Reservist Magazine is the award-winning official publication of the United States Coast Guard Reserve. Quarterly issues include news and feature articles about the men and women who comprise America's premier national maritime safety and security
Issue link: https://uscgreservist.epubxp.com/i/674506
I am very pleased to have this opportunity to engage with the readers of the Reservist. As a former Director of Reserve and Military Personnel (CG-13), I love the Reserve and its remarkable men and women and I am proud of the value and dedication they bring to our Service and our Nation. In fact, my experience as the Director of Reserve is proving particularly fortuitous as the Coast Guard explores how to best manage, train and employ this limited yet extremely important resource. Since completing my tour as CG-13 in 2011, the Reserve Component has been reduced from 8,100 to its current level of 7,000. Much like the reduction of general detail billets on the active duty side, this draw down of reservists has significantly compromised our overall surge capacity. Fortunately, the work of shaping the Reserve force to enhance its readiness has been underway since the 2010 Tomney Study (Reserve Employment Work Group). The study, led by Rear Adm. Chris Tomney, provided a strategic blueprint for the Reserve with an eye towards competency and surge capacity. Ultimately, the study led to the launch of the Concept of Reserve Employment (C.O.R.E.) during my tenure as Director of Reserve. C.O.R.E. began the process of determining the highest priority competencies in key mission areas including boat operations, port security, port safety and contingency response. This holistic approach to assigning competencies with the highest probability of being needed during surge operations has added an important linkage between accountability, on the part of both the organization and the individual member, and readiness. The current Boat Forces Reserve Management Plan (BFRMP) is an example of the heightened focus the relationship between organizational and individual accountability and overall readiness has brought to the shaping of the Reserve workforce. A five-year strategic initiative by the Office of Boat Forces, the BFRMP has established realistic business rules to enhance the training and readiness of the Reserve billets within its surge capacity portfolio. Due to the aforementioned force reductions the Coast Guard has seen over recent budget cycles, it is now more important than ever that every reservist be provided with a clearly defined set of expectations and the requisite direction and resources to meet those expectations. It is equally important that each reservist understand that there is no slack in the line. Each and every member is crucial to overall mission success. Each must be ready to respond when they get the call. The BFRMP will improve readiness and enable us to achieve these goals. As part of our ongoing efforts to optimize our Reserve force employment and management, Adm. Zukunft has asked that we take a more strategic look at how we manage the Reserve Flag corps and, by extension, our Reserve officers in general. I am pleased to report we are already making progress, and here's an example. As many of you are aware, in the past we have utilized Reserve (IDPL) Flags to temporarily fill a number of active duty billets including the Director of Reserve and Military Personnel .In fact, our Senior Reserve Flag, Rear. Adm. Kurt Hinrichs, is currently serving as CG-13. We intend to continue to use one of our Reserve Flags to fill that billet in the future. Historically, our IDPL Flags have been assigned to the staffs of our Atlantic and Pacific Area Commanders. During a recent meeting of the CG's Leadership Council we determined that assigning the IDPL Flags to billets at the Headquarters level, within the Deputy Commandant for Operations and Deputy Commandant for Mission Support, will better serve the Service's objective of creating the most nimble and flexible Reserve force possible. As Adm. Zukunft points out in his interview in this issue of the Reservist (see page 24), the total force reductions have significantly reduced the Coast Guard's ability to respond to multiple simultaneous surge operations. This has made the Reserve an integral component as we look to rebuild our human capital resources following a protracted period of re-investment in our capital assets. Our recently promulgated Human Capital Strategy will support our Reserve force, and I encourage you all to read it and do your part to improve our Service! There is an oft-repeated saying which goes, "It's not the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the fight in the dog that matters." Certainly the Coast Guard Reserve has proven this axiom time and time again over the course of its 75 year history. I can personally attest that every reservist's contribution and value is recognized at the highest levels of our Service. I am proud to serve alongside you in this fantastic organization. You are our trusted, reliable, always ready "force in garrison." Thank you and Semper Paratus. "I love the Reserve and its remarkable men and women and I am proud of the value and dedication they bring to our Service and our Nation." ReseRvist Magazine the view FRoM the BRidge Rear Admiral Francis "Stash" Pelkowski Senior Reserve Offcer Deputy Commandant for Operations 6 RESERVIST � Issue 2 • 2016