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<strong>Naval</strong><br />
<strong>Reserve</strong><br />
<strong>Association</strong><br />
NEWS<br />
September 2004, Volume 51, No. 9<br />
Features:<br />
VADM John G. Cotton<br />
Chief of <strong>Naval</strong> <strong>Reserve</strong><br />
The Individual Ready <strong>Reserve</strong> (IRR)<br />
The <strong>Association</strong> Voice of the <strong>Naval</strong> <strong>Reserve</strong>
Buckle up.<br />
Look both ways.<br />
Wear your helmet.<br />
Sound familiar<br />
You probably repeat the same tried and<br />
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your family safe. You know you can<br />
take care of the smaller matters, but what about<br />
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That’s why NRA offers a number of top-quality<br />
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Coverage may vary or be unavailable in some states.<br />
* Including features, costs, eligibility, renewability,<br />
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Policies have exclusions and limitations that may affect any benefits payable.<br />
The TRICARE Supplement and Short Term Recovery Plan are underwritten by<br />
Hartford Life Insurance Company. The Term Life Plan is underwritten by<br />
Unum Life Insurance Company of America. The Catastrophe Major Medical<br />
and Dental Plans are underwritten by The United States Life Insurance<br />
Company in the City of New York. The Cancer Expense Plan is underwritten<br />
by Monumental Life Insurance Company, Baltimore, MD. The High-Limit<br />
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For a FREE information kit* on any<br />
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please call TOLL-FREE<br />
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Hearing- or voice-impaired members may<br />
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Form #<br />
17548<br />
379-03
VISION OF THE NAVAL RESERVE ASSOCIATION<br />
The Premier Professional Organization for <strong>Naval</strong> Reservists,<br />
Committed to Supporting a Strong Navy and National Defense,<br />
While Providing Outstanding Service to Its Members.<br />
Contents<br />
NRA NEWS September 2004, Volume 51, No. 9<br />
FEATURES<br />
10 INTERVIEW WITH THE CHIEF OF NAVAL RESERVE<br />
“I really think that Reservists of the future are going to have<br />
three jobs. The first job is to support the gaining or supported<br />
command. The second one is a homeland security role. The<br />
third job starts on the day you raise your hand to the day you<br />
are put in the ground, with a sailor blowing “Taps” on a<br />
bugle; you are a recruiter.”–– VADM John G. Cotton<br />
19 THE INDIVIDUAL READY RESERVE (IRR) –<br />
IT’S BETWEEN THE SELECTED RESERVE AND<br />
RETIRED RESERVE<br />
“If you are faced with the loss of a pay billet, understanding the<br />
elements of the IRR will make the choice of whether to go into the<br />
VTU or IRR Active Status Pool much more calculated.”<br />
–– CAPT Tom McAtee, USNR (Ret)<br />
DEPARTMENTS<br />
4 From the Editor<br />
6 President’s Message<br />
7 Legislative Update<br />
8 Retirees’ Corner<br />
23 Health Affairs<br />
OTHERS<br />
5 Corporate Associates Program<br />
18 NRA 50th Anniversary Year Conference<br />
29 Christmas/Holiday Card Program<br />
34 ESGR Public Service Announcement<br />
35 In Memoriam<br />
ON THE COVER<br />
VADM John G. Cotton, Chief of <strong>Naval</strong> <strong>Reserve</strong>.<br />
24 Professional Development<br />
26 Junior Officer Country<br />
28 Letters<br />
30 Info That You Can Use<br />
36 Reservists In Action<br />
<strong>Naval</strong> <strong>Reserve</strong> <strong>Association</strong> NEWS (ISSN 0162-2129), authorized under PSM, Section 132.22,<br />
published monthly by the <strong>Naval</strong> <strong>Reserve</strong> <strong>Association</strong>, is a magazine devoted to the professional interests of the<br />
Officers of the United States <strong>Naval</strong> <strong>Reserve</strong> <strong>Association</strong>. Editorial and Executive Offices, 1619 King Street,<br />
Alexandria, VA 22314. Telephone (703) 548-5800. Periodicals postage paid at Alexandria, VA, and<br />
other mailing offices. Articles and letters appearing the <strong>Naval</strong> <strong>Reserve</strong> <strong>Association</strong> News do not necessarily<br />
reflect the opinions of the Executive Committee of the <strong>Naval</strong> <strong>Reserve</strong> <strong>Association</strong> or the Editor, nor are<br />
they necessarily to be interpreted as official policy of the United States Navy or <strong>Naval</strong> <strong>Reserve</strong> <strong>Association</strong>. Rates:<br />
The <strong>Naval</strong> <strong>Reserve</strong> <strong>Association</strong> News subscription is covered by membership in the <strong>Naval</strong> <strong>Reserve</strong> <strong>Association</strong>.<br />
Membership is open to all commissioned or warrant officers who are serving or have served honorably<br />
as members of the U.S. Armed Forces. Subscription price is $7.50 domestic. Single copy: 75 cents.<br />
Eligible non-members are not entitled to subscription rates. Photos or articles may be reproduced,<br />
providing credit is given to the <strong>Naval</strong> <strong>Reserve</strong> <strong>Association</strong> News. Postmaster: Send change of address to the <strong>Naval</strong><br />
<strong>Reserve</strong> <strong>Association</strong>, 1619 King Street, Alexandria, VA 22314. Printed in USA.<br />
ASSOCIATION OFFICERS<br />
AND COMMITTEE CHAIRS<br />
NATIONAL OFFICERS<br />
NATIONAL PRESIDENT<br />
CAPT John Eric Lindell, USNR (Ret)<br />
E-mail: johnl@portarthur.com<br />
NATIONAL EXECUTIVE VP<br />
RADM William J. Lynch, MC, USNR<br />
E-mail: radmwjl@comcast.net<br />
NATIONAL VP-SURFACE RESERVE<br />
PROGRAMS<br />
CAPT Thaddeus A. Peake III, USNR<br />
E-mail: dpeake@peakeeng.com<br />
NATIONAL VP-AIR RESERVE<br />
PROGRAMS<br />
CDR Bryan D. Quigley, USNR<br />
E-mail: Bryanquigley@comcast.net<br />
NATIONAL VP-BUDGET & FINANCE<br />
CAPT Haig Bodour, SC, USNR (Ret)<br />
E-mail: hbodour@newmexico.com<br />
NATIONAL VP-LEGISLATION &<br />
EDUCATION<br />
LCDR James M. Gerlach, USNR<br />
E-mail: endzone@bluemoon.net<br />
NATIONAL VP-MEMBERSHIP<br />
LCDR Lawrence M. Miller, MSC, USNR<br />
E-mail: millernavy@verizon.net<br />
NATIONAL VP-MEMBER SERVICES<br />
LCDR Gail W. Holzworth, NC, USNR (Ret)<br />
E-mail: Misslorton@aol.com<br />
NATIONAL VP-PROFESSIONAL<br />
DEVELOPMENT<br />
CAPT G. Mark Hardy III, USNR<br />
E-mail: gmhardy@usnr.org<br />
NATIONAL VP-ACTIVE DUTY<br />
PROGRAMS<br />
CDR Edward J. Nava, USNR<br />
E-mail: ejnava@lanl.gov<br />
NATIONAL VP-PUBLIC RELATIONS<br />
LT Ian Mitchel King, USNR<br />
E-mail: ltianking@hotmail.com<br />
NATIONAL VP-LEGAL AFFAIRS<br />
LT Marc J. Soss, SC, USNR<br />
E-mail: SMSOSS@aol.com<br />
NATIONAL VP-HEALTH PROGRAMS<br />
RADM Peter L. Andrus, MC, USNR<br />
E-mail: captpla@aol.com<br />
NATIONAL VP-RETIRED PERSONNEL<br />
CDR Sharon K. Kleinschmidt, USNR (Ret)<br />
Tel: 619-429-4504<br />
NATIONAL VP-JUNIOR OFFICERS<br />
LCDR Phan Phan, USNR<br />
E-mail: phan_p@hq.cnrf.navy.mil<br />
NATIONAL TREASURER<br />
CAPT W. Stuart Colby, USNR (Ret)<br />
E-mail: glendalefingrp@aol.com<br />
NATIONAL CHAPLAIN<br />
CAPT Horace A. Hamm, CHC, USNR (Ret)<br />
E-mail: hhamm@worldnet.att.net<br />
NATIONAL HISTORIAN<br />
CAPT John C. Rice, Jr., USNR (Ret)<br />
Fax: 504-486-6040<br />
NATIONAL PARLIAMENTARIAN<br />
CDR Willard B. Stubbs, USNR<br />
E-mail: willstubbs@cox.net<br />
COMMITTEES<br />
ANCHORS PRESIDENT<br />
Dr. Maureen Lindell, Ph.D<br />
E-mail: maureenl@portarthur.com<br />
CONSTITUTION & BY-LAWS COMMITTEE CHAIR<br />
CDR Gary W. Barron, USNR<br />
E-mail: gary.r.barron@boeing.com<br />
RESOLUTIONS COMMITTEE CHAIR<br />
LCDR Andrew Scheerer, USNR<br />
E-mail: scheerer@bww.com<br />
AWARDS COMMITTEE CHAIR<br />
CAPT Larry R. Danielson, USNR (Ret)<br />
E-mail: captlrd@yahoo.com<br />
NOMINATIONS COMMITTEE CHAIR<br />
CDR Joseph Quaglino, Jr., USNR (Ret)<br />
E-mail: joseph.quaglino-jr@boeing.com<br />
CREDENTIALS & ELECTIONS COMMITTEE CHAIR<br />
CDR ChisT. K. Kirstein-Blackburn, NC, USNR<br />
E-mail: bskts4u2@prodigy.net<br />
SITE SELECTION COMMITTEE CHAIR<br />
CDR Leo B. Hill, USNR (Ret)<br />
E-mail: lbhtimwolf@aol.com<br />
STRATEGIC PLANNING COMMITTEE CHAIR<br />
CAPT Timothy D. Moon, USNR<br />
E-mail: moontd@earthlink.net<br />
INVESTMENT OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE CHAIR<br />
CAPT William D. Loockerman, USNR (Ret)<br />
E-mail: wloockerman@aol.com<br />
SCHOLARSHIP COMMITTEE CHAIR<br />
CAPT Richard Bowers, MSC, USNR (Ret)<br />
E-mail: ah106sru@aol.com<br />
DISTRICT PRESIDENTS<br />
FIRST DISTRICT<br />
LCDR Paul R. Younes, USNR<br />
E-mail: p.younes@att.net<br />
THIRD DISTRICT<br />
CAPT Thomas J. Caulfield, USNR (Ret)<br />
E-mail: clfield@canisius.edu<br />
FOURTH DISTRICT<br />
CDR John J. Thaler II, DC, USNR<br />
E-mail: jjthalerII@aol.com<br />
FIFTH DISTRICT<br />
CAPT Robin L. Graf, USNR<br />
E-mail: grafrl@earthlink.net<br />
SIXTH DISTRICT<br />
LT Louise M. Anderson, MSC, USNR<br />
E-mail: louise.anderson@flhosp.org<br />
EIGHTH DISTRICT<br />
CDR Michael C. Leskin, USNR<br />
E-mail: mleskin@sleh.com<br />
NINTH DISTRICT<br />
RADM Richard E. Young, USNR (Ret)<br />
E-mail: dickyoung@4dv.net<br />
ELEVENTH DISTRICT<br />
CDR Joseph Quaglino, Jr., USNR (Ret)<br />
E-mail: joseph.quaglino-jr@boeing.com<br />
TWELFTH DISTRICT<br />
CDR William J. Mellish, CEC, USNR (Ret)<br />
H: 650-856-1998; FAX: 650-856-9037<br />
THIRTEENTH DISTRICT<br />
CAPT Marshall A. Hanson, USNR (Ret)<br />
E-mail: pacnwmailbuoy@juno.com<br />
FOURTEENTH DISTRICT<br />
CAPT Gayle J. Lau, JAGC, USNR<br />
E-mail: laug004@hawaii.rr.com
4<br />
From the Editor<br />
When I think of the month of September, I think of change. The three-day-long Labor<br />
Day weekend serves as a reminder that the lazy days of summer are coming to an<br />
end. Those in school have returned or are returning to the classroom. The autumnal<br />
equinox is a reminder of the change in seasons. Our new fiscal year starts this month and the<br />
Federal government fiscal year ends. And, as CAPT Mark Hardy reminds us, it is the end of<br />
the FITREP reporting period for many. Above all, the third anniversary of the tragic events<br />
of 11 September 2001 reminds me of the loss of a dear friend and the irrevocable change to<br />
the way we conduct our lives. It is my hope that the good work and recommendations of the<br />
911 commission will be taken to heart by this Administration and by this Congress to restructure<br />
each branch to deal more effectively and efficiently with this persistent threat to our lives, our<br />
liberties, and our happiness.<br />
Our features this month underscore change as well. VADM John Cotton outlines all that is<br />
changing in the <strong>Reserve</strong> that we know and love. He pulls no punches and lays it out for you to<br />
read and digest. What is expected of Reservists under his leadership comes across loud and<br />
clear. This is definitely one for the “read and initial” board! The other feature is presented by<br />
CAPT Tom McAtee and deals with the change that will occur on 1 October when many (too<br />
many!!) transition from pay to nonpay assignments. His article provides factual information<br />
on the options available – VTU, IRR Active Status Pool, or retirement – and the pros and cons<br />
of each one.<br />
Last item before I get off the subject of change, we’ve included an overview of the<br />
Commander Fleet Forces Command Zero Based Review (ZBR). RADM Dave Anderson headed<br />
up this effort at FFC; and he told me his personal goal in accepting the assignment was, and still is,<br />
“for every <strong>Naval</strong> Reservist to have a meaningful assignment in the future of our Navy.” He is<br />
a caring, sensitive professional who loves the <strong>Naval</strong> <strong>Reserve</strong> and so do many on his ZBR team.<br />
I was impressed with the ZBR work and present the article to you for your information, starting on<br />
page 30. The results of the ZBR will soon be briefed to the CNO in late August. The decisions<br />
that are made as a result of this review will significantly change the <strong>Naval</strong> <strong>Reserve</strong>. The<br />
implementation of these decisions and how they are resourced will be key to the right AC/RC<br />
mix to ensure warfighting wholeness. The devil is always in the details and that is where we<br />
will have our ear to the grounds.<br />
VADM Cotton and RADM Anderson will be presenting to our 50th anniversary conference<br />
on Saturday morning, 18 September. RADM Bob Clark will also be presenting. All interested<br />
<strong>Naval</strong> Reservists are invited to attend the seminar – it does not require conference registration.<br />
It kicks off at 0730 at the Radisson Old Town Hotel; 901 North Fairfax; Alexandria, VA. If you<br />
need more information, send me an e-mail or give me a call on<br />
our toll free number 1-866-672-4968.<br />
Speaking of the upcoming conference, I regret that this 50th anniversary celebration kicks<br />
off on Rosh Hashanah. I am accountable and responsible for this and apologize for the<br />
oversight. We have set a procedure in place that will prevent this from happening over any<br />
religious holiday in the future and are offering a special registration for those affected by it.<br />
The Secretary of Defense has decreed the week of 3-11 September 2004 as Armed Forces<br />
Voters Week. This is the last really safe week to submit a Federal Post Card Application,<br />
SF-76, request for registration and/or absentee ballot which meets most state deadlines. More<br />
information can be found at the Federal Voting Assistance Program Web site .<br />
The content in this issue is both robust and informative. It is also very relevant to the times.<br />
Enjoy the read.<br />
Looking Ahead<br />
Best regards,<br />
Steve Keith<br />
October. Our feature will be the New York <strong>Naval</strong> Militia.<br />
November: We will feature the <strong>Naval</strong> <strong>Reserve</strong> <strong>Association</strong>’s 50th Anniversary Year Conference<br />
highlights.<br />
December. Our feature will be the <strong>Naval</strong> <strong>Reserve</strong> Seabee program.<br />
<strong>Naval</strong> <strong>Reserve</strong> <strong>Association</strong><br />
NEWS<br />
1619 King Street, Alexandria, VA 22314<br />
Tel: 703-548-5800 • Fax: 703-683-3647<br />
Toll Free Voice: 1-866-NRA-4-YOU (672-4968)<br />
Toll Free Fax: 1-866-683-3647<br />
E-mail: nranews@navy-reserve.org<br />
Home Page: www.navy-reserve.org<br />
EDITORIAL<br />
Editor: RADM Stephen T. Keith, USNR (Ret)<br />
Associate Editor: CAPT Thomas L. McAtee, USNR (Ret)<br />
Assistant Editor: Linda Bautista<br />
GRAPHICS/PRODUCTION<br />
Linda Bautista<br />
ADVERTISING<br />
Mr. Bob Lyman<br />
HEADQUARTERS STAFF<br />
NATIONAL EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR<br />
RADM Steve Keith, USNR (Ret)<br />
E-mail: execdir@navy-reserve.org<br />
CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER<br />
Mr. Bob Lyman<br />
E-mail: cfo@navy-reserve.org<br />
DIRECTOR OF LEGISLATION<br />
CAPT Ike Puzon, USNR (Ret)<br />
E-mail: legislat@navy-reserve.org<br />
DIRECTOR, PROFESSIONAL<br />
DEVELOPMENT<br />
CAPT Art Schultz, Jr., USNR (Ret)<br />
E-mail: record.review@navy-reserve.org<br />
DIRECTOR OF MEMBER<br />
SERVICES<br />
CAPT Tom McAtee, USNR (Ret)<br />
E-mail: stratcom@navy-reserve.org<br />
DIRECTOR OF MEMBERSHIP<br />
CAPT Art Schultz, Jr., USNR (Ret)<br />
E-mail: memdir@navy-reserve.org<br />
MEMBERSHIP ASSISTANT<br />
Mark De Ville<br />
E-mail: membership@navy-reserve.org<br />
SENIOR ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT<br />
Linda Bautista<br />
E-mail: nranews@navy-reserve.org<br />
ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT<br />
Millie Pistolesi<br />
E-mail: admin@navy-reserve.org<br />
SUBMISSIONS<br />
Letters to the Editor - Will be considered for<br />
publication unless the writer requests otherwise.<br />
They may be edited for clarity and space. Mail to<br />
Letters To The Editor at NRA NEWS, or E-mail to<br />
. Include your name,<br />
address, and daytime telephone number.<br />
Articles – For guidelines on article submission,<br />
call or write NRA Headquarters, or E-mail<br />
.<br />
SUBSCRIPTIONS<br />
NRA NEWS is part of membership in the <strong>Association</strong>.<br />
To join, renew your membership, or to report address<br />
changes, call or write NRA Headquarters, or E-mail<br />
.<br />
NRA NEWS/SEPTEMBER 2004
N AVAL R ESERVE A SSOCIATION<br />
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CHARTER MEMBERS<br />
Lockheed Martin<br />
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Gulfstream Aerospace<br />
Northrop Grumman Corporation<br />
Kaman Aerospace Corporation<br />
DRS Technologies<br />
BAE Systems<br />
Northrop Grumman Ship Systems<br />
USAA<br />
Raytheon Company<br />
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JOINED IN 1999 - 2004<br />
CES, a California Corporation<br />
Rosen Associates Management Corp.<br />
Aquila sm Group of Funds<br />
BB&T<br />
Apogen Technologies<br />
Military.com<br />
CACI International, Inc.<br />
Booz Allen Hamilton Inc.<br />
Chevy Chase Trust<br />
Stratizon Corporation<br />
NRA NEWS/SEPTEMBER 2004
6 President’s Message<br />
REMEMBRANCE<br />
CAPT John Eric Lindell, USNR (Ret)<br />
National President<br />
PAST<br />
