilization
schedule to anticipate future volunteer opportunities. Such volunteers
reduce the margin of cross-leveling in our formations, resulting in
increased predictability. In turn, this increases the time individual
Soldiers have between deployments and reduces stress on the operational
Force. The Army National Guard's current posture as an Operational
Force, along with the ARFORGEN model, will allow Soldiers to serve both
as traditional Guardsmen, and as full-time Soldiers throughout their
respective military careers. The Air National Guard utilizes
predictability, volunteerism, and ``rainbowing'' to aid Airmen in
balancing civilian careers with their obligations to our national
security. The Air Force's Aerospace Expeditionary Force (AEF),
implemented in 1999, helps provide predictability while meeting
commitments to theater commanders. Volunteerism provides individual
flexibility within the AEF system. By permitting Airmen to volunteer
for mobilization under Title 10 US Code, Sec. 12301(d), an individual
Airmen can tailor their AEF deployment commitment to match their
civilian career commitments. ``Rainbowing'' is a deployment management
tool that allows individuals to serve units other than their assigned
unit, and deploy in AEF cycles other than their own. AEF, volunteerism,
and rainbowing combined allow individual Guard Airman to optimize their
Air Force and civilian commitments by planning and preparing for
federal service within the matrix of their civilian careers.
Mr. Wilson. The use of an operational Reserve post current
contingency operations in Iraq and Afghanistan will certainly require
an increased commitment by service members and their families. Some
members may prefer to continue to serve as a traditional Selected
Reserve member, one weekend a month and 2 weeks in the summer, and
others may want to commit to a more robust mobilization schedule. How
do you plan to accommodate for the different levels of commitment?
General Stenner. The Air Force Reserve accommodates for the
different levels of commitment with flexible opportunities to serve.
Individuals can serve either as a Traditional Reservist, where they
live and serve in a part-time or full-time jobs as Air Reserve
Technicians (ARTs), Active Guard Reserve (AGR), or as an Individual
Mobilization Augmentee (IMAs) Reservists who work according to tailored
schedules at designated locations. Since our inception in 1948, the Air
Force Reserve has served as a key part of the nation's defense and
offers similar benefits afforded to those on active duty, with one
major addition: the benefit of time. It has been an ideal option for
those who have never been in the military and want to participate
without being on full-time active duty.
Additionally, many opportunities to serve within the Air Force
Reserve are sourced solely through volunteers. This allows for mission
accomplishment with limited impact on the employer support base.
Mr. Wilson. The use of an operational Reserve post current
contingency operations in Iraq and Afghanistan will certainly require
an increased commitment by service members and their families. Some
members may prefer to continue to serve as a traditional Selected
Reserve member, one weekend a month and 2 weeks in the summer, and
others may want to commit to a more robust mobilization schedule. How
do you plan to accommodate for the different levels of commitment?
General Stultz. Today's Army Reserve Soldiers joined or re-enlisted
after 9/11 to be a part of the operational force. They have an
expectation for mobilizations and deployments. It is imperative to
retain these experienced Soldiers by providing them with the
operational employment they desire. In contrast, the Soldiers of the
legacy, strategic reserve left service in significant numbers from 2004
to 2006. We cannot allow this loss of experience and institutional
knowledge to happen again. Simply put, the Army Reserve Soldier expects
to be used as an integrated member of the operational force, our
Soldiers only ask that, in return, when asked to mobilize or deploy
that it is done on a predictable, recurring cycle. Reverting to a
Strategic Reserve would entail a similar significant loss of our most
operationally experienced Army Reserve Soldiers. With the adoption of
the ARFORGEN model, the Army Reserve will provide a more predictable
cycle of missions to our Soldiers in a manner that satisfies their
desire for national service and operational employment. Every five
years, an Army Reserve Soldier can expect to operationally deploy or
mobilize for periods of active duty in order to support Army missions
at home or abroad. Our efforts to also develop and provide a Continuum
of Service will allow our Soldiers to move more seamlessly through
periods of Selected Reserve service, active duty service, and time
spent in the Individual Ready Reserve (IRR) as a civilian. This will
enable the Army Reserve Soldier, over time, to balance the needs of
their careers and families with the desire to serve their country as
part of the operational force.
Mr. Wilson. The use of an operational Reserve post current
contingency operations in Iraq and Afghanistan will certainly require
an increased commitment by service members and their families. Some
members may prefer to continue to serve as a traditional Selected
Reserve member, one weekend a month and 2 weeks in the summer, and
others may want to commit to a more robust mobilization schedule. How
do you plan to accommodate for the different levels of commitment?
