Reservist

ISS2 2015

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/498190

Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 7 of 55

G reetings shipmates. It is indeed my pleasure to communicate with you as my time at Coast Guard Headquarters draws to an end. Frankly, as an aviator I had little interaction with the average Coast Guard reservist during the majority of my career. That all changed dramatically when I was assigned as the 9th District Chief of Staff and then assumed the duties of the Director of Reserve in 2010. My Chief of Staff tour was truly an eye opener with respect to the Reserve workforce. I quickly came to appreciate the significant surge capacity and capability reservists bring to the Coast Guard's ability to execute and sustain its missions across the geographically challenging Great Lakes region. Although the 9th District is a busy place year round, the contributions reservists make at the sector and small boat station level during the district's compressed, yet high op- tempo, summer season is essential. While my 9th District experience was in some ways a baptism by fire, it provided a valuable baseline from which I have drawn in each of my Flag assignments: first as the Director of Reserve and Military Personnel, then as Commander of the Personnel Command, and finally as the Assistant Commandant for Human Resources. In fact, the past five years have provided me a better and deeper appreciation of the long-standing value our Reserve personnel bring to our Service, and more importantly, the American taxpayer. It was England's King Richard I (1157-1199) who said, "When one has a good reserve, one does not fear one's enemies." From my perspective, those words are as powerful and relevant today as they were centuries ago. Whether those "enemies" are "foreign or domestic" wishing to do harm to the citizens of the United States or the unrelenting ravages of Mother Nature, the Coast Guard Reserve has shown time and again its value as the Coast Guard's "force in garrison." From its beginnings in the early days of World War II and every decade since, reservists have shown an uncanny ability to adapt to an often-changing environment, whether it was as front line war fighters or a Cold War strategic force. Since 2001 reservists have willingly accepted the role of an operational Reserve. They have shown a tenacious commitment to train at and augment local units while preparing for constant deployments at home and overseas. As a result, and despite being members of the smallest of the seven Reserve Components, today's Coast Guard reservists are among the most experienced, proficient and mission tested in its 74-year history. This experience and expertise will serve our Service well as we shape our total workforce to meet the growing number of threats and challenges in Cyber and the Western Hemisphere along with increasing demands in the Arctic and domestic energy sectors. As the person charged with overseeing the Coast Guard's Human Capital Enterprise – a fancy accumulation of words which boils down to ensuring we recruit, develop and retain a diverse, proficient, effective workforce to meet the current and future needs of the Coast Guard – I know full well that the Reserve is an integral part of that enterprise. Over the past two years we have continued to build on the successful stand-up of the Reserve Force Readiness System adding senior level billets to critical programmatic positions including within the Deputy Commandant of Operations and the Director of Logistics (DOL). These investments are already reaping results with implementation of the Boat Forces Reserve Management Plan (BFRMP). At its core the BFRMP aligns training capacity at small boat units with the boat crew requirement identified by the Office of Boat Forces. The BFRMP will result in higher boat crew certification rates, which increase an operational commander's ability to leverage Reserve personnel to augment day-to- day missions as a way to build and maintain proficiency. The DOL is working on a promising pilot program which will harness existing skills within the Reserve to provide the CG with surge mission support capacity for regional and national utilization. In part, due to efforts like these, I know that when I assume the duties of 8th District Commander later this summer I will sleep better at night with the knowledge we have that "good reserve" to which King Richard referred: a Reserve standing at the ready to meet the challenges of those unforeseen but historically predictable contingencies. Let me commend each of you for your service and unwavering dedication. I stand proudly with you in the service to our Nation. Semper Paratus. "In fact, the past fve years have provided me a better and deeper appreciation of the long-standing value our Reserve personnel bring to our Service, and more importantly, the American taxpayer." ReseRvist Magazine the view FRoM the BRidge Rear Admiral David Callahan Assistant Commandant for Human Resources 6 RESERVIST � Issue 2 • 2015

Articles in this issue

Archives of this issue

view archives of Reservist - ISS2 2015