NATIONAL PRESIDENTS<br />
RADM Stephen S. Israel, USNR (Ret)<br />
CAPT Richard W. Hendel, USNR (Ret)*<br />
CAPT Arthur C. Monson, USNR (Ret)<br />
RADM James J. Carey, USNR (Ret)<br />
CAPT Robert Lamar Bell, JAGC, USNR (Ret)<br />
CAPT J. Robert Lunney, JAGC, USNR (Ret)<br />
RADM Lester R. Smith, USNR (Ret)<br />
CAPT Kenneth J. Welch, USNR (Ret)<br />
CAPT Pat R. Lucci, USNR (Ret)<br />
CAPT John C. Rice, Jr., USNR (Ret)<br />
CAPT Curtin R. Coleman II, USNR (Ret)<br />
RADM Philip W. Smith, USNR (Ret)*<br />
CAPT Fred D. Carl, USNR (Ret)<br />
CAPT Robin W. Goodenough, USNR (Ret)<br />
CAPT Morton Leavitt, USNR (Ret)*<br />
CAPT Leslie A. Willig, USNR (Ret)*<br />
RADM Ray Ackerman, USNR (Ret)<br />
CAPT Robert B. Bolt, USNR (Ret)*<br />
CAPT Robert I. Barto, USNR*<br />
CAPT Donald V. Osborne, USNR (Ret)*<br />
CAPT George A. O’Connell, Jr., USNR*<br />
CAPT A. Winfield Chapin, USNR*<br />
CDR Richard K. West, USNR*<br />
CWO Sidney Fields, USNR*<br />
CDR Clayton L. Burwell, USNR (Ret)*<br />
CAPT J. Mack Young, USNR*<br />
CAPT Blaney C. Turner, USNR*<br />
*Deceased<br />
The National Commission on Terrorist<br />
Attacks Upon the United States has issued<br />
their findings and recommendations in<br />
The 9/11 Commission Report. It is bold and very<br />
compelling in its recommendations. Let’s hope<br />
that the Executive and Legislative Branches are as<br />
resolute in taking timely action on them.<br />
At our upcoming 50th Anniversary conference,<br />
we will especially remember those who were<br />
killed on 11 September 2001, and those who<br />
subsequently have paid the ultimate sacrifice in<br />
this war against terrorism. We will be setting a<br />
special “Fallen Comrade” table at our Saturday<br />
night banquet in their memory and to honor them.<br />
In case you are not able to attend, let me review<br />
their names so that you can remember them in<br />
your own special way and at the most appropriate<br />
time.<br />
Twelve <strong>Naval</strong> Reservists were among the<br />
thousands who were killed on 11 September 2001:<br />
0845 American Airlines Flight 11 crashes into<br />
North Tower of World Trade Center:<br />
LCDR Thomas McGuiness, USNR – AA First<br />
Officer, IRR status.<br />
0903 United Airlines Flight 175 crashes into<br />
South Tower of World Trade Center:<br />
CAPT Victor Saracini, USNR – AA Captain,<br />
IRR status.<br />
GM3 Thomas Butler, USNR (not drilling at the<br />
time) died in the collapse of one of the World<br />
Trade Center towers.<br />
0943 American Airlines Flight 77 crashes into<br />
Pentagon killing:<br />
LCDR Robert Elseth, USNR<br />
LCDR Patrick Murphy, USNR<br />
LCDR Ronald Vaulk, USNR<br />
LT Jonas Paulk, USNR<br />
LT Darin Pontell, USNR<br />
LT Mari-rae Sopper, USNR<br />
IT1 Julian Cooper, USNR<br />
RADM Wilson Flagg, USNR (Ret) - Passenger<br />
CAPT Charles Burlingame, USNR (Ret)<br />
– AA Captain<br />
Two spouses of <strong>Naval</strong> Reservists are known to<br />
us to have died on this horrific day:<br />
Mrs. Dee Flagg and Mr. Bryan Jack<br />
Subsequently ten <strong>Naval</strong> Reservists have been<br />
lost in Iraq:<br />
LT Thomas Adams, USNR, 11 MAR 2003<br />
LT Kylan Jones-Hoffman, USNR, 21 AUG 2003<br />
MA2 Michael Gray, USNR, 05 MAR 2004<br />
HT2 Jason B. Dwelley, USNR, 30 APR 2004<br />
EO3 Christopher M. Dickerson, USNR,<br />
30 APR 2004<br />
BU2 Michael C. Anderson, USNR, 02 MAY 2004<br />
EO2 Trace W. Dossett, USNR, 02 MAY 2004<br />
CM2 Scott R. McHugh, USNR, 02 MAY 2004<br />
BU2 Robert B. Jenkins, USNR, 02 MAY 2004<br />
SW3 Ronald A. Ginther, USNR, 02 MAY 2004<br />
As I said to you all in July, we salute their service,<br />
mourn their loss, and pray for their families.<br />
As part of our 50th Anniversary Conference,<br />
we plan to lay a wreath at the Tomb of the<br />
Unknown Soldier on Saturday morning, 18<br />
September. We’ll also be remembering old<br />
<strong>Association</strong> mates who are no longer with us. In<br />
so many ways, lives live on in the memories of<br />
those living, so come celebrate life with us on this<br />
special anniversary conference 16-19 September<br />
2004, in Old Town Alexandria.<br />
John Eric Lindell<br />
<strong>Naval</strong> <strong>Reserve</strong> <strong>Association</strong> 2004-2005 Conferences<br />
Fall 2004 National Conference - Washington, DC; 16-19 September 2004<br />
Radisson Hotel; Old Town Alexandria, VA; Tel. (703) 683-6000<br />
Spring 2005 Conference - Kansas City, MO; 22-24 April 2005<br />
The Four Points by Sheraton; Tel. (816) 753-7400<br />
Fall 2005 Conference - Phoenix, AZ; 6-8 October 2005<br />
The Sheraton Crescent Hotel; Tel. (602) 943-8200<br />
NRA NEWS/SEPTEMBER 2004
L egislative Update<br />
7<br />
CAPT Ike Puzon, USNR (Ret)<br />
Director of Legislation<br />
At this writing, and as you ponder the<br />
recent conventions, there is still<br />
time for you to make a difference<br />
in FY 05 legislative issues if you will take<br />
action and write, or send an e-mail, to your<br />
Congressional representatives, or .<br />
Key issues still pending in the National<br />
Defense Authorization Act for 2005 that<br />
you need to consider are:<br />
* Survivors Benefit Plan update,<br />
Section 641 – HR 4200 and, Section 644 –<br />
S 2400 ;<br />
* A Commission on Guard and <strong>Reserve</strong><br />
Rebalancing – Section 902, S 2400; and,<br />
* TRICARE for Guard and <strong>Reserve</strong><br />
Components, Section 701 – HR 4200 and<br />
Section 706 – S 2400.<br />
Survivor Benefit Plan. The Senate<br />
version (S 2400) of this provision ends<br />
SBP reduction after a ten-year phase in<br />
program increases up to 55 percent, and<br />
makes those who wish to join the program<br />
pay all back premiums plus a penalty.<br />
Currently, at age 62, the military survivor<br />
benefit drops to 35 percent of the military<br />
member’s retirement pay. The House version<br />
(HR 4200) of SBP is phased in over a<br />
three-and-a-half-year period and allows those<br />
not in the program to pay back premiums<br />
at a lower rate plus a penalty.<br />
The Department of Defense opposed<br />
upgrading this benefit and has offered some<br />
alternatives to provisions. The provisions<br />
offered do not raise the payment received<br />
by a surviving spouse, and the surviving<br />
spouse benefits would still be reduced at<br />
age 62.<br />
We urge you to call, write, or e-mail (the<br />
fastest and most efficient method of<br />
contacting your representatives). You can<br />
send the following note, “I ask you to<br />
support the House Armed Services – HR<br />
4200 – position to end the reduction of SBP<br />
benefits at age 62 in less than four years.<br />
FY 05 NDAA Key Issues<br />
I do not agree with the Senate provision or<br />
the Department of Defense alternatives to<br />
SBP.” If each of us would send this note to<br />
our representatives, we will get some<br />
action. We have sent letters in support of<br />
the House SBP provision. Additionally,<br />
with The Military Coalition (TMC) and<br />
the National Military Veterans Alliance<br />
(NMVA), we have sent letters to Congress.<br />
This issue can be reviewed at .<br />
Commission on Guard and <strong>Reserve</strong><br />
Components provision (Section 902, of<br />
S 2400) is very important to our <strong>Reserve</strong><br />
Components, and we need your support to<br />
get it passed in the upcoming conference<br />
on the Senate FY 05 NDAA (S 2400) and<br />
the House FY 05 NDAA (HR 4200). This<br />
commission, if approved, would review<br />
the following, among others:<br />
* The current roles and missions of the<br />
<strong>Reserve</strong> Components and identify appropriate<br />
potential future roles and missions for the<br />
<strong>Reserve</strong> Components;<br />
* The capabilities of the <strong>Reserve</strong> Components<br />
and determine how the units and personnel<br />
of the <strong>Reserve</strong> Components may best be<br />
used to support the military operations of<br />
the Armed Forces and the achievement of<br />
national security objectives, including<br />
homeland defense, of the United States;<br />
* The current organization and structure<br />
of the National Guard and the other<br />
<strong>Reserve</strong> Components, and the plans of the<br />
Department of Defense and the Armed<br />
Forces for future organization and structure<br />
of the National Guard and the other<br />
<strong>Reserve</strong> Components;<br />
* The manner in which the National<br />
Guard and the other <strong>Reserve</strong> Components<br />
are currently organized and funded for<br />
training and identify an organizational and<br />
funding structure for training that best<br />
supports the achievement of training<br />
objectives and operational readiness; and,<br />
* The effectiveness of the policies and<br />
programs of the National Guard and the<br />
other <strong>Reserve</strong> Components for achieving<br />
operational readiness and personnel<br />
readiness, including medical and personal<br />
readiness.<br />
As you can see, it will be a comprehensive<br />
and independent review of the issues facing<br />
our <strong>Reserve</strong> Components. It is time to do<br />
this; and, if done independently, can and<br />
will provide some guidance to the massive<br />
changes that are occurring under rebalancing<br />
and transformation guidelines. If ever<br />
there was a time to write, call, or e-mail,<br />
please do it on this issue for the sake of our<br />
future combat capabilities and readiness.<br />
Recent Update:TRICARE Management<br />
implemented Section 703 of FY 04 NDAA<br />
on 23 July 2004! As of 25 July, members<br />
of the National Guard and <strong>Reserve</strong>, the<br />
<strong>Reserve</strong> Component (RC), who are issued<br />
delayed-effective-date active-duty orders<br />
for more than 30 days in support of a<br />
contingency operation, may submit claims<br />
for medical and dental care to TRICARE.<br />
We have had calls on this program, and the<br />
following is provided for our members and<br />
others to assist you in receiving one of the<br />
<strong>Reserve</strong> Health Care benefits for which<br />
we and many others fought.<br />
Under the Department of Defense 2004<br />
Temporary <strong>Reserve</strong> Health Benefit Program<br />
(Section 703 of the National Defense<br />
Authorization Act, Fiscal Year 2004),<br />
members of the <strong>Reserve</strong> Component will be<br />
reimbursed for TRICARE-covered medical<br />
and dental expenses incurred during the<br />
member’s period of TRICARE eligibility.<br />
Eligibility for the “early” TRICARE benefit<br />
(up to 60 days prior to reporting to active<br />
duty) is recorded in the Defense Eligibility<br />
Enrollment Reporting System (DEERS).<br />
Family members also are eligible for<br />
reimbursement for medical expenses for<br />
TRICARE-covered services incurred during<br />
this “early eligibility” period. Family<br />
members also may choose to enroll in the<br />
TRICARE Dental Program (TDP). To<br />
obtain additional information on the<br />
TDP, family members may contact the<br />
program administrator, United Concordia<br />
Companies, Inc. (UCCI) at or at (800) 866-8499.<br />
Eligible RC members will receive a<br />
letter from TRICARE Management<br />
Activity, in July 2004, advising them of this<br />
temporary health care benefit. Members<br />
may verify their TRICARE eligibility<br />
through the Guard and <strong>Reserve</strong> secure<br />
Web portal at , or they<br />
may contact their Service personnel<br />
office for more information. A link<br />
to Service contacts is available on the<br />
Cont’d. on page 35<br />
NRANEWS/SEPTEMBER 2004
8<br />
Retirees’ Corner<br />
Traveling<br />
By CAPT Tom McAtee, USNR (Ret)<br />
CDR Sharon K. Kleinschmidt, USNR (Ret)<br />
National VP for Retired Personnel<br />
The fall season is upon us and so is<br />
prime traveling time. With the<br />
peak travel season starting to<br />
close, many of you may be planning the<br />
proverbial “Road Trip.” Although many<br />
of you are seasoned travel warriors,<br />
there is always something new you can<br />
learn. Here are a few unique travel tips:<br />
1. Did you know that yogurt kills<br />
Montezuma’s Revenge! If you are planning<br />
a trip and you want to avoid touring every<br />
head along the way, then eat yogurt every<br />
day for a week before you leave. The<br />
cultures and enzymes will strengthen your<br />
digestive system and help you avoid the<br />
dreaded Montezuma’s Revenge.<br />
2. Request a room on the third through the<br />
fifth floors. This is high enough to discourage<br />
robbers from the outside, yet close enough<br />
to the ground if there is a hotel fire. Try<br />
and stay in a hotel that has adequate<br />
security such as key cards for the doors,<br />
deadbolts, and/or security chains or bars,<br />
and a peephole.<br />
LODGING AT MILITARY FACILITIES<br />
MADE EASIER<br />
Active duty and Uniformed Services<br />
retirees can check on the availability of<br />
billeting at military facilities anywhere in<br />
the world through one toll-free call at:<br />
— For Army facilities call 1-800-462-<br />
7691. This number connects callers with a<br />
central reservation system that can provide<br />
information on availability and making<br />
reservations.<br />
— For Navy facilities call 1-800-628-<br />
9466. Additionally, guests for the Navy<br />
Lodge can also reserve rooms by logging<br />
onto the Navy Exchange’s Web site<br />
. It is possible to<br />
reserve a room or change, cancel, or<br />
confirm a reservation by accessing the<br />
Navy Lodge on-line registration link on<br />
the Navy Exchange’s Web site. The request<br />
is sent to the Navy Lodge Program’s<br />
Central Reservation Center (CRC) in<br />
Jacksonville, FL, for processing. Guests<br />
should receive an e-mail confirmation on<br />
any change made within 24 hours. Note<br />
that Internet reservations cannot be made,<br />
changed, or canceled later than two days<br />
prior to the arrival date.<br />
— For Air Force facilities, call 1-888-<br />
235-6343 for the availability of billeting<br />
and to make reservations worldwide.<br />
3. Consular information sheets, travel<br />
warnings, and public announcements may<br />
be heard any time by dialing the Office of<br />
Overseas Citizens Services at (202) 647-<br />
5225 from a Touch-Tone phone. The<br />
recording is updated as new information<br />
becomes available. They are also available<br />
at any of the 13 regional passport agencies;<br />
field offices of the Department of<br />
Commerce; and U.S. embassies and<br />
consulates abroad; or, by sending a<br />
self-addressed, stamped envelope and<br />
indicating the desired country to the<br />
Office of Overseas Citizens Services;<br />
Bureau of Consular Affairs; Room 4811;<br />
U.S. Department of State; Washington,<br />
D.C. 20520-4818.<br />
4. Most auto insurance is not valid outside<br />
of the United States and Canada. When<br />
you drive in any other country, be sure to<br />
buy adequate auto insurance in that<br />
country. When renting a car abroad,<br />
make certain that adequate insurance is<br />
part of your contract; otherwise, purchase<br />
additional coverage in an amount similar<br />
to that which you carry at home.<br />
5. For couples, travel with two different<br />
numbered credit card accounts. Each of<br />
you carry a different card. If one is lost<br />
or stolen, the other is still usable.<br />
TAP INTO A VALUABLE MEMBER SERVICE:<br />
Entitlements On Orders to Active Duty<br />
One of the most important items you can do for yourself before executing a set of active duty orders is to review the<br />
entitlements that accompany the orders. Remember, it’s the duration of the orders, not the type of orders, that determines<br />
entitlements. However, orders specifically stating “in support of a contingency operation” carry additional entitlements.<br />
Where can a member get information about entitlements on active duty orders Go to our Web site ,<br />
click on “Reference Library,” then click on “Special Articles.” Look for the article entitled Entitlements<br />
For Reservists on Orders to Active Duty. Should questions arise, call CAPT McAtee at 703-548-5800 or e-mail him at<br />
.<br />
NRA NEWS/SEPTEMBER 2004
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in the nation.<br />
Have a better mortgage rate We will match it. 1<br />
■ Low mortgage rates with no hidden fees.<br />
■ 24-hour credit decision on your loan application or you will receive<br />
a credit of $250 toward closing costs on your USAA loan. 2<br />
■ Member service guarantee when you close on a USAA mortgage.<br />
If you are not happy with the service, you will receive $250 back.<br />
Call us at (877) 820-8327<br />
or visit us at usaa.com<br />
1<br />
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offered by USAA. Applicable for rates (APR) quoted on the same day, for the same loan product and terms. Borrower must be qualified for the matching USAA<br />
loan product. Loans offered by an affiliate or captive of a homebuilding entity are excluded from this offer. 2 Applies only to conventional conforming and VA loan<br />
applications submitted and closed through USAA. The $250 credit applies toward closing costs only on your USAA mortgage loan.<br />
Banking products are offered by USAA Federal Savings Bank, which is FDIC insured.<br />
A3516-0604 ©2004 USAA. All rights reserved.