Admiral Debbink. The purpose of drill weekends and annual training
periods is to prepare members of the Reserve Component for the
eventuality of activation in support of National military objectives.
This is the commitment into which members enter when they are appointed
or enlisted into the Navy Reserve. The service will continue to provide
opportunities for Sailors to contribute to the Nation's security and
strategic objectives, in peacetime and during war, while working to
strike a proper balance between the needs and availability of the
member with the operational imperative to shape the Force to support
fleet requirements in a ``Ready Now, Anytime, Anywhere'' posture.
Mr. Wilson. The use of an operational Reserve post current
contingency operations in Iraq and Afghanistan will certainly require
an increased commitment by service members and their families. Some
members may prefer to continue to serve as a traditional Selected
Reserve member, one weekend a month and 2 weeks in the summer, and
others may want to commit to a more robust mobilization schedule. How
do you plan to accommodate for the different levels of commitment?
General Moore. Our members have become accustomed to and now expect
to be activated on a periodic basis to fulfill operational requirements
in accordance with established mob-to-dwell ratios. It is our intent to
design our policy and procedures to appropriately review these
considerations so that the needs of the individual member are fully
considered, and well balanced with the Services' mission requirements.
The language, as proposed in the Senate-version of the FY12 NDAA,
addresses the individual preferences of the member. As a Service, we
must consider the service members' hazardous duty tours, frequency of
tours, dwell time, family considerations, and employment considerations
when determining which members will be ordered to active duty.
______
QUESTIONS SUBMITTED BY MS. BORDALLO
Ms. Bordallo. Do each of the services have an accurate costing
methodology to ensure an accurate budget programming in the future?
Recognizing the potential for increased costs with a higher readiness
and training requirements necessary for an operational Reserve, how
have the Services proposed to budget and plan for these requirements?
Do you have an estimate of what it would cost in each service's
rotation cycle for the size unit you expect to mobilize routinely?
General Carpenter. [The information referred to was not available
at the time of printing.]
Ms. Bordallo. Do each of the services have an accurate costing
methodology to ensure an accurate budget programming in the future?
Recognizing the potential for increased costs with a higher readiness
and training requirements necessary for an operational Reserve, how
have the Services proposed to budget and plan for these requirements?
Do you have an estimate of what it would cost in each service's
rotation cycle for the size unit you expect to mobilize routinely?
General Wyatt. [The information referred to was not available at
the time of printing.]
Ms. Bordallo. Do each of the services have an accurate costing
methodology to ensure an accurate budget programming in the future?
Recognizing the potential for increased costs with a higher readiness
and training requirements necessary for an operational Reserve, how
have the Services proposed to budget and plan for these requirements?
Do you have an estimate of what it would cost in each service's
rotation cycle for the size unit you expect to mobilize routinely?
General Stenner. The Air Force has accumulated almost twenty years
of documented experience and costing data with its Reserve Component
support of contingencies in both voluntary and mobilized status. Since
the advent of the Aerospace Expeditionary Force construct, that
contingency support cost data has been further refined and codified in
planning, programming, and budgeting efforts. Those cost estimates have
been incorporated in the active Air Force budget submissions for both
Military Personnel and Organization & Maintenance Overseas Contingency
Operations for the past several years. Future active Air Force
budgeting will continue to request funding for required RC personnel
support, and the Reserve and Guard will continue to request adequate
funding to assure the continued mission readiness of assigned
personnel.
Ms. Bordallo. Do each of the services have an accurate costing
methodology to ensure an accurate budget programming in the future?
Recognizing the potential for increased costs with a higher readiness
and training requirements necessary for an operational Reserve, how
have the Services proposed to budget and plan for these requirements?
Do you have an estimate of what it would cost in each service's
rotation cycle for the size unit you expect to mobilize routinely?
General Stultz. The Army Reserve (AR) developed a business case to
provide a portion of its force, during the Army Force Generation
(ARFORGEN) cycle ``Available Year,'' as the Title 10 Reserve Component
(RC) portion of the Army's operational force. The Army Reserve
Component's readiness and training requirements will be tied to their
deployment schedule. The Army will need to prioritize funding for
activating Guard and Reserve units among the existing Total Force
programs and capabilities within the baseline budget.
Ms. Bordallo. Do each of the services have an accurate costing
methodology to ensure an accurate budget programming in the future?
Recognizing the potential for increased costs with a higher readiness
and training requirements necessary for an operational Reserve, how
have the Services proposed to budget and plan for these requirements?
Do you have an estimate of what it would cost in each service's
rotation cycle for the size unit you expect to mobilize routinely?
Admiral Debbink. The Navy has an accurate costing methodology to
ensure accurate budget programming. The cost for Reserve units entering
a heightened operational phase to complete training, medical, and
personnel readiness requirements will not require any modifications to
current budget and planning processes. We do not currently have an
estimate of what it would cost to implement the proposed authority to
activate reserve component members for other than operational missions
and national emergency purposes. Only upon enactment, and subsequent
promulgation of Defense Department guidance on how the provision will
be implemented, will Navy be able to determine the likely construct and
employment of the Force that will lead to proper planning and budgeting
associated with implementation.
Ms. Bordallo. Do each of the services have an accurate costing
methodology to ensure an accurate budget programming in the future?
Recognizing the potential for increased costs with a higher readiness
and training requirements necessary for an operational Reserve, how
have the Services proposed to budget and plan for these requirements?
Do you have an estimate of what it would cost in each service's
rotation cycle for the size unit you expect to mobilize routinely?
General Moore. Yes, the Marine Corps has an accurate costing
methodology based on previously executed operations. Post-OCO, the
Marine Corps anticipates the continued employment of the Reserve to
fulfill Total Force operational requirements. The exact size and scope
has yet to be determined and is likely to fluctuate based on the
National Security Strategy and operational tempo. The most significant
cost of employing our Reserves as an operational force comes in the
form of manpower funding necessary for pay, allowances, and
entitlements for Reservists when on active duty. The Marine Corps will
need to prioritize funding for activating reserve units among the
existing Total Force programs and capabilities within our baseline
budget. We have developed a process to capture these costs and include
these in our baseline budget requests in the future.
______
QUESTIONS SUBMITTED BY MR. WEST
Mr. West. The Department of Defense has proposed some modifications
to the Reserve mobilization authority in Title 10, United States Code
12304 to allow for a more flexible access to the Reserves to
participate in non-contingency operations. I am a little concerned that
the recommend language of ``any mission'' is too broad of an authority
and may have unintended consequences for the Reserve Component. I
understand each service will use this authority for different types of
missions, and this committee is supportive of maintaining a relevant
operational Reserve, but can you address in detail why this
modification is needed, and what types of missions do you envision your
component executing with this authority?
General McKinley. The National Guard has demonstrated we are an
operational force. As a veteran Reserve Component force, the National
Guard's Citizen-Soldiers possess both military and civilian skill
sets--kinetic and smart powers that allow us to respond quickly and
efficiently wide variety of theatre security cooperation needs, and to
do so in a cost-effective, proportionate, basis.
Currently, Section 12304 of Title 10 United States Code provides a
limited Presidential Reserve Call-up to augment active forces. This
includes operational missions and select emergency response operations,
such as actual or potential Weapons of Mass Destruction threat and
terrorist attack scenarios. The Department of Defense's reliance on the
National Guard as an Operational Force requires changes to that law.
This modification will allow the National Guard to remain an
operational force, and provide combatant commanders with the unique
skills and capabilities of the National Guard. The modification could
enable more flexible employment of National Guard forces and assets, to
support and execute a variety of new and emerging missions. These may
include, but are not limited to, the following areas:
Full Spectrum Development Units--Assist developing
nations on matters of civic governance, agriculture, emergency
management, crisis response, and internal defense.
Foreign Consequence Management--Assist host nations with
responding to, managing, and mitigating the effects of events/
contamination from a Chemical, Biological, Radiological, or Nuclear
source.
Exercise, Exchanges, and Theater Engagement--Advise
developing nations on improving internal defense capabilities. Provide
assistance in establishing infrastructure and economic bases for
regional stability. Provide mentorship and training, and continue to
support OCONUS engagement activities.
Mr. West. The Department of Defense has proposed some modifications
to the Reserve mobilization authority in Title 10, United States Code
12304 to allow for a more flexible access to the Reserves to
participate in non-contingency operations. I am a little concerned that
the recommend language of ``any mission'' is too broad of an authority
and may have unintended consequences for the Reserve Component. I
understand each service will use this authority for different types of
missions, and this committee is supportive of maintaining a relevant
operational Reserve, but can you address in detail why this
modification is needed, and what types of missions do you envision your
component executing with this authority?