10<br />
Interview with<br />
VADM John G. Cotton<br />
Chief of <strong>Naval</strong> <strong>Reserve</strong><br />
ACTIVE–RESERVE INTEGRATION<br />
NRA: What are your views on Active-<strong>Reserve</strong> Integration<br />
VADM Cotton: The Navy and its <strong>Reserve</strong> Component (RC) are<br />
more integrated than they have been in a long time. The<br />
Commandant, the CNO, and Gordon England have made further<br />
integration their number three goal for 2004, which means that<br />
you get talked about, funded, and pushed to make sure you are<br />
properly utilizing your reserve assets. We need to ensure that it’s<br />
properly structured and resourced, and this initiative is leading to<br />
some big changes. The Zero Based Review (ZBR) and Chief of<br />
<strong>Naval</strong> Personnel’s Navy Human Capital Strategy are important<br />
drivers in this imperative for further integration.<br />
RDML Dave Anderson, FFC N8R, Director of Force<br />
Integration, is running the ZBR for CFFC ADM Fallon. The<br />
team has been hard at work<br />
for ten months and used Sea<br />
Power 21, the Navy’s vision<br />
for the future, as the starting<br />
point for analysis. There are<br />
61 capabilities in that vision,<br />
and they have been mapping<br />
all commands to those<br />
capabilities. They developed<br />
some very rigorous analysis<br />
and measure of risk to arrive<br />
at the right mix of Active<br />
Component (AC) and RC<br />
personnel and missions<br />
to meet the objectives of<br />
Sea Power 21.<br />
VADM Gerry Hoewing<br />
just rolled out the Navy’s<br />
Human Capital Strategy,<br />
which covers the almost 900,000 Navy employees on CNO’s<br />
payroll. They are active, reserve, government civilians, and<br />
contractors. They are all in the Navy. They all have different skill<br />
sets, different short-term costs, different total life cycle costs, and<br />
different rules for utilization. There is no set number for whatever<br />
we need to have, but what we do know is that we can probably be<br />
more effective with a few less personnel in all categories.<br />
Admiral Clark is forcing Navy leadership – the Echelon II<br />
Commanders and other Flag Officers and Senior Executive<br />
Service (SES) – to look at what is the proper mix and skill sets of<br />
everyone in the Navy today. There’s also SECDEF planning<br />
guidance that Reservists should expect possibly to be utilized<br />
about one out of every six years, providing a good balance for<br />
families and employers. Our Reservists will answer the call, but<br />
just need to have predictable and periodic missions.<br />
NRA: Have any decisions been made on ZBR<br />
VADM Cotton: Everything is predecisional. ADM Fallon has<br />
not briefed ADM Clark, and the FY06 budget has not firmed up<br />
yet. Our emphasis is on capabilities and effectiveness, not<br />
necessarily a bottom line number of personnel. We also look<br />
forward to coming up with available end strength to move into<br />
emergent missions.<br />
NRA: Don’t you think that the execution of what gets approved<br />
by the CNO is crucial to its success<br />
VADM Cotton: The Navy is going to downsize. The RC is<br />
going to get smaller too. As Navy lets folks go, do you think any<br />
of them and their current skill sets are going to come to the RC<br />
Yes. Do you think everybody in the RC is going to have to<br />
compete for his or her<br />
billet Yes. We expect to<br />
“perform to serve” in the<br />
Navy <strong>Reserve</strong> as well. It<br />
will be up to the COs to<br />
determine who provides<br />
value and who does not.<br />
So my message to the<br />
force is: if you’re good,<br />
we have a place for you.<br />
We’re not going to have<br />
people just hanging on,<br />
and we have lots of folks<br />
coming out of the Navy<br />
here in the next few years<br />
who are going to be<br />
looking to move into the<br />
RC. We will be a revolving<br />
door for skill sets and<br />
capabilities in the future. There will be Reservists who might<br />
spend a couple of years as civilians and then move back to the<br />
AC. We are going to provide the billets, missions, and integration<br />
to enable that flexibility. You can have a 20-year career over 30<br />
years. This is what corporations do. It is an excellent utilization<br />
of our resources.<br />
REQUIREMENTS<br />
NRA: Aside from ZBR, how are requirements determined today<br />
VADM Cotton: Requirements come from threat analysis. There<br />
is a classified room here in the Pentagon where we meet a couple<br />
times each week, and there is a seat for the Navy <strong>Reserve</strong> as we<br />
build the Navy of the future. We base requirements on threat<br />
analysis of 2015 and 2020, not the force we had 10 years ago, 5<br />
years ago, or today. So, the ZBR comes into this analysis as we<br />
NRA NEWS/SEPTEMBER 2004
11<br />
ask how many <strong>Reserve</strong> Sailors do we want What will the future<br />
missions be What will the joint requirements be When we<br />
derive the capabilities and numbers for the future, it will be based<br />
on threat analysis and requirements, not on mandated end<br />
strength. The Navy <strong>Reserve</strong> will be right-sized for the requirement,<br />
and what we forecast now is fewer Sailors. The Navy will be getting<br />
slightly smaller, but much more effective.<br />
NRA: What kinds of missions are emerging<br />
VADM Cotton: Maritime Domain Awareness and Homeland<br />
Defense are the two biggest. We anticipate many RC personnel<br />
participating in these emergent missions.<br />
NRA: Will these be joint requirements<br />
VADM Cotton: Yes. Navy will be tasked, but it will be in support<br />
of joint requirements. Maritime Domain Awareness is essentially<br />
“Maritime NORAD.” We do a nice job of tracking space and air,<br />
but over 1,000 ships come through our ports every day. The<br />
NORTHCOM AOR extends hundreds of miles east and west of<br />
our coastlines, and the Commander has to look out across and<br />
under the water for potential threats. We’re currently not inspecting<br />
all that we should – probably less than two percent, and it’s an<br />
excellent mission for Reservists. The Coast Guard already anticipates<br />
working with Navy, AC and RC, in many future mission areas.<br />
For homeland defense, I firmly support Lieutenant General<br />
Steven Blum, ARNG, Chief of the National Guard Bureau, and<br />
his initiative for Joint Headquarters commands in every state.<br />
The State Area Readiness Commands will become effectively<br />
joint regional and state headquarters for homeland defense.<br />
We will assign Reservists there, either FTS or SELRES or a<br />
combination of both. The Navy Emergency Preparedness Liaison<br />
Program [NEPLO] will be more state and region focused rather<br />
than individual service directed. We’re telling all the NEPLOs to<br />
check in with the Guard. In fact, we feel so strongly that we sent<br />
Captain Barry Morgan to Albany, NY, as our first “embedded”<br />
Navy Reservist to work homeland defense issues. I think<br />
New England will probably be the first place to start with this<br />
regionalization and this jointness for Maritime Domain<br />
Awareness. We’ve got good synergy with Navy Region Northeast<br />
and REDCOM Northeast right now, so that’s going to be a good<br />
place to focus. We’ll then export lessons learned to other regions.<br />
NRA: Going back to Lieutenant General Steven Blum, you also<br />
swapped out staff officers with him early on.<br />
VADM Cotton: We have superb O-5’s that we swapped – one on<br />
his staff and one on ours. These folks are the initial officers who,<br />
after a couple of years of doing this, will be detailed to these joint<br />
headquarters units. In the future, we will potentially have<br />
exchange programs in California, the State of Washington, and<br />
Texas. Mississippi and Louisiana have some great synergy for<br />
homeland security as a Gulf Coast center of excellence, where we<br />
have Joint Fires Network Unit TWO in Pascagoula. We plan to<br />
do some Sea Trials with them, and have some money earmarked<br />
in the next budget that will provide for new equipment. There is<br />
good support from Congress to do this, and good support from<br />
the local delegations. These initiatives will provide new missions<br />
for our Reservists.<br />
ALIGNMENT<br />
NRA: The Navy is realigning its shore infrastructure. Does that<br />
provide opportunities for new assignments<br />
VADM Cotton: Absolutely. Some of that is already taking place<br />
under the recently established CNI [Commander Navy<br />
Installations]. CNI owns the entire Navy shore infrastructure,<br />
active and reserve. There are no longer any Navy <strong>Reserve</strong> bases<br />
– only Navy bases, and we’re all working together. This is also a<br />
notional future of six integrated Navy regions. There are five<br />
actual territory regions – NW, SW, NE, and SE with a Mid-<br />
America region, and we think the National Capitol Region might<br />
be a separate region. We’re starting a pilot now at Great Lakes,<br />
Chicago, where RDML Dirk Debbink is going to be the Deputy<br />
Regional Commander for RADM Ann Rondeau. We also think<br />
that, eventually, New Orleans will be a Navy Region<br />
Headquarters for Mid-America. That’s in our current planning.<br />
NRA: That comes under your alignment piece<br />
VADM Cotton: Correct. The goal is for a Navy FTS two star to<br />
be the Region Commander, and we will probably have that<br />
Headquarters in New Orleans with an active one star Deputy or<br />
an SES to run the Navy region.<br />
NRA: Throughout the 80’s and 90’s, the senior flag in New<br />
Orleans was the Regional Commander.<br />
VADM Cotton: RADM John Debbout is the Regional Commander<br />
for North Central. All we are doing is expanding that. The Midwest<br />
is mostly Reservists. The main focus in Mid-America is joint<br />
support of TRANSCOM, STRATCOM, and NORTHCOM, as well<br />
as supported commands and especially, Great Lakes.<br />
NRA: Alignment is big with the CNO<br />
VADM Cotton: Absolutely. And I have to tell you that the CNO is<br />
absolutely right when he says there is no such thing as realignment<br />
or reorganization. That implies that you were aligned or organized at<br />
one point. He says that any organization greater than 20 people is<br />
never aligned. It’s a constant challenge just day-to-day to try to align.<br />
So alignment is a process. We will never be aligned.<br />
CULTURE<br />
NRA: Is the culture of benign neglect changing<br />
VADM Cotton: The Navy has not understood its <strong>Reserve</strong> Force<br />
for a long time. This educational piece is huge. I set the course<br />
early on that every Reservist should go to his/her supporting<br />
command this fiscal year. The unintended consequence of this<br />
was that it created shortages in other areas. For example, Fleet<br />
week in NY and other exercises no longer had volunteers on AT<br />
to ensure success. The lesson learned by the Navy is a realization<br />
that those requirements should have been resourced differently.<br />
As a result, Fleet Forces Command is looking out five years at<br />
these type requirements and budgeting for RC support. The<br />
culture is changing.<br />
NRA NEWS/SEPTEMBER 2004
12<br />
NRA: Which is a huge challenge<br />
VADM Cotton: Are we making dents in it Absolutely.<br />
NRA: You’re making dents in it. And the CNO is also. Past<br />
CNOs have treated the <strong>Naval</strong> <strong>Reserve</strong> with benign neglect. This<br />
CNO obviously doesn’t. Is there a risk when he goes away that<br />
we’ll step back and have given up too much<br />
VADM Cotton: What are we giving up I think we’re gaining<br />
overall. We had a focused appreciative inquiry in June down in<br />
Norfolk. Fleet Forces Command hosted it. We had 25 active<br />
participate as well as 25 senior <strong>Naval</strong> <strong>Reserve</strong> Captains who were<br />
attending the Senior Officer Orientation course that week. We<br />
brought in some flag officers. ADM Fallon came; I kicked it off,<br />
and RDML Anderson ran it. The goal was how better to implement<br />
the changes that we’ve<br />
come up with in the last<br />
nine months at the FFC<br />
level.<br />
NRA: We talked about<br />
the CNO. Recently, he<br />
talked about removing<br />
the “R” from USNR.<br />
As I remember he said:<br />
“John, how are we<br />
coming on the legal<br />
changes to make this<br />
happen” Obviously, it is<br />
his initiative.<br />
VADM Cotton: It is<br />
his initiative. We talked<br />
about this; and he said,<br />
“You’re all in the Navy.”<br />
And when we go forward,<br />
we all need to have name<br />
patches that say U. S.<br />
Navy. We already have tags over the left breast on our utilities<br />
that say U. S. Navy. Yet when you come back here from being<br />
deployed you are Reservists. We can’t have it both ways. You are<br />
in the Navy all the time. And the Navy has to think of it that way,<br />
too. So, ADM Clark wants us to be in the Navy. He says, “I want<br />
all your name tags to say U.S. Navy.” Aye, aye sir. He says, “I<br />
want to drop the ‘R’. We’re in the Navy.”<br />
In the NDAA 2005, there is direction to SECNAV to change the<br />
name from the United States <strong>Naval</strong> <strong>Reserve</strong> to the United States<br />
Navy <strong>Reserve</strong>. Once NDAA 2005 is approved, it directs that<br />
change within 180 days. Once it is the U. S. Navy <strong>Reserve</strong>, CNO<br />
can come out with an ALNAV that says drop the “R,” as the<br />
Marines did in 1997. Our great personnel have always been in the<br />
Navy . . . they are the RE-serve Component of the greatest Navy<br />
ever. So the initials USNR, USNR-R, USNR TAR, and all that<br />
stuff doesn’t matter – we’re all in the Navy. Sure, we will still<br />
have reserve commissions, designators, etc., that put us in the<br />
right personnel categories; but we’re in the Navy. Sure, we might<br />
work two days a month; but you cannot turn off the honor,<br />
courage, and commitment that comes with being in the Navy,<br />
24/7/365, ready to serve.<br />
THE FOUR C’S<br />
NRA: What are your four “C’s” all about<br />
VADM Cotton: Challenges.<br />
NRA: What are the challenges<br />
VADM Cotton: VADM John Totushek told me the biggest<br />
challenge we would have would be communications. So, we<br />
worked hard on that. We improved the communications. It’s not<br />
perfect as many of our Sailors do not have computers or they<br />
don’t have access. So, how do they get the word They get the<br />
word from phone calls sometimes; but primarily it’s magazines,<br />
whether it’s your <strong>Association</strong>’s magazine or Navy Reservist News<br />
with its new format and content. In my visits in the field, that’s<br />
what they say – we read that magazine. The COs are very much<br />
in the loop. They get<br />
daily e-mails. We’ve<br />
got what I call the<br />
<strong>Reserve</strong> Early Bird<br />
just to put out the<br />
word. The purpose<br />
here is for the people<br />
to think of themselves<br />
as a Force, not as a<br />
station, a region, or<br />
a unit. It’s a large,<br />
talented Navy <strong>Reserve</strong><br />
Force with many<br />
capabilities. In fact,<br />
of the 61 Navy<br />
capabilities, we map<br />
59 of them and over<br />
800 other civilian<br />
skill sets that they<br />
can call to serve at<br />
any time.<br />
We need to have<br />
the ability to map these skill sets, so we are going to use the Five<br />
Vector Model that you may have read or heard about. Officers and<br />
enlisted will have this, plus pages of free text where they can record<br />
what they have been doing. We will know when individuals have<br />
written ATOs or been to the desert. We will know when they have<br />
partial joint qualifications. We’ll be able to link their many joint<br />
duties that they have earned and give them a JSO designation<br />
based on all their joint experience rather than 22 months in one<br />
command as we have now. That’s what we are going to do. The<br />
five-vector model will provide a better view of readiness and<br />
career achievements.<br />
The old RC model was OPLAN support where you had a billet,<br />
with a job that linked to a COCOM and a flow of forces. The last<br />
OPLAN that we actually executed was World War II. In OIF, 70 percent<br />
of the targets were gone by the time the war started. It’s almost<br />
war “on the fly.” We have to able to react quickly, with persistent<br />
precision, and be able quickly to reset for another scenario.<br />
Under the new 10/30/30 construct, we’ll have ten days to respond<br />
for a 30-day “swiftly defeat the enemy” (SDTE) campaign,<br />
and then a 30-day resupply utilizing Sea Basing. Our Reservists<br />
will have to adopt a new culture of readiness if they are<br />
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14<br />
going to be utilized in the first two weeks of action. We’ll have to<br />
map their skill sets first to know what capabilities are available;<br />
and, then, when you measure their readiness, you will know<br />
exactly what it is. A billet that previously required an unattainable<br />
16-week Navy school in the old days could be filled with equivalent<br />
civilian training. We haven’t given credit like that in the past.<br />
Readiness can also be just the basic individual medical readiness.<br />
Does it have anything to do with something on a RUAD Not<br />
necessarily. Then you call that person up and, based on their<br />
availability, flow them to the requirement. We did this just<br />
recently, looking for specific skill sets such as Arabic speakers.<br />
And, it might not be forward; it might be right here. For example,<br />
we have 27 JRICs (Joint <strong>Reserve</strong> Intelligence Centers) around<br />
the nation. I see Reservists in the future going into these very<br />
capable facilities and linking to their supported commands based<br />
on their skill sets.<br />
So, the colors on the readiness dashboard you see in front<br />
of you are not worrisome. They’re coming up to speed; we’re<br />
building. But we now can start measuring individual readiness,<br />
particularly the medical readiness. When the President said, “Be<br />
ready,” the first thing is individual personal readiness; and we’re<br />
getting tough on that. We’re pushing it hard; there’s no more<br />
slack. I would rather have less, but quality people in the Force,<br />
rather than just meet quantity or numbers with less qualified<br />
personnel.<br />
RECRUITING<br />
NRA: Whom are you recruiting into the Force today<br />
VADM Cotton: When Navy has record retention, over 60 per<br />
cent, we have less NAVETS available to go into the <strong>Reserve</strong><br />
Component. The last couple of years have been great years for<br />
Navy and recruiting, and we probably have too many people<br />
on active duty. The RC went into the mode the last couple of<br />
years to bring in a lot more non-prior service folks. We created<br />
a demand for a lot more training for Reservists because they<br />
were not NAVETS. The training we provided them was just<br />
the two-week course and little else. We were creating a pool of<br />
people who required the minimum of 84 days of training before<br />
they were moblizeable outside CONUS. They were mobilizeable<br />
in CONUS, but it still took the average Reservists over 2-1/2<br />
years to be mobilizeable outside CONUS to support the war. In<br />
fact, in some of our centers, we were creating units and commands<br />
and support for literally hundreds of these non-prior service<br />
people. We got to the point that we were bringing in more of<br />
these folks than NAVETS. So, last December, we looked at it<br />
and said stop. Now, we’re recruiting non-prior service only for<br />
the skill sets we need. The non-prior service program is alive<br />
and well. If you have certain skill sets, we want you in the<br />
Navy. The challenge is determining what the requirements<br />
are and what skill sets the recruit has. If you are in construction<br />
and want to be a Seabee, we need you; come on down! We<br />
have lots of jobs. Medical support and corpsmen are also in<br />
demand, other skill sets on a case-by-case basis. But the<br />
emphasis will be on NAVETS and keeping people that have<br />
full boot camp and cruise experience in a partnership with the<br />
Navy to keep people serving.<br />
END STRENGTH<br />
NRA: What about end strength<br />
VADM Cotton: We have an end strength authorization of 85,900<br />
for ‘04. We are slightly under end strength right now. We are just<br />
above the ‘05 end strength, which just got approved for 83,400.<br />
We are at that number today; so, on 30 September, we will be under<br />
end strength; but a day later, on 1 October, we are at end<br />
strength. In talking with CNO, this is where we want to be right now<br />
to shape the Force to meet the requirements. It’s less disruptive<br />
on people this way. In the past, we might have had to force some<br />
good Reservists out; but this year, we just adjusted the number<br />
of accessions to meet the anticipated end strength.<br />
FY 05 APPROPRIATION<br />
NRA: In addition to the reduction in end strength, Congress has<br />
appropriated $89 million less in RPN for the <strong>Naval</strong> <strong>Reserve</strong> in FY<br />
05. That doesn’t equate to the 2,500 reduction in end strength. Is<br />
that because you haven’t been able to execute the FY 04 program<br />
VADM Cotton: There is a lot more in there. Our nation is at<br />
war, and we are spending about $5 billion per month. We’re in an<br />
expensive Global War on Terrorism that we have to win. At the<br />
same time, we are trying to acquire the weapons of war for the<br />
future. So, there is a balance requirement here of paying today’s<br />
bills; setting money aside for the future; and then, based upon our<br />
execution, they looked at each service and <strong>Reserve</strong> Component<br />
and took what was appropriate. Every service component was<br />
“docked” for personnel costs, and they also docked every service<br />
for MILCON. We are not working as a separate Navy <strong>Reserve</strong> –<br />
we’re working with Navy. Does the “mark” concern me No, it<br />
does not. We will adjust our budget accordingly.<br />
MOBILIZATION<br />
NRA: Are lessons learned in the mobilization process being<br />
implemented<br />
VADM Cotton: Yes. In fact, we’re going to redo the entire<br />
mobilization individual augment process in the Pentagon.<br />
RDML John Stewart, who has been REDCOM SE and the<br />
Deputy NAVPERSCOM in Millington, is moving to DC. He is<br />
going to be the Deputy CNP, reporting directly to VADM Gerry<br />
Hoewing. He is also going to be working the N3/N5 operational<br />
issues and will put together a Navy mobilization and Individual<br />
Augmentation (IA) cell with AC and RC personnel. The team<br />
will look at what the requirement is from the joint perspective and<br />
then decide the best fill whether it is an active, recalled reservist,<br />
a civilian, or government contractor. This is a success story. The<br />
Navy hasn’t done this well for individual augmentees. In a lot of<br />
cases, we have FTS filling these IAs. RADM Craig McDonald<br />
is in Pakistan right now. CAPT A. J. Rizzo, who is CO of NAS<br />
JRB New Orleans, spent six months over there. Many FTS are<br />
going forward because we are at war, and FTS are in the Navy.<br />
The other day a three star said what we’re looking for is a<br />
structure where we have a representative in every Navy command<br />
around the globe who can help us mobilize people to go do their<br />
jobs. Well, I said that we already have that structure: there are<br />
Operational Support Officers in every command. They used to<br />
be known as RLOs, but we changed the name because they don’t<br />
NRA NEWS/SEPTEMBER 2004
15<br />
have to be a FTS in that office. It can be an active duty officer or<br />
enlisted. These Operational Support offices are going to be the wave<br />
of work in the future where we take skill sets on order through<br />
NSIPS and put them in theatre on a much more predictable and<br />
rotational basis.<br />
We also have to figure out how to validate joint requirements.<br />
There are nine COCOMs who have an insatiable appetite for<br />
manpower. We are at war, and they need qualified personnel<br />
around the globe. The N3/N5 cell has said “no” over 10,000 times<br />
since 911 to the COCOM’s request for individuals. Just because<br />
you say you need them doesn’t necessarily mean you have a<br />
validated requirement. Navy puts each request through a thorough<br />
checklist and review. CNO makes sure that when we send an active<br />
duty member, Reservist, or civilian forward that it meets a validated<br />
requirement. JFC, FFC and JCS all have to work out this<br />
validation a little bit better; and the new cell that RDML Stewart<br />
is going to work on is the go-between.<br />
The Navy recognized this a long time ago. In fact, the Total<br />
Force Advocate here in OPNAV is no longer N51; it is the Deputy<br />
Ops and Plans, N3/N5B, RADM Stufflebeem. The Total Force Flag<br />
Steering Group used to meet quarterly, and we now meet sometimes<br />
weekly with him. It is no longer just a couple of people there for<br />
a routine meeting. We meet in the Navy Operations Center, and it<br />
has the key decision makers from every code in OPNAV.<br />
I will also say that when we go to this new construct of integrated<br />
Navy regions, that FTS will be in the regional headquarters,<br />
perhaps over half of the staffs. Regions will also be the NMPS<br />
gateways for the future, with FTS personnel doing what they do<br />
best, enabling Reservists to go forward to supported commands.<br />
We will flow our Reservists through the regional headquarters<br />
or through the Operational Support Centers, which might have<br />
been a NAR or former REDCOM. Every region is going to be<br />
different, and we’ve gone through an initial 50-state study to<br />
model the regional concepts and optimize them for the future.<br />
FULL-TIME SUPPORT<br />
NRA: So there is a role for the FTS in the future.<br />
VADM Cotton: Absolutely. I’ll tell you something. Active duty<br />
appreciates FTS more than ever. When you go to our weekly<br />
operational support graphic, they find out that you have over<br />
5,000 FTS in operational billets. They also appreciate that they<br />
come from a different appropriation. They come to work each day<br />
and are extremely talented people. In war right now, we need<br />
people who are ready to go, who are leaning forward and doing<br />
an effective job. Our FTS have done all this and more extremely well.<br />
We’re increasing the command opportunity for FTS. As of this<br />
month, we no longer have RC Flags in command of REDCOMs.<br />
They will all be FTS O-6’s, and they will begin to align with<br />
the Navy regions. The RC Flags will be Deputy Regional<br />
Commanders. Their jobs will be the third “C,” continuing<br />
education. Once you get this <strong>Reserve</strong> Flag in the region, it will be<br />
his/her job to showcase our capabilities and link those Reservists<br />
from the old REDCOM to the region and then start the migration<br />
of the billets. As the Navy AC comes down in end strength,<br />
they are going to use the FTS to help run their regions. What<br />
an amazing concept: Navy personnel in a region – active, <strong>Reserve</strong><br />
and civilian – will all help Navy run that region. And when we<br />
have to surge in the future, to react to weapons of mass destruction<br />
or terrorists, the first responders are going to be the Reservists in<br />
that region. And this won’t be a state organization, but rather a<br />
regional organization with partnerships with all the services and<br />
with civil authorities. We are continuing to work on these concepts<br />
with NORTHCOM.<br />
We are no longer called “TARS.” We changed it to FTS because<br />
that is how it is referred to up on Capitol Hill and in the law. It<br />
also was to change a mindset quite honestly. We had people who<br />
liked being TARs only. They wanted an “R” world. Some wanted<br />
to stay separate from the active Navy. Coming from the aviation<br />
world, I loved the FTS that we had. When our lives depended on<br />
it, the FTS always did a great job. While we worked well together,<br />
some other parts of the organization did not always appreciate<br />
our FTS. So, to change the whole culture overnight, we just<br />
changed the name. You don’t need to put those initials after USN;<br />
and because you are in the Navy, you can be detailed everywhere.<br />
Everywhere you go now there are Reservists serving, so the<br />
purpose of having this change was for the education of both AC<br />
and RC of what our FTS are capable of, while maintaining a<br />
viable, challenging and fulfilling career path.<br />
NRA: Will there be a place on the active roles for the FTS and<br />
then for active into FTS positions<br />
VADM Cotton: Absolutely. We have just detailed an active O-5<br />
to command a reserve center, and an active O-4 to be XO of a<br />
reserve center. We detailed two active LTs to be PSD OINC and<br />
training officer of reserve centers. We are going to start an annual<br />
screen board for all commands of reserve centers, and there are<br />
133 potential commands out there. We are going to combine the<br />
aviation command screen boards next year; and someday, an FTS<br />
will command an active squadron, and an AC CDR commanding<br />
a reserve squadron. We already have this policy in the SWO<br />
community and in many major commands. There really won’t be<br />
any reserve squadrons per say, as every squadron will have AC and<br />
RC personnel who surge in response to the Fleet Response Plan,<br />
all providing increased capabilities and warfighting wholeness.<br />
AIR SQUADRONS<br />
NRA: But you’ll still have VR squadrons.<br />
VADM Cotton: Absolutely. We will also continue to buy<br />
dedicated RC equipment if it makes sense, the mission is predictable<br />
and periodic, and the skill sets demand it. VR is going to expand.<br />
You have probably heard of the proposal of converting VP-64<br />
to VR-64. We’re going to put three C-130s up at NAS JRB<br />
Willow Grove. VR does a wonderful job. I see them all the time,<br />
and I can’t praise them enough. The Navy likes the program<br />
extremely well, and I think it will continue to be well supported.<br />
NRA: While you’re on that subject of growth, what about other<br />
air reserve programs Certain decisions were made a few years<br />
back under an aviation specific ARI that pretty much deconstructs<br />
the entire reserve MPA squadrons, HCS 4 & 5, and other helicopter<br />
squadrons, and more of an already hollow CAG 20. As FRP<br />
develops, matures, and is tested, is there a chance that these<br />
trained and ready assets can substitute for AC units to meet the<br />
requirements of the sixth or seventh CSG to surge<br />
NRA NEWS/SEPTEMBER 2004
16<br />
VADM Cotton: ARI is always being reviewed. We are never<br />
aligned. P-3s are in demand and have fatigue issues. We will<br />
work with Navy to optimize capabilities while enabling Reservists<br />
to train on the newest systems. HCS-4 and HCS-5 have performed<br />
magnificently in combat. They have been continually praised by<br />
the special ops community, and we don’t anticipate any change in<br />
their squadrons for the foreseeable future. CVWR-20 assets will<br />
continue to support the Fleet; and the potential exists for units,<br />
personnel, and combinations of capabilities to be called to duty at<br />
any time. They already provide excellent support in training Fleet<br />
aviators and doing counternarcotic operations.<br />
SURGE<br />
NRA: Surge seems to have <strong>Reserve</strong> written all over it.<br />
VADM Cotton: When I go to Pentagon meetings and hear the<br />
word “surge,” I sit up straight because our Reservists do that<br />
every day. If we have more Navy veterans in the Force, we can<br />
effectively surge even better. Right now, we have over 22,000 E-4<br />
and below requirements, many of which need to be change to E-5s<br />
and E-6s, and then capture AC sailors when they move to the RC.<br />
The Navy is becoming aware of this linkage and working it into<br />
the new human capital strategy. The requirement for the first two<br />
strike groups is going to be a little different from the second two.<br />
So, future combat will have phased skill sets. When you combine<br />
it with the Sea Swap concept, where groups of ships go forward<br />
and stay deployed for up to three years, they’ll be rotating skill<br />
sets and they will be looking for veterans. All our Reservists want<br />
is a predictable mission. Every Reservist asks the same thing: When<br />
do you want me Where do you want me And, how long do you<br />
want me This is something Assistant Secretary of Defense for<br />
<strong>Reserve</strong> Affairs Tom Hall is studying as he tries to build a future<br />
of three kinds of Reservists. The backbone of the Force is the<br />
Reservist who can do the 38 days of duty and operational support<br />
per year. Another third of the Force will do up to 100 days a year.<br />
A lot of people are already doing that, especially in aviation and<br />
intelligence. Still others can do well over 100 days a year. Many<br />
of the Reservists I talk to will do their two weeks annual training;<br />
and they would like to do another two weeks, one week at a time,<br />
sometime during the year. They will also do some extra drills if<br />
they can do it virtually or in a JRIC, or put them together in the<br />
flexible drill concept, and traveling to the supported command.<br />
We have Reservists in San Antonio who virtually work in the<br />
morning with CENTCOM and in the afternoon for PACOM.<br />
PROMOTION BOARDS<br />
NRA: Our members are very interested in promotion. There<br />
have been three, one last year and two this year, that didn’t select<br />
to the numbers.<br />
VADM Cotton: I think it has been four. The Chiefs board, also.<br />
NRA: That sends a signal. Many are scratching their heads<br />
thinking that they did everything that was expected. We advise<br />
members, and all Reservists, to check their record for completeness.<br />
What can you tell our members<br />
VADM Cotton: First of all, board membership is including more<br />
active members. As our Reservists get busier with active, they also<br />
understand what the Navy standard is. Start with the O-6 board.<br />
Making O-6 is a big deal. It is not an automatic promotion.<br />
Overall, people are not watching their records. We had very<br />
qualified Commanders who were missing FITREPs. They would<br />
have made Captain. Their records were not complete. If there<br />
was a missing FITREP, they were not promoted, period. That is<br />
the Navy standard. When you cannot account for someone for a<br />
year, you cannot promote him or her to Captain, Commander,<br />
Lieutenant Commander, or E-7. I continually run into good<br />
Reservists who think someone is taking care of their records.<br />
They aren’t. That record is theirs. And when you submit a<br />
FITREP, make sure to review it and have the CO follow through<br />
with the submission through the supported command or the<br />
reserve center. Emphasize leadership and responsibility, not<br />
just production or being on a staff. Just because you did six<br />
months here and six months there doesn’t mean that you will be<br />
promoted to Captain for these ADSW assignments. It’s what you<br />
do during those ADSWs that are important and that should be<br />
captured in the FITREP. If your accomplishments aren’t<br />
captured in your FITREP, they’re not there. The timeliness of<br />
our FITREPS in certain communities is not good. We have COs<br />
who are not keeping up with the timeliness of the FITREPS. And<br />
lastly, the COs should be making the hard choices. When you<br />
put two people as an MP, instead of one person as an EP and the<br />
other as MP, you now hurt two people instead of just one. We<br />
need our folks to make the hard decisions. I don’t see much<br />
change in that. I still see people taking the easy way out.<br />
What people need to do is to make sure that a good FITREP<br />
or evaluation starts with that six-month counseling. COs should<br />
outline expectations, mentor and follow through. FITREPS and<br />
Evals are the most important things they do to get their people<br />
ahead. We need to raise the standards. We deliberately sent a signal<br />
this year to make sure that we improve the standards to which<br />
we hold people, because these are the same standards that the Navy<br />
holds itself to.<br />
MENTORS<br />
NRA: Mentors. If we downsize communities, will there be room<br />
for the senior officers as mentors<br />
VADM Cotton: I don’t think that we are downsizing anything. I<br />
think we are providing more opportunity for our Reservists<br />
because we are linking them more with their active command.<br />
It’s not just RC mentoring RC. I mentor Navy flags. We have<br />
Reservists who mentor active duty people. I find that Reservists<br />
are the glue that’s bringing the two coasts together. We’re setting<br />
fleet standardization between communities. Whether it is strike<br />
groups, whether it is JTFEX, whether JFACs, whether it’s Coastal<br />
Warfare, our guys are actually raising the standards. There are<br />
more opportunities to mentor. So, when I talk about mentoring,<br />
it’s AC and RC.<br />
RESERVISTS OF THE FUTURE<br />
NRA: What will it be like for Reservists going forward<br />
VADM Cotton: I really think that the Reservists of the future are<br />
going to have three jobs. The first job is to support the gaining<br />
or supported command. The second one is a homeland security<br />
role. When you train for that away game, you do it at home; and<br />
you are ready to respond to regional threats. The third job starts<br />
NRA NEWS/SEPTEMBER 2004
17<br />
on the day you raise your hand to the day you are put in the<br />
ground, with a sailor blowing “Taps” on a bugle; you are a<br />
recruiter. You should always be recruiting for the United States<br />
Navy or the military. We are going to figure out a way to make<br />
every Reservist a recruiter. I think all you need is a DVD, maybe<br />
a VHS tape, maybe a phone number, an e-mail address, and an<br />
incentive – a bonus – to go find some people. We can build on the<br />
Blue and Gold program that the <strong>Naval</strong> Academy has used for<br />
years. So I tell everyone on the road now that they have three jobs<br />
that they should be doing every day of the month. They should<br />
live honor, courage, and commitment and encourage others to do<br />
the same.<br />
YOUR LEADERSHIP<br />
NRA: It appears to us<br />
that your approach to this<br />
job is to say to the Navy,<br />
“It’s your Navy <strong>Reserve</strong>.<br />
What do you want to do<br />
with it” Is that a reasonable<br />
characterization<br />
VADM Cotton: When I<br />
interviewed with ADM<br />
Clark in May of 2003, he<br />
asked me if I had some<br />
sort of PR plan. I had<br />
already prioritized the<br />
four “C’s” – communication,<br />
culture, continuing education,<br />
and commitment.<br />
Communication to change the culture takes continuing education<br />
and commitment. And I told Admiral Clark that if I didn’t have<br />
his commitment to make these changes – to make Navy take<br />
charge of its <strong>Reserve</strong> Force – that he could shut the whole thing<br />
down because it wasn’t working. We had people who were not<br />
aligned. We had people who were in the Navy <strong>Reserve</strong> but<br />
weren’t in the Navy. They weren’t providing value. And we had<br />