General Wyatt. The National Guard has demonstrated we are an
operational force. As a veteran Reserve Component force, the National
Guard's Citizen-Soldiers possess both military and civilian skill
sets--kinetic and smart powers that allow us to respond quickly and
efficiently wide variety of theatre security cooperation needs, and to
do so in a cost-effective, proportionate, basis.
Currently, Section 12304 of Title 10 United States Code provides a
limited Presidential Reserve Call-up to augment active forces. This
includes operational missions and select emergency response operations,
such as actual or potential Weapons of Mass Destruction threat and
terrorist attack scenarios. The Department of Defense's reliance on the
National Guard as an Operational Force requires changes to that law.
This modification will allow the National Guard to remain an
operational force, and provide combatant commanders with the unique
skills and capabilities of the National Guard. The modification could
enable more flexible employment of National Guard forces and assets, to
support and execute a variety of new and emerging missions. These may
include, but are not limited to, the following areas:
Full Spectrum Development Units--Assist developing
nations on matters of civic governance, agriculture, emergency
management, crisis response, and internal defense.
Foreign Consequence Management--Assist host nations with
responding to, managing, and mitigating the effects of events/
contamination from a Chemical, Biological, Radiological, or Nuclear
source.
Exercise, Exchanges, and Theater Engagement--Advise
developing nations on improving internal defense capabilities. Provide
assistance in establishing infrastructure and economic bases for
regional stability. Provide mentorship and training, and continue to
support OCONUS engagement activities.
Mr. West. The Department of Defense has proposed some modifications
to the Reserve mobilization authority in Title 10, United States Code
12304 to allow for a more flexible access to the Reserves to
participate in non-contingency operations. I am a little concerned that
the recommend language of ``any mission'' is too broad of an authority
and may have unintended consequences for the Reserve Component. I
understand each service will use this authority for different types of
missions, and this committee is supportive of maintaining a relevant
operational Reserve, but can you address in detail why this
modification is needed, and what types of missions do you envision your
component executing with this authority?
General Carpenter. The National Guard has demonstrated we are an
operational force. As a veteran Reserve Component force, the National
Guard's Citizen-Soldiers possess both military and civilian skill
sets--kinetic and smart powers that allow us to respond quickly and
efficiently wide variety of theatre security cooperation needs, and to
do so in a cost-effective, proportionate, basis.
Currently, Section 12304 of Title 10 United States Code provides a
limited Presidential Reserve Call-up to augment active forces. This
includes operational missions and select emergency response operations,
such as actual or potential Weapons of Mass Destruction threat and
terrorist attack scenarios. The Department of Defense's reliance on the
National Guard as an Operational Force requires changes to that law.
This modification will allow the National Guard to remain an
operational force, and provide combatant commanders with the unique
skills and capabilities of the National Guard. The modification could
enable more flexible employment of National Guard forces and assets, to
support and execute a variety of new and emerging missions. These may
include, but are not limited to, the following areas:
Full Spectrum Development Units--Assist developing
nations on matters of civic governance, agriculture, emergency
management, crisis response, and internal defense.
Foreign Consequence Management--Assist host nations with
responding to, managing, and mitigating the effects of events/
contamination from a Chemical, Biological, Radiological, or Nuclear
source.
Exercise, Exchanges, and Theater Engagement--Advise
developing nations on improving internal defense capabilities. Provide
assistance in establishing infrastructure and economic bases for
regional stability. Provide mentorship and training, and continue to
support OCONUS engagement activities.
Mr. West. The Department of Defense has proposed some modifications
to the Reserve mobilization authority in Title 10, United States Code
12304 to allow for a more flexible access to the Reserves to
participate in non-contingency operations. I am a little concerned that
the recommend language of ``any mission'' is too broad of an authority
and may have unintended consequences for the Reserve Component. I
understand each service will use this authority for different types of
missions, and this committee is supportive of maintaining a relevant
operational Reserve, but can you address in detail why this
modification is needed, and what types of missions do you envision your
component executing with this authority?
General Stenner. The Air Force Reserve supports the Department's
efforts to modify 12304; however it does not intend to use the expanded
authority at this time, should it become law. The Air Force Reserve
uses a combination of volunteerism and mobilization to support its on-
going missions.