a structure in some places that was just consuming taxpayer<br />
money. They had no desire to go do Fleet work, as they were<br />
very <strong>Reserve</strong> Center centric. We had to change that. It not only<br />
was internal, but also it was mostly external to get the Navy to<br />
have us to be part of the team. I would say the Global War on<br />
Terrorism has accelerated the need for that change so that you<br />
are providing some value. And I honestly don’t think that<br />
this change would have happened as fast as it had if we<br />
didn’t have ADM Clark’s support, because he really believes<br />
in this. He is a former Reservist and knows what we believe. I<br />
think some of the other Navy leaders would have placed the<br />
emphasis on us as well, but not as much as this CNO. He does<br />
not care what other services are doing. He is leading the way,<br />
and he is succeeding in changing the Navy culture rapidly. We<br />
are going to have fewer personnel, but we will be much more<br />
effective and efficient. The ships of the future will have less<br />
people and more capability. For example, a DDG has a crew of<br />
330, while a DDX will have about 110. So this alignment with<br />
future requirements has been critical, and the commitment from<br />
the CNO is helping make this change.<br />
NRA: It has been said that your Alignment, Synchronization,<br />
Assessment, and Programming (ASAP) was part of your interview<br />
process for the job.<br />
VADM Cotton: The process was thought of in the past couple years<br />
with the advent of “rebalancing” and Sea Power 21, but the term<br />
“ASAP” came later. I would say that the concepts in ASAP were part<br />
of the vision. On ASAP, I’m very pleased that the ZBR went far better<br />
than I thought it would; and the synchronization has gone extremely<br />
well, too. Our own people never realized how busy this Navy <strong>Reserve</strong><br />
is. AC never realized all the things that we are doing, because they<br />
incorrectly judge the effectiveness of the RC based just on who is<br />
mobilized. That is not the real<br />
value of predictable, periodic<br />
support. It really is all the<br />
operational support that<br />
Reservists do every day on<br />
many types of orders that<br />
showcases our effectiveness.<br />
All the good FTS were never<br />
getting credit for what they<br />
were doing; but now they are<br />
because Navy can metrically<br />
see just how busy the entire<br />
Navy <strong>Reserve</strong> Force is, and what<br />
an incredible return on the<br />
investment we provide. Sunk<br />
training costs and valuable<br />
Fleet experience in patriotic<br />
Navy veterans is recaptured to<br />
RE-serve when needed.<br />
NRA: Many of our readers might not realize that all three and four<br />
stars have to be interviewed by Secretary Rumsfeld. You interviewed<br />
with him for the job. What was that like<br />
VADM Cotton: It was a positive experience. He loves what Reservists<br />
are doing. He said, “John, ensure that they are adding value. Make sure<br />
if we need them they provide something for our country.” And with<br />
that, he said, “Have a great tour.”<br />
NRA: A member wrote us last week quoting a Captain who had sat on<br />
both a promotion board and the Apply board this year. To paraphrase<br />
is: “It’s easier to get promoted than it is to get a paid billet in the <strong>Naval</strong><br />
<strong>Reserve</strong>.”<br />
VADM Cotton: It is. And sometimes because of the numbers of<br />
Captains and Commanders and the numbers of billets, it’s what you do<br />
in that one year off that determines what you will or can do in the<br />
future. If you don’t have a billet, get busy, get going, and volunteer; we<br />
have a place for anyone who wants to make a difference.<br />
NRA: How are you feeling about all of this<br />
VADM Cotton: I can tell you that nine months into this assignment,<br />
it remains an absolute privilege to serve. We work long hours,<br />
including many weekends, but I don’t mind at all because of what<br />
I see our folks doing. I see a renewed sense of appreciation by the<br />
Fleet for the talent and experience we bring to every operation,<br />
and a new dedication by our Reservists of “support to the Fleet . . .<br />
ready and fully integrated.”<br />
NRA NEWS/SEPTEMBER 2004
18<br />
<strong>Naval</strong> <strong>Reserve</strong> <strong>Association</strong><br />
50th Anniversary Year Conference<br />
Washington, D.C. – 16-19 September 2004<br />
Thursday, 16 September<br />
1300-1630 Registration<br />
1630 Buses depart hotel for the Navy Memorial<br />
1700-1900 President's Reception at the Navy Memorial<br />
1915 Buses depart reception for hotel<br />
1945 Arrive hotel, evening free<br />
Friday, 17 September<br />
0815-0930 Breakfast<br />
Guest of honor:<br />
The Honorable Anthony J.<br />
Principi, Secretary of<br />
Veterans Affairs<br />
Conference Schedule<br />
Saturday, 18 September<br />
0700-0800 Continental Breakfast for delegates<br />
0730-1400 Professional Development Seminar<br />
(Schedule below)<br />
0800-1700 Committee breakouts<br />
0900-1100 Anchors Breakfast Program<br />
1030-1130 Wreath laying at the Tomb of the Unknowns<br />
1800-1900 Anniversary Ball Reception<br />
1900-2300 Anniversary Ball<br />
Guest of Honor:<br />
ADM Vernon E. Clark, USN,<br />
Chief of <strong>Naval</strong> Operations<br />
0945-1100 Speaker : Mr. Tom Kimmel,<br />
Grandson of Admiral Kimmel<br />
1115-1700 Tours – White House & other points of interest<br />
1730 Hospitality Suites, evening free<br />
Sunday, 19 September<br />
0800 Continental Breakfast<br />
0830-1030 General session/elections<br />
1100 Conference adjourns<br />
Saturday’s Professional Development Seminar<br />
OPEN TO ALL NAVAL RESERVISTS WITHOUT CHARGE<br />
Confirmed<br />
Guest<br />
Speakers<br />
VADM John G. Cotton, USNR<br />
Chief of <strong>Naval</strong> <strong>Reserve</strong><br />
RADM Robert M. Clark, USNR<br />
Commander, Amphibious Forces,<br />
Second Fleet Deputy Commander<br />
RADM John P. Debbout, USNR<br />
Commander, <strong>Naval</strong> <strong>Reserve</strong><br />
Forces Command<br />
RADM David O. Anderson, USNR<br />
Director of Force Integration<br />
Fleet Forces Command<br />
CAPT Robin A. Linn, USNR<br />
REDCOM Mid-Atlantic<br />
0645 Bus departs Braddock Road<br />
Metro Station for Radisson Hotel Old Town<br />
($10 to park at hotel)<br />
0700-0730 Registration/Coffee<br />
0730 Welcome<br />
CAPT Robin Linn, REDCOM Mid-Atlantic<br />
0735-0830 From the Top<br />
VADM John Cotton, Chief of <strong>Naval</strong> <strong>Reserve</strong><br />
0830-0900 <strong>Naval</strong> <strong>Reserve</strong> Forces Update<br />
RADM John Debbout, Commander <strong>Naval</strong><br />
<strong>Reserve</strong> Forces Command<br />
CONFERENCE UNIFORMS<br />
Breakfast, Meetings, Seminar: Service Khaki, or Appropriate<br />
Civilian Attire<br />
Anniversary Ball: Dinner Dress Blue Jacket/Black tie.<br />
0900-1030 Zero Based Review<br />
RADM David Anderson, Director of Force<br />
Integration, Fleet Forces Command<br />
1030-1100 Break/Refreshments<br />
1100-1200 The <strong>Naval</strong> <strong>Reserve</strong> of the Future<br />
Moderated Panel<br />
1200-1400 Professional Development<br />
RADM Robert Clark, Commnader, Amphibious<br />
Forces, Second Fleet Deputy Commander<br />
1400 Seminar concludes<br />
1415 Bus departs for Braddock Road Metro<br />
HOTEL<br />
Radisson Hotel Old Town<br />
901 North Fairfax Street, Alexandria, VA 22314<br />
Tel: (703) 683-6000<br />
NRA NEWS/SEPTEMBER 2004
“When you come to a fork in<br />
the road, take it.” – Yogi Berra<br />
The Individual<br />
Ready <strong>Reserve</strong> (IRR) –<br />
It’s Between the<br />
Selected <strong>Reserve</strong> and<br />
Retired <strong>Reserve</strong><br />
19<br />
By CAPT Tom McAtee, USNR (Ret)<br />
The season of choices is here. The FY 2005 Apply Board<br />
results are out. The captain and commander selection<br />
board results are promulgated, and 1 October is just<br />
around the corner. Many Reservists are now finding out they are<br />
subject to the provisions of the FY 2004 Manpower and<br />
Personnel Policy message (ALNAVRESFOR 030/03).<br />
After learning their fate, Reservists are asking those all-tofamiliar<br />
questions. What are my choices if I don’t have a pay<br />
billet What’s the difference between the VTU and IRR What<br />
are my choices if I do not want to retire Getting factual answers<br />
to these and other questions is the basis of this article. Hopefully,<br />
it will enable you to make the right choice for your career and<br />
family.<br />
Before delving into choices available to Reservists, it is<br />
appropriate to provide a basic understanding of <strong>Reserve</strong> Status.<br />
The matrix below graphically depicts the three basic statuses to<br />
which a Reservist may be assigned throughout a career –<br />
ACTIVE, INACTIVE, AND RETIRED STATUS. Within each<br />
status are <strong>Reserve</strong> categories which are defined and established<br />
by DoD regulation, specifically DoD Instruction 1215.19. The<br />
Individual Ready <strong>Reserve</strong> category is the central theme in this<br />
article, concentrating on the IRR subcategories of Volunteer<br />
Training Unit (VTU) and IRR Active Status Pool.<br />
Now that “status” has been explained, we can focus on<br />
choices. Choices available will be dependent upon three career<br />
elements: 1) your current grade; 2) years of commissioned service;<br />
NRA NEWS/SEPTEMBER 2004
20<br />
and, 3) years of satisfactory qualifying service creditable towards<br />
retirement. The interdependence of these elements can best be<br />
portrayed with common examples at certain pay grades:<br />
For a LCDR who has failed to select to CDR for the third<br />
time, in most designators, this requires removal from a pay<br />
billet. Unless the member has some enlisted service, most<br />
LCDRs have not yet served 20 years of commissioned<br />
service nor accrued 20 years of satisfactory qualifying<br />
service. But almost all want at least to achieve retirement<br />
eligibility with 20 years satisfactory qualifying service. A<br />
quick glance at the “What’s Best For Me” chart below indicates<br />
that retirement point accrual is available through scheduled<br />
participation in the VTU or point accrual via correspondence<br />
courses in the IRR Active Status Pool. And what about the<br />
promotion question The percentages are against selection<br />
(not impossible), even if the member maintains participation<br />
in the VTU. Under law, a LCDR may remain in an active<br />
status for 20 years of commissioned service (Note 1).<br />
For a LCDR or CDR who promotes (to CDR or CAPT<br />
respectively) and temporarily loses a pay billet, his/her<br />
competitiveness has been validated. Transferring to the VTU<br />
and participating until the results of the next Apply Board is the<br />
odds-on choice. However, Time in Grade requirements and<br />
satisfactory years can be accomplished in the IRR Active Status<br />
Pool should continued direct participation become a hardship.<br />
For a CDR who twice fails selection to CAPT and is removed<br />
from a pay billet may be near the completion of 20 years<br />
of satisfactory qualifying service. If so, the retirement<br />
choice becomes a real possibility, provided three years TIG<br />
has been completed (Note 2). Otherwise, if maintaining<br />
participation, promotion eligibility, and retirement point<br />
accrual are important to you, then transfer to the VTU.<br />
Remember, promotion eligibility and point accrual is also<br />
present in the IRR Active Status Pool. Under law, a CDR may<br />
remain in an active status until the completion of 28 years of<br />
commissioned service (Note 1).<br />
For a CAPT who has completed TIG, three choices exist –<br />
retirement, VTU, or IRR Active Status pool. Few make the<br />
choice based on achieving retirement eligibility. Those<br />
who choose the VTU have flag potential or are actively<br />
seeking a pay billet. Remaining in the IRR Active Status<br />
Pool only provides additional retirement points. It cannot<br />
be stated enough, that, regardless of pay grade, the<br />
retirement base pay calculation and longevity (up to the<br />
maximum) are based upon the pay scale in effect the year<br />
you turn age 60. If you are in the VTU or IRR Active<br />
Status Pool for the express purposes of maximizing<br />
longevity and increasing retirement pay calculation, you<br />
are a victim of false information. Under law, a CAPT<br />
may remain in an active status until the completion of 30<br />
years commissioned service (Note 1).<br />
What’s Best For Me – VTU or IRR Active Status Pool<br />
STATUS<br />
Am I in the Ready <strong>Reserve</strong><br />
Am I in the IRR<br />
Am I in the Selected <strong>Reserve</strong><br />
Am I in an active status<br />
Am I subject to mobilization<br />
PARTICIPATION<br />
Can I perform nonpay IDT<br />
Can I perform paid IDT<br />
Can I perform paid AT<br />
Can I accrue retirement points<br />
(i.e., correspondence courses)<br />
What is the maximum inactive points I can<br />
earn<br />
Is there a minimum participation<br />
requirement<br />
Do I accrue longevity for pay purposes<br />
Volunteer Training Unit (VTU)<br />
Yes.<br />
Yes, but administered (drill accounting,<br />
records) to as if in the Selected <strong>Reserve</strong>.<br />
No.<br />
Yes.<br />
Yes, partial or full mobilization (Note 3).<br />
Yes.<br />
No.<br />
Yes, if funds are available.<br />
Yes, complete listing can be found in<br />
BUPERS Instruction 1001.39D,<br />
Chapter 20, Figure 20-1.<br />
Ninety (90) per anniversary year.<br />
Yes, participation screenings may be<br />
performed by Navy Personnel Command<br />
and <strong>Naval</strong> <strong>Reserve</strong> Personnel Center (Note 4).<br />
Yes.<br />
IRR Active Status Pool<br />
Yes.<br />
Yes, commonly called the Active Status<br />
Pool.<br />
No.<br />
Yes.<br />
Yes, partial or full mobilization (Note 3).<br />
No.<br />
No.<br />
Yes, if funds are available.<br />
Yes, complete listing can be found in<br />
BUPERS Instruction 1001.39D,<br />
Chapter 20, Figure 20-1.<br />
Ninety (90) per anniversary year.<br />
Yes, participation screenings may be<br />
performed by Navy Personnel Command<br />
and <strong>Naval</strong> <strong>Reserve</strong> Personnel Center (Note 4).<br />
Yes.<br />
NRA NEWS/SEPTEMBER 2004
21<br />
Do I receive membership (15) points each<br />
anniversary year<br />
Can I return to a pay billet<br />
Can I participate in the APPLY Program<br />
How long can I stay in an active status<br />
PROMOTION<br />
Am I eligible for promotion<br />
Can I be issued a DOR<br />
Who does the paperwork for DOR<br />
Does time count toward Time-In-Grade<br />
Is there a minimum number of points to<br />
accrue for TIG to count.<br />
Can I serve on selection boards<br />
ADMINISTRATIVE<br />
Do I have a CO<br />
Do I receive a periodic fitness report or<br />
performance evaluation<br />
Do I have to maintain PRT standards<br />
Were are my medical records maintained<br />
Where is my official service record located<br />
Can I use the exchange and commissary<br />
Am I covered under SGLI<br />
Am I covered under VGLI<br />
Volunteer Training Unit (VTU)<br />
Yes.<br />
Yes, orders issued locally.<br />
Yes.<br />
Until reaching a maximum service limitation,<br />
age 60 or screened from an active status by<br />
Navy Personnel Command (Note 4).<br />
Yes.<br />
Yes.<br />
Local NRA.<br />
Yes.<br />
No.<br />
Yes.<br />
Assigned VTU commanding officer.<br />
Yes.<br />
Yes.<br />
Local NRA.<br />
Navy Personnel Command in<br />
Millington, TN.<br />
Yes, unlimited exchange and commissary<br />
privileges with valid ID card.<br />
Yes. Refer to BUPERS Instruction<br />
1001.39D, Chapter 15.<br />
Not normally since SGLI may be selected.<br />
Refer to BUPERS Instruction 1001.39D,<br />
Chapter 15.<br />
IRR Active Status Pool<br />
Yes.<br />
Yes, but must go through <strong>Naval</strong> <strong>Reserve</strong><br />
recruiting to identify vacancy.<br />
No.<br />
Until reaching a maximum service limitation,<br />
age 60 or screened from an active status by<br />
Navy Personnel Command (Note 4).<br />
Yes.<br />
Yes.<br />
<strong>Naval</strong> <strong>Reserve</strong> Personnel Center in<br />
New Orleans.<br />
Yes.<br />
No.<br />
Yes, but highly unlikely except for<br />
Merchant Marine officers.<br />
Commanding Officer, <strong>Naval</strong> <strong>Reserve</strong><br />
Personnel Center.<br />
No.<br />
No.<br />
<strong>Naval</strong> <strong>Reserve</strong> Personnel Center.<br />
Navy Personnel Command in<br />
Millington, TN.<br />
Yes, unlimited exchange and commissary<br />
privileges with valid ID card.<br />
No. Refer to BUPERS Instruction<br />
1001.39D, Chapter 15.<br />
Yes, if selected and premiums are paid.<br />
Refer to BUPERS Instruction 1001.39D,<br />
Chapter 15.<br />
Notes<br />
1. The commissioned years of service limitations of 20,<br />
28, and 30 for LCDR, CDR, and CAPT respectively only<br />
represent one part of the attrition equation. These service<br />
limitations for remaining in an active status may be cut short<br />
by reaching age 60 or being screened (for lack of participation).<br />
On the other hand, the service limitations may be exceeded<br />
through the statutory process of retention and continuation.<br />
For question regarding your status, contact CAPT McAtee<br />
at or call 703-548-5800.<br />
You may also contact Navy Personnel Command, PERS-4911<br />
at 901-874-4514 for questions regarding eligibility for retention<br />
and continuation.<br />
2. Although TIG for the grades of CDR and CAPT may<br />
be waived to two (2) years, this procedure is done via individual<br />
request (stating a compelling reason) and reviewed on a<br />
case-by-case basis by the office of the Secretary of the<br />
Navy. Very few waivers are granted since most <strong>Reserve</strong> officers<br />
can complete TIG requirements in the IRR.<br />
3. Within the Navy, IRR personnel are not mobilized<br />
under a Presidential <strong>Reserve</strong> Call-Up (PRC) even though<br />
Title 10, USC, section 12304 allows the call-up of certain<br />
designated IRR members. To date, the Navy has not designated<br />
any IRR members who would be subject to mobilization<br />
under a PRC. For clarification purposes, since 9/11, we<br />
have been under Partial Mobilization (10 USC 12302).<br />
4. If retirement eligible, a minimum of 50 points per<br />
anniversary year must be accrued. If not retirement eligible,<br />
27 points must be accrued. If these minimums are not<br />
maintained, you may become subject to screening and removal<br />
from an active status. Refer to BUPERS Instruction<br />
1001.39D, Chapter 21 for details.<br />
NRA NEWS/SEPTEMBER 2004
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Health Affairs<br />
23<br />
“It’s only a dental exam.”<br />
RADM Peter L. Andrus, MC, USNR<br />
National VP for Health Programs<br />
As I walked past a group of young<br />
Marines, a lance corporal said to his<br />
friend, “Why are they making such a<br />
big deal about this for deployment . . . it’s<br />
only a dental exam.” Unfortunately, but<br />
understandably, this is the perception of<br />
many service members – Marine, Navy,<br />
Army, Air Force, and Coast Guard – when it<br />
comes to the dental examination as part of<br />
their medical check-ups.<br />
That innocent statement by the lance corporal<br />
made me reflect on a recent photograph I<br />
had just seen of our Commander-in-Chief. His<br />
photograph appeared in U.S. News & World<br />
Report earlier this year with an overlay of<br />
his dental record. An accompanying article<br />
entitled “The Weekend Warrior Wars” related<br />
the political onslaught on the President’s<br />
Texas Air National Guard service record. It<br />
made me realize just how important dental<br />
exam documentation can be. For the<br />
President, his dental record was partial proof<br />
of his Air National Guard service.<br />
A dental examination record has an<br />
even greater importance to our fighting<br />
effectiveness. One of the greatest attributes<br />
our Uniformed Services can boast worldwide<br />
is our unsurpassed standard of health.<br />
The greater the health of our forces, the<br />
greater our ability to fight effectively and<br />
not be distracted or compromised by pain.<br />
How can a simple dental examination be so<br />
critical<br />
This deserves an answer. In a study about<br />
weapons of war and public health, Dr.<br />
William Foege claimed that throughout<br />
history infectious diseases have killed more<br />
soldiers than their enemies’ weapons have.<br />
It is amazing to think that health, or the lack<br />
thereof, can be as incapacitating on a<br />
battlefield as the enemy can be. As cautious<br />
and vigilant as we must be against our<br />
enemies’ weapons, we sometimes pose the<br />
greatest danger to ourselves. The Pogo<br />
cartoon character quote, “I have met the<br />
enemy, and he is us,” illustrates comically<br />
this truth about ourselves. This is highly<br />
applicable to dental disease.<br />
To assist the military in avoiding dental<br />
disease and the occurrence of dental<br />
emergencies on the battlefield, dental<br />
classifications are made on all those who<br />
receive an annual examination. These<br />
classifications are placed into four simple<br />
categories, as follows:<br />
Class 1: No dental treatment necessary.<br />
Class 2: No dental emergency likely within<br />
12-month period.<br />
Class 3: Dental emergency likely within<br />
12 months.<br />
Class 4: Classification examination<br />
necessary for dental needs.<br />
Military units desire optimal dental<br />
health. Due to the logistics of military<br />
necessity, this often cannot be attained. If<br />
Class 1 status cannot be reached, then at<br />
least Class 2 status must be maintained.<br />
This ensures some level of predictability in<br />
military dental fitness on the battlefield for<br />
a 12-month period. Anything less and the<br />
consistency of battlefield effectiveness can<br />
be severely compromised.<br />
During the Viet Nam war, there was an<br />
approximately 15 percent rate of dental<br />
emergencies (150 per 1,000 troops). If<br />
you’ve ever had a toothache, you know that<br />
a dental emergency can be very distracting<br />
for the service member and that such a distraction<br />
can detract from battlefield effectiveness.<br />
Knowing what a painful distraction a dental<br />
emergency can be, one can also infer that<br />
such problems could have led to additional<br />
injuries or even death to the sufferer or others.<br />
In the Viet Nam war alone there were over<br />
58,000 deaths. Statistically 15 percent<br />
(8,700) of those killed could have had a dental<br />
emergency that may have contributed to<br />
their demise. For perspective, consider that<br />
this represents the manning of an aircraft<br />
carrier or nearly a division (three brigades)<br />
of ground troops.<br />
Shortfalls in dental health affected<br />
battlefield work effectiveness in yet another<br />
way. Each dental casualty needed to seek<br />
emergency dental care. This resulted in one less<br />
effective person being available in a unit;<br />
therefore, another person had to take up the<br />
slack and assume the duties of the missing<br />
service member, as well as his/her own duties.<br />
In effect then, 300 service members were<br />
being affected per 1,000, almost one-third of<br />
total personnel. One-third of any unit affected<br />
by any malady is an enormous compromise<br />
to battlefield efficiency, with profound effects<br />
on morale, fatigue, and unit cohesiveness.<br />
It can be a very sobering thought to know<br />
that while you are in top dental condition,<br />
your fellow service member, who happens to<br />
have a painful and distracting dental emergency<br />
caused by neglect, is not. This service member<br />
may be in charge of the maintenance of an<br />
aircraft carrier’s arresting cable system, or of<br />
a unit crew-served weapon. The scenario<br />
can be as simple as a fighting hole. Your<br />
buddy can barely sight his weapon or keep a<br />
proper watch because of pain, thus permitting<br />
the enemy to breach your encampment.<br />
Would you want to be near that arresting<br />
cable system, that crew-served weapon, or<br />
in that fighting hole I assume I hear a<br />
wholehearted “No” in response to this query.<br />
“It’s only a dental exam” not only<br />
minimizes the importance of dentistry, but<br />
also, by metaphor, minimizes every military<br />
occupation. What seems mundane to us may,<br />
in fact, be crucial. How the oil is checked in<br />
a vehicle may cause loss of the vehicle and<br />
the death of its driver, as well as mission<br />
failure when supplies and personnel fail to<br />
be delivered at a critical time or place. We<br />
must see beyond the mundane in our jobs<br />
and those of others and recognize their<br />
contributions to military success.<br />
To conclude, it may not be our enemies’<br />
efforts that will defeat us, but rather our own<br />
neglect. “I have met the enemy, and he is<br />
us.” When your unit dental/medical liaison<br />
instructs you to get a current dental examination,<br />
do so and follow through with the findings,<br />
as necessary. Remember, the next time you<br />
hear someone say, “It’s just a dental exam,”<br />
remind them that it just may be your life or<br />
limb that will be at stake should he/she fall<br />
short in maintaining proper dental health.<br />
“Open wide!”<br />
This month’s article is contributed by<br />
CDR Steven Jaksha, DC, USNR. He currently<br />
serves with Marines and is attached to<br />
NR 4th Dental Bn, 4th Dental Co, Det 4<br />
which supports 4th Tank Battalion and<br />
MAG 46. He maintains a private dental<br />
practice in San Diego, CA.<br />
NRA NEWS/SEPTEMBER 2004
24 Professional Development<br />
Writing Great FITREPs<br />
CAPT G. Mark Hardy III, USNR<br />
National VP for Professional Development<br />
September is the busiest month for<br />
FITREPs – E-7, E-8, W-2, O-1, O-2,<br />
O-4, and O-5 FITREPs are all due,<br />
plus departing senior reports for about 50<br />
percent of commands. In the end-of-thefiscal-year<br />
scramble, sometimes quality<br />
takes a back seat to quantity. Here are<br />
some tips on how to achieve both.<br />
If it’s your FITREP, make sure you<br />
provide timely, quality input (see my July<br />
2004 column on “Building Better Brag<br />
Sheets.”) However, recognize that your<br />
involvement does not stop here. A<br />
FITREP may go through several revisions<br />
before it is finalized; stay involved in this<br />
process. Ask to see FITREP drafts as they<br />
progress from department head to XO to<br />
CO. You may be a great writer, and your<br />
CO may be a great writer, but if your XO<br />
is a lousy writer and mangles your draft,<br />
you lose.<br />
One of the biggest disappointments I<br />
experienced as a CO was when great<br />
officers submitted lousy FITREP inputs.<br />
That often cost them, not because I was<br />
vindictive, but because I rank based on<br />
whom I consider best for command and<br />
promotion. Officers who refuse to learn<br />
how to write good FITREPs can damage a<br />
lot of careers if they make CO. Make sure<br />
all of your officers learn this valuable skill.<br />
Remember the three purposes of<br />
FITREPs: document performance, provide<br />
feedback, and serve as basis for decisions<br />
by selection boards. Boards often review<br />
hundreds, sometimes thousands, of<br />
records in a brief period of time. Briefers<br />
may only spend a few seconds on each<br />
FITREP. You want your FITREP to catch<br />
their attention.<br />
I recommend the following format:<br />
Strong opening statement ranking the<br />
Sailor and characterizing performance.<br />
Bullet-points of specific accomplishments<br />
(quantified, and showing impact).<br />
Final recommendations for promotion<br />
and follow-on assignment.<br />
NAVADMIN 049/97 removed restrictions<br />
on comments. Therefore, ranking is<br />
permissible, and for your best performers,<br />
essential. “RANKED 1 OF 48 COM-<br />
MANDERS OF ANY DESIGNATOR.”<br />
“#2 OF 24 OFFICERS ASSIGNED.”<br />
“RANKED 3 OF 18 COMMANDING<br />
OFFICERS.” Don’t be afraid to use all<br />
caps for the opening sentence – BUPERS<br />
won’t reject your report for this. Make it<br />
STAND OUT for the reader. Always rank<br />
your top EPs; rank MPs who just missed<br />
the cut. (See my January 2004 column on<br />
“Taking Care of Number Two” for more<br />
tips on the “right” words.)<br />
Ranking is not appropriate for “pack”<br />
performers. Instead, use decreasing<br />
adjectives of “outstanding,” “excellent,”<br />
“capable,” to characterize performance.<br />
Don’t pull punches for poor performers.<br />
State your judgment up front; don’t bury it<br />
in the report. If an officer shouldn’t be<br />
promoted or selected for command, make<br />
the call; don’t hope the board will read<br />
between the lines. Do not use the term<br />
“dirtball,” however tempting.<br />
Prioritize bullet points based on<br />
demonstrated leadership and mission<br />
accomplishment. Use these criteria as a<br />
“noise filter.” Don’t waste lines describing<br />
esoteric actions that are meaningful only<br />
to your supported command. If you feel<br />
compelled to write a job description, use<br />
block 29.<br />
Know what each of your Sailors needs<br />
to be advanced or promoted. If you<br />
consider them worthy of promotion, write<br />
your FITREP with that as the overriding<br />
consideration. Avoid stupid mistakes (see<br />
my September 2003 column on “The Ten<br />
Deadly Sins of FITREPs”); they cost your<br />
Sailors dearly, and diminish their opinion<br />
of their boss.<br />
In the final recommendation, reiterate<br />
career assignment recommendations in<br />
block 40. Know the hierarchy of block 40;<br />
for line CAPTs, “Flag Officer,” “CO,<br />
Major Command,” “REDCOM DME” are<br />
at the top. For CDRs and below, “CO,”<br />
“OIC,” “XO” are tops. “Department<br />
Head” is not as meaningful; boards do not<br />
select department heads. However, do not<br />
grant “CO” endorsements automatically if<br />
not warranted. Remember that O-6<br />
FITREPs signed by a CAPT in the same<br />
competitive category must be endorsed by<br />
the first flag officer in the chain of command.<br />
When you write your opening and<br />
closing lines, think “sound bites.” Write a<br />
phrase that a briefer can copy onto your<br />
PSR to be read by the rest of the board.<br />
Good examples I have seen: “Future Chief<br />
of Chaplains” (made meaningful as it was<br />
written by the Chief of Chaplains),<br />
“Ranked 2 of 46,” “Future flag officer.”<br />
There are some bad examples, too: “15th<br />
consecutive Outstanding PRT.” Sorry.<br />
Doesn’t help toward promotion.<br />
Ensure important AT contributions are<br />
folded into regular FITREP; many briefers<br />
skim or skip AT FITREPs; many<br />
commands no longer provide them. Don’t<br />
forget Bilger Awards – include for all<br />
members of the command, especially the<br />
CO and XO. Don’t waste words. “Earned<br />
FY 03 Bilger Award” says enough.<br />
Final thoughts: NAVADMIN 071/04<br />
now permits reporting seniors to insert<br />
000-00-0000 instead of their SSN in block<br />
27 of member’s copy (not BUPERS copy)<br />
of FITREPs. Do this. Identity theft is a<br />
serious problem; providing your SSN to a<br />
disgruntled or careless Sailor is not smart.<br />
Use the tools provided in NAVFIT98,<br />
particularly the spell checker and the<br />
validation tool. Rejected FITREPs can<br />
create significant problems for officers<br />
facing upcoming boards. I’ve submitted<br />
over 200 reports without a single rejection;<br />
you should be able to do the same.<br />
In summary, write quality inputs, submit<br />
them early, track your FITREP at each<br />
stage of production, use the three-part<br />
structure, include a sound bite, and submit<br />
on time.<br />
Next month: Guest column by my<br />
friend CAPT Larry Weill on a fascinating<br />
study he’s completed on FOS (failure of<br />
selection) officers.<br />
NRA NEWS/SEPTEMBER 2004
THE PLATFORM MATTERS.<br />
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farther, and faster is better than lower, closer, and slower. Just good enough is<br />
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Israeli air forces have recently<br />
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To learn more, call Buddy Sams, Senior Vice President, Government Programs at<br />
703-276-9500 or visit us at www.gulfstream.com.
26<br />
Junior Officer Country<br />
The ABC’s of Accountability<br />
Charlene Inouye, Ph.D.<br />
LT, MSC, USNR<br />
VP Junior Officer Programs’ Guest Columnist<br />
America has come under increased<br />
scrutiny for not adhering to the<br />
highest standards of business and<br />
moral conduct. Not escaping are the related<br />
consequences or what is deemed corporate<br />
accountability. There is no question that<br />
corporate America needs to be made more<br />
accountable to its employees and shareholders.<br />
Similarly, the health care arena is in no<br />
way exempt from being in this spotlight.<br />
As health care has become more perplexing,<br />
there has been a refreshing accentuation<br />
on accountability. Leaders understand that<br />
they have to hold their people accountable;<br />
however, they aspire for accountability to<br />
have more than a negative connotation.<br />
Instead, they want accountability to<br />
become an energizing and positive force<br />
throughout the organization.<br />
Experts on leadership define accountability<br />
as accepting the consequences, good<br />
or bad, for the outcome of a situation for<br />
which you are responsible. Accordingly,<br />
leadership proponents define responsibility<br />
as being answerable for the outcome or<br />
results of a situation. Hence, accountability<br />
can come in many forms. For example,<br />
it is expected in matters related to your<br />
job or your family. These are your<br />
responsibilities; things for which you<br />
are expected to be accountable, such as<br />
arriving at work on time or completing<br />
your assigned tasks. One of the most<br />
powerful forms of accountability is when<br />
it comes from commitments we have made<br />
either with ourselves, someone else, or an<br />
organization.<br />
Some ways in which Sailors are held<br />
accountable in the military include, but are<br />
not limited to, fitness reports, getting<br />
placed on report, constructive criticism, or<br />
awards. Why do we hold Sailors accountable<br />
in the military The answer is<br />
straightforward: To promote good order<br />
and discipline when performing our<br />
mission. Hence, devotement to duty, or<br />
the responsibility to get the job done, is<br />
expected.<br />
In the Navy, some of the rules and<br />
regulations for which Sailors are held<br />
accountable are the Uniform Code of<br />
Military Justice, Navy Regulations, Unit<br />
Regulations, and the Navy Core Values.<br />
Nonetheless, the Navy Core Values are<br />
worth reiterating here:<br />
Honor: “I am accountable for my<br />
professional and personal behavior. I will<br />
be mindful of the privilege I have to serve<br />
my fellow Americans.”<br />
Courage: “The value that gives me the<br />
moral and mental strength to do what is<br />
right with confidence and resolution, even<br />
in the face of temptation or adversity.”<br />
Commitment: “The day-to-day duty<br />
of every man and woman in the DoN is<br />
to join together as a team to improve<br />
the quality of our work, our people, and<br />
ourselves.”<br />
Accountability is essentially the product<br />
of an organization’s values and beliefs<br />
about what is important, how business<br />
should be conducted, how relationships<br />
should be maintained, and its actions with<br />
regard to those values and beliefs. It has<br />
become abundantly clear that demonstrating<br />
organizational accountability is a critical<br />
responsibility of leadership. Furthermore,<br />
unless we undertake those practices that<br />
ensure accountability, we run the risk of<br />
undermining our credibility. After all,<br />
accountability is a leadership obligation.<br />
However, adhering to high standards of<br />
commitment and responsibility on a daily<br />
basis does not simply occur without tireless<br />
efforts.<br />
Accountability can have a powerful<br />
practical value to meeting organizational<br />
goals, as well as resolving impending<br />
issues. Being accountable takes a grave<br />
amount of character, courage, and honesty.<br />
It is not a simple thing to do; either being<br />
accountable or imploring accountability.<br />
Being accountable is being responsible.<br />
The word accountable also has to do with<br />
an account, meaning the facts and figures,<br />
and not the excuses and the whining.<br />
In an organization that embraces<br />
accountability, leaders have implemented<br />
a sound accountability system and, more<br />
importantly, enforce it consistently. Goals<br />
are set high; and the bigger the challenge,<br />
the greater the excitement and satisfaction<br />
when employees achieve their goals.<br />
Creating indicators that have real value<br />
is one of the greatest challenges of<br />
implementing an accountability system.<br />
However, no matter what you’re tracking,<br />
comparing outcomes to previous indicators,<br />
then demanding improvement, is the<br />
optimal way to achieve anything. Hence,<br />
accountability measures lead not only to<br />
enhanced performance, but also to<br />
increased morale. In this type of<br />
organization, accountability energizes!<br />
I believe that true accountability derives<br />
from an interconnected system that yields<br />
three parts: clarity, commitment, and<br />
consequences. Each component reinforces<br />
the other; take away any one and the system<br />
shatters. Therefore, the ABC’s of accountability<br />
consist of the following:<br />
A = Clear and concise goals that lead to<br />
outcomes – Here, expectations must be<br />
clear and precise and linked to outcomes.<br />
Finally, clarity includes asking, “Why”<br />
B = True commitment is extended way<br />
beyond the attitude of “I’ll just try.” That<br />
is just not good enough nor acceptable.<br />
C = Consequences Complete the Circle<br />
– Here, consequences either clarify or<br />
cloud the expectations. Meeting recaps, in<br />
memo form or via e-mail, are the single<br />
most important tool in holding people<br />
accountable.<br />
In an organization that models a culture<br />
of accountability, people do what they say<br />
they will do. As a result, personnel build<br />
credibility for themselves and for the<br />
organization by holding themselves, and<br />
each other, accountable. On the other<br />
hand, an organization that lacks accountability<br />
will be full of excuses for not meeting<br />
its mission because there’s a sense that<br />
close enough is good enough since no one<br />
will notice the variance; or worse yet, a<br />
sense that the mission is arbitrary and<br />
makes no sense, so the best that employees<br />
can do is invest their energy in somehow<br />
beating the system.<br />
Con’t. on page 37<br />
NRA NEWS/SEPTEMBER 2004
www.boeing.com<br />
The C-40A aircraft is in service today at home and<br />
overseas. With six C-40As now flying, the Navy is already<br />
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As replacement for the aging C-9, the C-40A provides<br />
the Navy with greater range, speed and reliability, along<br />
with low-cost operation and lifetime support services.<br />
To support the Navy and the nation like never before.