Mr. West. The Department of Defense has proposed some modifications
to the Reserve mobilization authority in Title 10, United States Code
12304 to allow for a more flexible access to the Reserves to
participate in non-contingency operations. I am a little concerned that
the recommend language of ``any mission'' is too broad of an authority
and may have unintended consequences for the Reserve Component. I
understand each service will use this authority for different types of
missions, and this committee is supportive of maintaining a relevant
operational Reserve, but can you address in detail why this
modification is needed, and what types of missions do you envision your
component executing with this authority?
General Stultz. The Army Reserve anticipates using this authority
to continue to conduct a variety of missions in support of theater
security cooperation and building partner nation capacity, particularly
once forces in Afghanistan and Iraq are removed or reduced.
The Army is in the process of establishing a menu of Reserve
Component use options for forces not deployed during the ARFORGEN
available year. The menu of options includes Theater Security
Cooperation missions, Joint Chiefs of Staff Exercises, and CONUS
missions. Army Reserve missions have the added benefit of maintaining
Army force readiness while reducing the burden on a fiscally
constrained Army. Currently, the Army Reserve is participating in
``Pacific Partnership'' and ``Beyond Horizons'' missions; Medical
Readiness Exercises in Korea, Africa, Kosovo, Honduras, Europe, and
Guatemala; Military to Military missions; and ``building partner
capacity'' events. We believe modifications to the US Code 12304
authority will increase Army Reserve ability to meet these needs and
participate in future requirements--all tailored to the strengths and
capabilities an operational Army Reserve. Without modifications to US
Code 12304, Army Reserve activities will end as OCO funding diminishes.
While the language ``any mission'' may appear to be too broad,
however is quite necessary for continued access to the Reserve
Components and an enduring operational Reserve.
Mr. West. The Department of Defense has proposed some modifications
to the Reserve mobilization authority in Title 10, United States Code
12304 to allow for a more flexible access to the Reserves to
participate in non-contingency operations. I am a little concerned that
the recommend language of ``any mission'' is too broad of an authority
and may have unintended consequences for the Reserve Component. I
understand each service will use this authority for different types of
missions, and this committee is supportive of maintaining a relevant
operational Reserve, but can you address in detail why this
modification is needed, and what types of missions do you envision your
component executing with this authority?
Admiral Debbink. This modification is needed to ensure timely
access to Reserve force personnel during future periods of relative
geopolitical stability. In an era of emerging global contingencies
which may not warrant a Congressional or Presidential declaration of
war or national emergency, the Department of Defense lacks the
flexibility to access Reserve Component members to participate in total
force solutions to meet rapidly evolving requirements. The authority
sought by the Department of Defense provides the following benefits:
Enhances flexibility and efficient use of the Total Force
allowing the services to best design its AC/RC mix to meet strategic
and operational requirements;
Enhances Total Force capacity by allowing RC units and
members to be included in long-range planning processes;
Provides the opportunity to enhance dwell/ITEMPO to
desired levels through increased capacity provided by RC units and
members;
Enhances the overall readiness of RC units with high-
demand skill sets, ensuring a more robust total force response capacity
for future contingency operations;
Provides predictability of future routine military
obligations for individual Reserve members, their families and their
employers; and
Provides a mechanism to access RC members for routine
requirements assured of the various protections currently granted for
other involuntary duty assignments.
The Navy Reserve would use this authority to augment force
rotations for overseas requirements with preplanned Reserve units.
Mr. West. The Department of Defense has proposed some modifications
to the Reserve mobilization authority in Title 10, United States Code
12304 to allow for a more flexible access to the Reserves to
participate in non-contingency operations. I am a little concerned that
the recommend language of ``any mission'' is too broad of an authority
and may have unintended consequences for the Reserve Component. I
understand each service will use this authority for different types of
missions, and this committee is supportive of maintaining a relevant
operational Reserve, but can you address in detail why this
modification is needed, and what types of missions do you envision your
component executing with this authority?
General Moore. Our challenge is ensuring we are able to access our
Reserve units for peacetime missions unrelated to contingency
operations. Our Reserves are well-suited to perform missions, such as
theater security cooperation, which will continue after the wars in
Iraq and Afghanistan are over. However, to be cost-effective, we need
to avoid cobbling together groups of individual volunteers. For this
reason, we consider the legislative proposal to revise 10 USC 12304 to
be critical to the success of an operational reserve. This new
authority will allow the Marine Corps to provide cohesive units to
satisfy Total Force non-contingency operational requirements while
maintaining unit integrity and minimizing cross-leveling of
individuals, and ensure our continued ability to employ our Reserves to
fulfill combatant commanders' operational requirements short of war or
national emergency.
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