28 Letters<br />
Dear Admiral Keith,<br />
I heartily applaud and thank the NRA<br />
for CAPT McAtee’s June feature, “A<br />
Compass for Entitlements While<br />
Reservists Are on Orders to Active Duty.”<br />
It is an absolute MUST read for all<br />
reservists. One of the highlights of the<br />
feature included, “A little bit more about<br />
Per Diem” which clearly highlighted that<br />
per diem was not payable on AT when GQ<br />
and Gov’t. mess were available. As a<br />
SELRES on a three year recall as OIC of<br />
a PSD, this is one of the most frequent<br />
issues brought up by senior SELRES<br />
members after their travel claim is<br />
liquidated, and one which often causes a lot<br />
of discontent. Notwithstanding, the Navy<br />
continues to have a complex set of rules<br />
for AT, ADT, ADSW, and TDY which are<br />
not easily understandable at the deck plate<br />
or any level and are sometimes unfair to<br />
reservists who are often involved in<br />
operational watch standing duties on their<br />
annual “training” and not entitled to per<br />
diem while active duty members simply<br />
attending a school or a conference on TDY<br />
get their full entitlement to per diem.<br />
Standardizing the rules for all types of<br />
active duty would make it easier for both<br />
disbursing functions and for a better<br />
understanding of entitlements.<br />
Dear Admiral Keith,<br />
Gary Lefebvre<br />
LCDR, USNR<br />
I am sure that sufficient time has passed<br />
for me to undertake this email – as I am<br />
thinking like a normal, rational human<br />
being again. It has taken me about two<br />
and a half weeks to recover from the<br />
completely unexpected, but most welcome<br />
and surprising email that I have ever<br />
received - namely the one from you below<br />
in which you advised me of my selection<br />
to Captain. And to think that I almost let<br />
my membership to the <strong>Naval</strong> <strong>Reserve</strong><br />
<strong>Association</strong> expire earlier in this year!<br />
A traditional “thank-you” can not come<br />
close to expressing my gratitude to you<br />
and the other headquarters members of<br />
our wonderful organization for the timely<br />
notification of the O-6 Staff Corps<br />
Selection Board results. I was unable to<br />
access the BUPERS website all day on<br />
Friday and Saturday, June 18th and 19th<br />
due to the server being down, so I had no<br />
idea of the board results prior to reading<br />
your email on Sunday morning, June 20th.<br />
I eagerly look forward to the next set of<br />
challenges that lie ahead of me, and I am<br />
even more confident in knowing that I will<br />
have the excellent organizational support<br />
of the NRA along for the ride!<br />
Dear Captain McAtee,<br />
A. J. Scolpino<br />
CDR, SC, USNR<br />
Thank you for providing a link in the<br />
latest online communication from the<br />
<strong>Naval</strong> <strong>Reserve</strong> <strong>Association</strong> to the excellent<br />
information about transition to retirement<br />
with pay originally published in March<br />
2003. I recently moved from drilling<br />
status directly to retirement with pay. I<br />
appreciate the clear guidance in the article<br />
about the process.<br />
P. Allen Gray, Jr.<br />
CAPT, NC, USNR (Ret)<br />
As a reservist your job<br />
might change,<br />
but ours stays the same.<br />
Compare SGLI to the<br />
Navy Mutual Family Plan<br />
This plan includes $250,000 coverage for you, the<br />
service member, and $100,000 for your spouse,<br />
assuming you are both healthy non-smokers, and<br />
$10,000 coverage for your children.<br />
✪ From part-time service to active duty, we’re always<br />
there for you and your family.<br />
✪ Call 1-800-628-6011 ext. 105, e-mail counselor@navymutual.org<br />
NAVY MUTUAL AID ASSOCIATION<br />
Serving: Navy • Marines • Coast Guard • NOAA • Public Health Service<br />
A Veterans Benefit <strong>Association</strong> Since 1879<br />
w w w . n a v y m u t u a l . o r g<br />
NRA NEWS/SEPTEMBER 2004
29<br />
The <strong>Naval</strong> <strong>Reserve</strong> <strong>Association</strong><br />
Christmas/Holiday Card Assortment<br />
The <strong>Naval</strong> <strong>Reserve</strong> <strong>Association</strong> is proud to present the 2004 Christmas/Holiday<br />
Cards. This program provides you with unique, historic-naval-oriented<br />
holiday greeting cards unavailable anywhere else, and helps us to raise the<br />
funds necessary to further our <strong>Association</strong>’s goals and projects in support of the<br />
<strong>Naval</strong> <strong>Reserve</strong> and our nation. This year’s Christmas/Holiday Card Package will<br />
consist of 16 cards, four each of four distinctive designs based on original artwork<br />
commissioned exclusively for our use. This Christmas/Holiday Card Package, our<br />
gift to you, will be delivered to your home during late October so that you will have<br />
plenty of time to send them to your family and<br />
friends. We believe that you will be very pleased<br />
with the cards and will use them with pride,<br />
knowing that they reflect your support of our<br />
<strong>Association</strong> and the <strong>Naval</strong> <strong>Reserve</strong>.<br />
The contributions received as a result of this endeavor<br />
will be used by the <strong>Naval</strong> <strong>Reserve</strong> <strong>Association</strong> to<br />
continue and to expand our legislative efforts to<br />
strengthen the Navy and <strong>Naval</strong><br />
<strong>Reserve</strong>. Additionally, it will<br />
allow the <strong>Association</strong> to continue<br />
its support of programs covering<br />
Scholarships, Navy Sabbath,<br />
NJROTC Library, NROTC Awards,<br />
and Membership Development.<br />
We need your help to keep<br />
these programs vital. Thank<br />
you for your support.<br />
Should you desire additional box(es) of the Christmas/Holiday Cards, over and above the box you will receive<br />
in the mail, please complete the following form and forward it, along with your contribution, by 31 October<br />
2004.<br />
Please send me _____ additional box(es) of the 2004 <strong>Naval</strong> <strong>Reserve</strong> <strong>Association</strong> Christmas/Holiday Cards to the<br />
address below. I have enclosed my payment of $______ ($25.00 per box) for the additional box(es).<br />
<strong>Naval</strong> <strong>Reserve</strong> <strong>Association</strong>; 1619 King Street; Alexandria, VA 22314<br />
Check: $__________<br />
By Credit Card: VISA #___________________________ MASTERCARD #___________________________<br />
AMEX#__________________________ DISCOVER CARD #________________________<br />
Exp. Date: _______________________________________<br />
Signature: _________________________________________<br />
Name: _____________________________________________________________________________________________________<br />
✂<br />
Address: ___________________________________________________________________________________________________<br />
City: _______________________________________________ State: _________ ZIP: _______________________<br />
Please Print<br />
NRA NEWS/SEPTEMBER 2004
30 Info That You Can Use<br />
Zero Based Review<br />
By RADM Steve Keith, USNR (Ret)<br />
No doubt you have read the stories over the last year about<br />
<strong>Naval</strong> <strong>Reserve</strong> units that were structured to support ships and<br />
organizations that no longer existed. Those articles ran like<br />
wildfire throughout the country; and, within the Navy, the uninformed<br />
pointed a finger at the <strong>Naval</strong> <strong>Reserve</strong>. The reality is that active duty<br />
requirements existed for the same units.<br />
A well-defined, albeit cumbersome, bureaucratic process exists<br />
within the Navy to ensure that requirements are current and valid.<br />
The Manual of Navy Total Force Manpower Policies and Procedures,<br />
OPNAV Instruction 1000.16J, is the governing directive. Obviously,<br />
if there are requirements for a unit that no longer exists the manpower<br />
claimants have failed to meet the simplest of their responsibilities. If<br />
they didn’t have their eyes on that, you can just imagine the neglect<br />
in restructuring Cold War era units.<br />
Well, all that has changed. Those claimants and other Navy activities,<br />
37 in all, have been heavily engaged over the last ten months in a<br />
Zero Based Review (ZBR) of active duty requirements of reserve<br />
capabilities. This ZBR is the first step in an initiative directed by the<br />
Chief of <strong>Naval</strong> Operations, ADM Clark, that seeks to define better<br />
and construct a cohesive Navy team to satisfy more efficiently and<br />
effectively the Navy’s operational requirements of the future. The<br />
actual tasking (CNO 281441Z AUG 03) reads: “Validate <strong>Naval</strong><br />
<strong>Reserve</strong> requirements and determine ability of <strong>Naval</strong> <strong>Reserve</strong> to<br />
provide required capabilities. Map capabilities to Sea Power 21.”<br />
ADM Fallon carried the torch on this when he departed the<br />
Pentagon as Vice Chief of <strong>Naval</strong> Operations and headed to Fleet<br />
Forces Command. To underscore the importance he placed on Active<br />
<strong>Reserve</strong> Integration [ARI], he made it one of his top five focus areas<br />
for the Fleet. He created a directorate within his N8 department for<br />
Force Integration and recruited RADM David Anderson, USNR, to<br />
head up a zero based review of active duty requirements of reserve<br />
capabilities. All Navy commands were tasked to submit inputs into<br />
this zero based review process. RADM Anderson put together a<br />
talented team of uniformed, civilian, and contractor personnel to<br />
develop a credible analysis process with associated metrics and<br />
assessments of risk. He told me his personal goal in accepting this<br />
assignment was, and still is, “for every <strong>Naval</strong> Reservist to have a<br />
meaningful assignment in the future of our Navy.”<br />
I traveled to Fleet Forces Command at the invitation of RADM<br />
Anderson in late July for an extensive briefing on the ZBR process,<br />
not the outcomes. Here’s what I heard:<br />
Commands were asked to start from scratch in determining what<br />
resources would be needed to meet Sea Power 21 warfighting<br />
requirements. [Sea Power 21 capabilities graphic shown at top<br />
middle] Instead of focusing just on the number of Reservists<br />
needed, commands had to review requirements as if there were no<br />
predetermined reserve structure. For many, this was not an easy task;<br />
and, in some cases, it took several iterations to get CFFC acceptance<br />
of the input.<br />
Assumptions made in reviewing the inputs were:<br />
– ZBR not limited by existing directives, policies, political<br />
process.<br />
– Active Component shortfalls in manning are not necessarily<br />
capability gaps.<br />
Map to Sea<br />
(4) Navy Capability Pillars, (14) Mission<br />
– Capability gaps may be filled by active, reserve, government<br />
civilian or contractor..<br />
– Operational support can be a valid reserve requirement.<br />
– Special unique knowledge-skills-abilities and business case<br />
justifications were allowed.<br />
P<br />
C<br />
NRA NEWS/SEPTEMBER 2004
31<br />
Power 21<br />
Capability Pillars, (61) Capabilities<br />
A total of 79,000 billets in the Selected <strong>Reserve</strong> (SELRES and<br />
FTS) were reviewed. There were about 4,000 billets in Joint<br />
Commands that were not reviewed and about 3,000 FTS billets<br />
embedded in active commands that were not reviewed.<br />
There were 664 functions (capabilities) with <strong>Naval</strong> <strong>Reserve</strong><br />
requirements identified, all mapped to Sea Power 21.<br />
Teams of FFC senior active and reserve personnel, augmented as<br />
required by subject matter experts, reviewed and analyzed the inputs,<br />
made recommendations to a Flag level review board, which then<br />
forwarded them to ADM Fallon for concurrence and approval. Many<br />
commands were afforded the opportunity to defend their inputs to<br />
him, and many did.<br />
ADM Fallon will brief the ZBR process, results, and recommendations<br />
for each activity to ADM Clark in August. Included in each activity<br />
presentation will be:<br />
Required capability<br />
Activity justification<br />
Mapping to Sea Power 21<br />
FFC justification<br />
FFC validation criteria<br />
FFC risk assessment<br />
Current manpower requirement<br />
Activity proposed manpower requirement<br />
FFC recommended manpower requirement<br />
Active Component/<strong>Reserve</strong> Component (AC/RC) mix<br />
Ability to measure two risks associated with changing<br />
the AC/RC mix<br />
– Capability risk (The importance of the RC’s contribution to the<br />
activity’s ability to execute a specific capability.)<br />
– Wartime Mission risk (The importance of the RC’s contribution<br />
to the activity’s ability to accomplish its wartime mission.)<br />
I left very impressed with the process RADM Anderson and his<br />
team had developed, the objectivity and rigor of it, the fairness of<br />
their analysis, and the personal commitment and dedication of each<br />
and every one involved in it.<br />
The outcome of all this is unknown. ADM Clark is sure to find<br />
great merit in what has been done. And one thing that I am confident<br />
of is that he will make the decisions that in his mind will create a<br />
capable active duty Navy and <strong>Reserve</strong> Force working together to<br />
respond quickly to multiple threats at home and abroad.<br />
ZBR TEAM MEMBERS<br />
N8 - RDML Sandy Winnefeld<br />
N8R - RDML David Anderson<br />
N8RA - CAPT Bob Hayes<br />
N8R3 - CDR Tom Trotter<br />
N8RW - YNCS(AW) Nancy Batten<br />
N8RW1 - YN1(SW) Eric Chenoweth<br />
N81 - CAPT Rob Cullinan<br />
The capability validation process used is depicted in the FFC<br />
Capability Validation Process diagram shown in the left column,<br />
page 30.<br />
The criteria used to validate the capabilities are depicted in the<br />
Validation Criteria diagram shown above.<br />
CAPT Marianne Lynch<br />
CAPT Lisa Meunier<br />
ITCS Jo Swiger<br />
Mr. Jeff Crawford<br />
Mr. Leo Enwright<br />
Mr. Mike Hamele<br />
Mrs. Kate Lea<br />
Mr. Mark Mallory<br />
Mr. Orin Reams<br />
Mr. Eamon Spiegel<br />
NRA NEWS/SEPTEMBER 2004
32<br />
Info That You Can Use<br />
Insurance and the <strong>Reserve</strong> Component Survivor Benefit Plan<br />
By CDR Brian Daugherty, USN (Ret), Director of Education, Navy Mutual Aid <strong>Association</strong><br />
The Other Avenue<br />
The July 2004 edition of NRA News offered a very informative<br />
article on the <strong>Reserve</strong> Component Survivor Benefit Plan<br />
(RCSBP). It provided an outstanding review of one of the two<br />
basic avenues to protect one’s survivors through use of RCSBP.<br />
This article will examine the other avenue – self insurance.<br />
The Basics of Insurance<br />
Life insurance ensures that, when you die, your beneficiaries<br />
will have the financial resources in place to provide income<br />
which would pay for immediate and future financial obligations.<br />
Life insurance proceeds are made quickly to the beneficiary<br />
without the delay of probate and are income tax free. There are<br />
two basic classifications of life insurance, term and permanent,<br />
which we will examine next.<br />
Types of Life Insurance<br />
Term Insurance – Term insurance provides death benefit<br />
coverage for a specified period time with a premium that is<br />
initially low relative to permanent insurance premiums.<br />
Premiums are initially low because most contracts do not cover<br />
individuals through old age, when death is most likely. The<br />
premium is based on the type of term plan elected, the amount of<br />
coverage, risk status (tobacco users and people in poor health or<br />
with dangerous lifestyles pay higher premiums), current age, and<br />
the age to which coverage is desired. Term insurance policies that<br />
provide a death benefit at older ages will have comparatively<br />
higher premiums. The death benefit can be level, decreasing, or<br />
increasing with increasing premiums. Term insurance does not<br />
usually have a cash value. When a term policy is terminated,<br />
none of the money paid in premiums is recoverable, with few<br />
exceptions. An easy way to think of term life insurance is as<br />
temporary insurance used to cover needs that have a finite period<br />
requiring coverage. Examples would be to cover a mortgage or<br />
to ensure funds were available for a child’s education.<br />
Servicemember’s Groups Life Insurance (SGLI) is a form of term<br />
life insurance. Less than one percent of all term life insurance<br />
plans ever pay a benefit since most people outlive this coverage.<br />
Permanent Insurance – Permanent insurance (also known as<br />
whole life) provides for the insured’s entire life, not just for a<br />
limited period, while also providing a savings element known as<br />
the plan’s cash value. The cash value is available to the policy<br />
owner by taking a loan against the cash value, making a partial<br />
withdrawal, or terminating the policy. Cash value grows tax<br />
deferred over time at a crediting rate determined by the insurer.<br />
Premiums for permanent policies will be higher than term insurance<br />
because there is not just a chance that the death benefit will be<br />
paid out, but it is certain to be paid out. The premium is based on<br />
the type of permanent plan elected, the amount of coverage, current<br />
age, risk status, and the number of years taken to pay off the plan.<br />
A plan may be paid in a single premium or over a period of time<br />
such as seven, ten, twenty, or even payments for life. Permanent<br />
plans can have either level or increasing death benefits.<br />
Within these two basic classifications of life insurance, there<br />
are various types of plans such as decreasing term, level term,<br />
and renewable term in term insurance; and whole life, ordinary<br />
life, variable life, and universal life for permanent plans. A<br />
detailed discussion of each of these is beyond the scope of this<br />
article; however, information on the plans can be found on any<br />
insurance company’s Web site or in the insurance tutorial<br />
available in the library section under “member resources” at<br />
.<br />
How much life insurance is enough<br />
Various methods can be used to calculate an individual’s need<br />
for life insurance. These methods include rule of thumb (e.g., ten<br />
times annual salary), the human life value (i.e., present value of<br />
the family’s share of the wage earner’s future income), capital<br />
retention (i.e., preserve assets and have the beneficiaries income<br />
needs supported by income from the assets), and the needs<br />
approach (i.e., assets and income at death to pay for the<br />
remaining financial obligations). The needs approach is the most<br />
comprehensive in calculating the amount of life insurance needed. It<br />
subtracts the total assets for the total financial obligations to<br />
determine the amount of life insurance required. The types of<br />
financial obligations that should be considered are future income<br />
for beneficiaries, outstanding debts, estate taxes, children’s<br />
educational expenses, mortgage, funeral expenses, and final<br />
illness expenses. Some of the assets that may be available<br />
include investments, retirement funds, survivor benefits plans,<br />
social security, real estate equity, retirement funds, and annuities<br />
with survivor rights. Calculating insurance needs is a very good<br />
math exercise. If you are not so inclined, most insurance companies<br />
offer calculators on their Web sites; and one can be found at<br />
.<br />
Insurance planning<br />
Armed now with information on the types of insurance<br />
available and the amount of insurance required to provide the<br />
necessary protection, it is time to put a plan in place. With the<br />
vast number of wide-ranging products available, it is relatively<br />
easy to design a plan to meet every situation. The key determinant<br />
in most plans is to keep cost as low as possible. The lowest cost<br />
plan is typically achieved through exclusive use of term insurance<br />
with investment of the savings to provide long-term protection<br />
through a large nest egg when term insurance becomes prohibitively<br />
expensive in later years. These plans however require a high<br />
degree of discipline and expertise to invest the savings.<br />
Individuals without this type of discipline or investment savvy<br />
may find this type of plan lacking in later years and may be<br />
better served by a permanent plan or a combination of plans. In<br />
fact, most individuals could benefit from a combination of plans.<br />
Even the most disciplined savers and investors may find benefit<br />
in the tax-deferred growth of the savings component of permanent<br />
plans. Additionally, many plans offer riders, some with and<br />
some without cost that can add additional protection to a plan.<br />
These riders include guaranteed insurability options and long-term<br />
care options. Restrictions within insurance policies are also<br />
something to be considered. War clauses, aviation clauses, and<br />
other restrictions should always be considered.<br />
NRA NEWS/SEPTEMBER 2004
33<br />
Cost of Insurance<br />
The cost of insurance varies from company to company and plan<br />
to plan. It is very important to ensure a complete understanding<br />
of how long the quoted premium is available during the term of<br />
the policy. It pays to shop around and compare. This process has<br />
become easier through use of the Internet; but, at some point, a<br />
face-to-face or at least a talk on the phone is necessary. Some questions<br />
to ask, especially when shopping for permanent plans, are:<br />
How much of my monthly premium goes to administrative<br />
costs<br />
How much is your commission<br />
Over what period of time is your commission paid out<br />
What will be my cash surrender value after one year, five years,<br />
and ten years<br />
When will my cash surrender value exceed the total premiums<br />
paid<br />
Is there ever a surrender charge<br />
What is the current crediting rate What is the historic crediting<br />
rate<br />
What is the current loan rate if I borrow from this policy<br />
Are there additional costs for other options like guaranteed<br />
insurability, Long Term Care, etc.<br />
Is there an accelerated death benefit option<br />
Insurance and RCSBP<br />
Insurance is certainly an option to provide similar protection to<br />
RCSBP. However, it requires a considerable amount of work to<br />
ensure that the same protection is provided to the survivors. One of<br />
the most difficult questions to be resolved is the amount of insurance<br />
required to replace the lifetime, inflation-protected coverage<br />
available through RCSBP. A $300,000 policy purchased today will<br />
not provide the same protection 20-30 years from now due to the<br />
effects of inflation. Therefore, insurance planning must consider<br />
this effect; and the amount of insurance must consider current as<br />
well as future requirements. Inflation protection is available in<br />
some insurance plans, usually at a substantial additional cost.<br />
Comparing costs between RCSBP and any other plan produces<br />
varying results due to the vast numbers of insurance products available.<br />
In most cases, term insurance can be initially purchased at a lower<br />
cost than RCSBP; however, term insurance does not provide the<br />
lifetime protection that RCSBP does. Many insurers will not<br />
provide term life insurance after certain ages, and the cost increases<br />
when purchased later in life. Permanent insurance, in most cases<br />
,will be more expensive than RCSBP; however, a permanent plan<br />
will guarantee a pay out whereas RCSBP may not always do such<br />
as in the case where the spouse predeceases the service member.<br />
Permanent insurance has some other benefits over RCSBP. One<br />
is that it can provide a legacy to your children that can provide for<br />
their lifetime where RCSBP only pays up to age 18, or age 22 if<br />
they attend college. Permanent insurance also builds cash value<br />
that can be used when the insurance is no longer required whereas<br />
RCSBP builds no cash value. On the other hand, RCSBP does<br />
offer two additional cost benefits in government cost sharing<br />
(20-40 percent paid by government) and premiums are paid with<br />
tax-free dollars as premiums are paid prior to calculation of<br />
retired earned income for tax purposes. Any insurance policy<br />
purchase will be done with post-tax dollars. So it is best to<br />
compare the cost of alternatives to the NET cost of RCSBP.<br />
Some additional considerations between insurance and RCSBP<br />
include the tax treatment of the benefits. RCSBP annuity payments<br />
are taxed as income to the beneficiary for tax purposes whereas a<br />
lump sum pay out from a life insurance policy is not. If the lump<br />
sum pay out is invested, something the surviving spouse would<br />
want to do to extend the income available for a longer time, any<br />
gain on this investment would be taxable. Additionally, this<br />
investment decision is something the surviving spouse would<br />
have to make whereas with RCSBP the income is guaranteed<br />
without any investment decision or worries.<br />
Taking all the above factors into account, a logical choice for<br />
many Reservists may be a combination of RCSBP and insurance.<br />
By electing Option C (immediate annuity), a Reservist provides<br />
protection for his/her family from Notice of Eligibility for<br />
Retired Pay (NOE) for the rest of the beneficiary’s life, if desired.<br />
Since the cost of RCSBP is not paid until retired pay is received,<br />
the Reservist is getting free coverage from NOE up to age 60. Of<br />
course, the payment will reduce retired pay when it is received;<br />
however, the Reservist still has the option to decline SBP coverage<br />
after age 62, thereby eliminating future premiums while still<br />
having had coverage since NOE. At this point, had the Reservist<br />
purchased some life insurance, an evaluation could be done now,<br />
later in life, with greater certainty and the knowledge of the<br />
performance of the various factors (insurance, investments,<br />
inflation) other than at NOE. This strategy produces a “best of<br />
both worlds” result and may be appropriate for many Reservists.<br />
Of course, no one plan fits every individual, therefore, individual<br />
research is important.<br />
Summary<br />
Insurance certainly can provide protection and a stream of<br />
income for survivors much like RCSBP. The decision process is<br />
complex, and everyone is different. The good news is that the<br />
variety of plans available means that there is a plan to fit almost<br />
every need. It does, however, involve work to research and find<br />
the right plan at the right cost. There is no one answer, and, in<br />
many cases, no all-or-nothing plan. A combination of RCSBP<br />
and insurance may fit many Reservists’ needs. Where do you go<br />
from here The Internet offers some great resources to continue<br />
the education process. Some very useful sites are:<br />
www.navy-reserve.org<br />
www.navymutual.org<br />
www.nrpc.nola.navy.mil/internet2/index<br />
www.armyg1.army.mil/rso/sbp.asp<br />
www.2xcitzen.usar.army.mil/soldierservice/retirement<br />
Editor’s Note:<br />
Our continuum of member services recently expanded with the addition<br />
of a “19 YEAR” letter which provides detailed information to members<br />
regarding their pending <strong>Reserve</strong> Component Survivor Benefit Plan (RCSBP)<br />
election period. Our goal is to provide this letter to members just prior to<br />
them completing 20 years satisfactory qualifying service and issuance of the<br />
NOE. Why such a proactive approach Because, accompanying the NOE<br />
notification is a RCSBP election form that must be completed within 90 days.<br />
The letter summarizes that:<br />
- The RCSBP decision is critical.<br />
- RCSBP is a benefit, so carefully evaluate its usefulness to your family.<br />
- RCSBP only preserves a portion of your retirement.<br />
- Certain decisions made now are irrevocable in the future.<br />
NRA NEWS/SEPTEMBER 2004
Help your<br />
Guard and <strong>Reserve</strong><br />
go from war...<br />
to work<br />
Volunteer today. Join ESGR.<br />
You can make a difference for thousands of men and women<br />
serving now in our nation’s defense. The volunteers of<br />
America’s National Guard and Armed Forces <strong>Reserve</strong> are<br />
returning home to their family and friends, their communities<br />
and their jobs. You can help them return to work.<br />
Across the country, thousands of ESGR volunteers are working<br />
with employers. They help employers:<br />
■ Understand and apply the Uniformed Services Employment<br />
Rights and Reemployment Act<br />
■ Deal with pre- and post-mobilization issues<br />
■ Provide family support programs<br />
■ Mediate employer/employee issues<br />
As an ESGR volunteer you’ll be part of a growing network of<br />
other patriotic Americans supporting our troops.<br />
www.esgr.com 1-800-336-4590<br />
Volunteer today. Call for more<br />
information: 1-800-336-4590
In Memoriam<br />
35<br />
Editor’s Note: The following is a list of the known names of members of the <strong>Naval</strong> <strong>Reserve</strong> <strong>Association</strong> who have<br />
passed away. The information in parenthesis beside each name is the state, district, and chapter. These names have<br />
been accumulated from 1 April 2004 to 30 July 2004, from surviving spouses. newspapers, obituaries, etc. Any NRA<br />
members aware of any other member deceased, and not previously published in NRA NEWS, please notify us. May<br />
they rest in peace.<br />
CAPT John M. Banta, USNR (Ret) (TN, 6-140)<br />
RADM Anthony A Braccia, USNR (Ret) (CA, 12-42)<br />
CDR Patsy J. Brittain, MSC, USNR (Ret) (OR, 13-80)<br />
CDR William O. Burwell, USNR (Ret) (GA, 6-147)<br />
CDR Clarence H. Campbell, USNR (Ret) (WA, 13-52)<br />
ISCS William Coleman, Jr. (VA, 5-114)<br />
CAPT Paul H. Collins, USNR (Ret) (FL, 6-139)<br />
LTJG Georgia S. Cooper, USNR (Ret) (CA, 11-133)<br />
CDR Joseph T. Cotner, USNR (Ret) (NC, 6-136)<br />
LCDR Bellford Coursey, Jr., USNR (Ret) (CA, 11-34)<br />
Mrs. Alixsandra H. Covell (VA, 5-98)<br />
CDR Roy M. Cumming, DC, USNR (Ret) (MI, 9-81)<br />
CDR Leo T. Delaney, MC, USNR (Ret) (NY, 3-206)<br />
CDR Joseph C. Dinneen, USNR (Ret) (PA, 4-9)<br />
CAPT Grant A. Drennen, USNR (Ret) (AZ, 11-89)<br />
CAPT Vincent J. Fajer, USNR (Ret) (OR, 13-80)<br />
LCDR Leon V. Farnum, DC, USNR (Ret) (AL, 6-18)<br />
LT Allan W. Fink, USNR (Ret) (CA, 11-133)<br />
CDR George O. Foster, USNR (Ret) (SC, 6-147)<br />
CWO4 Morris Kentner Gully, Jr., USNR (Ret) (TX, 8-112)<br />
CAPT Richard E. Harkins, USNR (Ret) (MO, 9-30)<br />
LT Sandra Ann Hartman, NC, USNR (NY, 3-103)<br />
CAPT Rowland S. Hodge, SC, USNR (Ret) (CA, 11-172)<br />
LCDR Richard T. Hourihan, USNR (Ret) (AZ, 11-90)<br />
CDR Malcolm S. Ingison, USNR (Ret) (VT, 1-214)<br />
LT Robert G. Mackey, JAGC, USNR (Ret) (IL, 9-50)<br />
CDR Edward D. Maissian, USNR (Ret) (CA, 11-40)<br />
CDR Robert E. McClure, USNR (Ret) (OR, 13-115)<br />
LCDR Arthur J. Misner, USNR (Ret) (CA, 11-133)<br />
LT Joseph G. Moretti, CEC, USNR (Ret) (FL, 6-60)<br />
LCDR Roland L. Morin, USNR (Ret) (FL, 6-119)<br />
CAPT Thomas R. Nunan, CHC, USNR (Ret) (MS, 6-118)<br />
CAPT Henry J. O’Brien, USNR (Ret) (NY, 3-4)<br />
CAPT Donald V. Osborne, USNR (Ret) (KS, 9-30)<br />
LCDR Catherine E. Ransbottom, NC, USNR (Ret) (VA, 5-11)<br />
LT Edward W. Renfree, USNR (Ret) (NJ, 3-186)<br />
CDR Richard A. Rhodes II, USNR (Ret) (FL, 6-221)<br />
LCDR J. Permar Richards, Jr., USNR (Ret) (PA, 4-9)<br />
LCDR Eugene I. Robinson, USNR (Ret) (CA, 12-44)<br />
CAPT Norman C. Roettger, Jr., SC, USNR (Ret) (FL, 6-60)<br />
LCDR John J Scanlon, CHC, USNR (Ret) (NY, 3-206)<br />
RADM J. Nevin Shaffer, USN (Ret) (FL, 6-119)<br />
CAPT Albert L. Solgaard, MC, USNR (Ret) (CA, 12-48)<br />
LT Howard B. Stocking, CEC, USNR (Ret) (CA, 11-40)<br />
LT Robert P. Stokes, USNR (Ret) (CT, 3-183)<br />
CAPT Azariah G. Thompson, USNR (Ret) (NC, 6-136)<br />
LCDR John G. Tilghman, USNR (Ret) (KS, 9-63)<br />
CAPT William G. Toler, USNR (Ret) (OH, 4-5)<br />
LT Joseph E Walker, MC, USNR (Ret) (NC, 6-136)<br />
CAPT James F. White, USNR (Ret) (MO, 9-25)<br />
CDR Kenneth P. Wood, USNR (Ret) (IL, 9-126)<br />
CAPT James J. Zelko, MC, USNR (Ret) (CA, 12-44)<br />
Legislative Update - Cont’d. from page 7<br />
TRICARE Web site at . To apply<br />
for reimbursement for medical services<br />
covered under this temporary TRICARE<br />
benefit, RC members and/or family<br />
members must submit a TRICARE<br />
(CHAMPUS) claims form (DD Form<br />
2642); a copy of their itemized bill; an<br />
explanation of benefits from other health<br />
insurance (if applicable) for services<br />
received; and proof of payment (if the<br />
bill was already paid) to their regional<br />
TRICARE claims processor. To identify<br />
their TRICARE medical claims processor,<br />
beneficiaries may go to the TRICARE<br />
Web site at and<br />
click on their state in the regional map<br />
on the home page. A downloadable<br />
TRICARE claims form and information<br />
on claims processing are available on the<br />
TRICARE Web site at .<br />
Additional information on the “early”<br />
TRICARE benefit, under Section 703, for<br />
members of the RC and their families,<br />
including a fact sheet with Service personnel<br />
contact information, is available on the<br />
TRICARE Web site at and on the <strong>Reserve</strong><br />
Component Web site at
36 Reservists in Action<br />
<strong>Naval</strong> <strong>Reserve</strong> Air Systems Program Changes Command;<br />
RDMU Mark Hazara Retired after 36 years of service<br />
By LT Mike Randazzo, USNR, Air Systems Public Affairs<br />
NAVAL AIR STATION PATUXENT<br />
RIVER, MD. — During a ceremony<br />
that is a time-honored Navy tradition,<br />
RDMU Mark M. Hazara, USNR, passed<br />
command of the <strong>Naval</strong> <strong>Reserve</strong> Air Systems<br />
Program to RDML Richard J. Wallace,<br />
USNR, on Saturday, 26 June 2004.<br />
The event was held in the Rear Admiral<br />
William A. Moffett Building Atrium on base.<br />
In addition to the change-of-command,<br />
RDMU Hazara also retired from the <strong>Naval</strong><br />
<strong>Reserve</strong> after 36 years of honorable service.<br />
RDMU Hazara joined the <strong>Naval</strong> <strong>Reserve</strong> in<br />
March of 1968, while a student at Gettysburg<br />
College; Gettysburg, PA. Upon graduation,<br />
he received his commission in 1969 and<br />
went to flight training school in Pensacola,<br />
FL.<br />
He transferred to the <strong>Naval</strong> <strong>Reserve</strong> in<br />
1970 as an Aerospace Engineering Duty<br />
Officer at <strong>Naval</strong> Air Station Joint <strong>Reserve</strong><br />
Base (NASJRB) in Willow Grove, PA. While<br />
assigned to Willow Grove, he held a number<br />
of increasingly responsible and challenging<br />
positions including: maintenance officer<br />
for aircraft intermediate maintenance;<br />
maintenance officer, Fleet Logistics Support Squadron VR-52; maintenance,<br />
material control, and assistant maintenance officer, <strong>Naval</strong> Air<br />
Systems Command (NAVAIRSYSCOM) 0193; executive officer,<br />
NAVAIRSYSCOM 0993; and maintenance officer, Patrol Squadron<br />
Sixty-Four.<br />
RDMU Hazara’s command tours include: commanding officer<br />
NAVAIRSYSCOM 0993, NAS JRB Willow Grove; commanding<br />
officer <strong>Naval</strong> Air Warfare Center, Aircraft Division 0193, Warminster, PA.;<br />
and commanding officer NAVAIRSYSCOM 0466, NAS Patuxent River.<br />
He was selected for Flag rank in February 1999. In June 2000, he<br />
assumed the duties of Director, <strong>Naval</strong> <strong>Reserve</strong> Air Systems Program.<br />
RDMU Hazara is a native of Hazleton, PA. He earned his masters degree<br />
in Science Education and Educational Administration from Temple<br />
University. He recently retired from the Wilson School District; West<br />
Lawn, PA, where he was the Director of Secondary Education. He was<br />
also an Associate Professor in the Graduate Educational Leadership<br />
Program at Cabrini College; Radnor, PA.<br />
He and his wife Diane have two children, Kent, a student at<br />
Millersville University, and a daughter, Nicole, a pharmacist. Nicole<br />
sang a heartwarming rendition of the National Anthem at the ceremony’s<br />
opening.<br />
As he reflected on nearly four decades of wearing the cloth of this<br />
nation, RDMU Hazara emphasized the importance of fulfilling the<br />
ASP’s responsibility to the Fleet and providing measurable support for<br />
the program’s NAVAIR customers. Also, he paid tribute to his “extended<br />
Navy family” whom he has come to know over his four-year tenure.<br />
RDMU Mark M. Hazara, USNR, receives the<br />
Legion of Merit award at his change of command<br />
and retirement ceremony. He passed command of<br />
the <strong>Naval</strong> <strong>Reserve</strong> Air Systems Program to RDML<br />
Richard J. Wallace, USNR, and retired after 36<br />
years of honorable service in the <strong>Naval</strong> <strong>Reserve</strong>.<br />
“There is no more satisfying experience<br />
than having been part of the Air Systems<br />
Program family. I can’t begin to tell you how<br />
much being your Program Director has<br />
meant to me,” RDMU Hazara told the<br />
crowd of about 300. “You have managed<br />
your commitment to your families, your jobs,<br />
and your country superbly. I know that you<br />
will continue to do well into the future.”<br />
VADM Walter B. Massenburg,<br />
Commander, <strong>Naval</strong> Air Systems Command,<br />
was the guest speaker. In his remarks, VADM<br />
Massenburg said, “The Air Systems Program<br />
has played an important role in supporting<br />
<strong>Naval</strong> Aviation by living out the NAVAIR<br />
vision and goals and typifies the experience,<br />
innovative thinking, and ‘can do’ spirit that<br />
our leadership wants us to have.”<br />
“Under Admiral Hazara’s leadership, the<br />
Air Systems Program has aligned itself with<br />
its customers, and is on call every day, doing<br />
only the work that is directly requested by<br />
its customers and working to find ways to<br />
support cost-wise readiness and dominant<br />
maritime combat power.”<br />
VADM Massenburg also presented RDMU<br />
Hazara with the Legion of Merit medal, which recognized his leadership<br />
role in providing customer-focused and customer-driven metrics and<br />
garnering a 78 percent return on investment per year, on average, during<br />
his tour. The Navy has repeatedly recognized RDMU Hazara for his<br />
exemplary service, giving him three Navy Commendation Medals and<br />
the National Defense and Armed Forces <strong>Reserve</strong> Medals. He is also<br />
authorized to wear the Navy “E” and the Navy and Marine Corps<br />
Overseas Service Ribbon.<br />
RDML Wallace is a native of Dayton, OH, and spent most of his youth<br />
in Rockville, MD. He attended Hamilton College in Clinton, NY, and<br />
was commissioned after graduating from Aviation Officers Candidate<br />
School in Pensacola, FL, in 1976. He earned his Wings of Gold on April<br />
8, 1977, at Kingsville, TX, and was assigned to VA-174, the A-7E fleet<br />
training squadron. Upon completion of his training, he was assigned to<br />
Attack Squadron 86 (VA-86) and deployed aboard the USS Nimitz<br />
(CVN 68) for Mediterranean and Indian Ocean cruises. He augmented<br />
to the regular Navy in 1979.<br />
Following his tour with VA-86, he attended the <strong>Naval</strong> Postgraduate<br />
School, Monterey, CA, earning a Master of Science and Professional<br />
Engineer degrees in Aeronautical Engineering, with a specialty in<br />
avionics. After completing his degree in 1983, he joined Fleet<br />
Composite Squadron 8 as a fleet “adversary” pilot flying the A-4<br />
Skyhawk at Roosevelt Roads, Puerto Rico. He accrued approximately<br />
1,000 hours in the Skyhawk. Over his career, he accumulated more than<br />
3,600 flight hours in a variety of aircraft and has more than 300 carrierarrested<br />
landings.<br />
NRA NEWS/SEPTEMBER 2004
37<br />
RDML Wallace left active duty in 1985, and received a <strong>Reserve</strong><br />
commission. He was assigned to the NAVAIRSYSCOM <strong>Naval</strong> Air<br />
Logistics Unit 0166 in 1986. He served as Executive Officer with<br />
NAVAIRSYSCOM 0366 followed by three commanding officer tours at<br />
0166 in 1998, NAVAIRSYSCOM 0566 in 2000, and NAVAIRSYSCOM<br />
0266 in 2002. He was selected for Flag rank in February 2003.<br />
RDML Wallace received a PhD in Aerospace Engineering from the<br />
Virginia Polytechnic Institute in 1991. In civilian life, Dr. Wallace served<br />
as Assistant Deputy Undersecretary of Defense for Full Spectrum<br />
Dominance and is presently Chief Scientist for the Space and <strong>Naval</strong><br />
Warfare Systems Center, Charleston, SC. He and his wife Vicci have a<br />
son Matthew, who attends the University of Southern Florida. The<br />
Wallaces reside in St. Petersburg, FL.<br />
In his remarks, Wallace thanked his family for their unfailing support.<br />
He also conveyed that he, like his predecessor, is committed to<br />
NAVAIR’s fleet-driven metric of “Aircraft Ready for Tasking at Reduced<br />
Cost” and making NAVAIR even more innovative with a mission-critical<br />
focus.<br />
“We have the rare opportunity to start with a new canvas and paint our<br />
own picture of what the Navy <strong>Reserve</strong> Air Systems Program should look<br />
like in the future by seeking out ways to align better the ASP with the<br />
Active Component, reducing the cost of doing business, and delivering<br />
value-added products and services to NAVAIR customers and our<br />
warfighters,” Wallace said. The Air Systems Program provides<br />
qualified and diverse civilian and military experience in operational<br />
support of NAVAIR research and development, engineering, program<br />
management, logistics, and industrial capability activities. The 650 Navy<br />
<strong>Reserve</strong> officers and enlisted men and women of the ASP train constantly<br />
to respond to evolving NAVAIR missions enabling the organization to<br />
harvest tangible cost reductions for Fleet recapitalization. The ASP is<br />
comprised of 32 units located in 14 states.<br />
Junior Officer Country<br />
Cont’d. from page 26<br />
Unless we undertake practices that ensure accountability and<br />
unless we, as leaders, address issues of accountability, others will<br />
shape them for us. After all, the future of our organization may<br />
depend on how we provide leadership that demands accountability.<br />
Personal, as well as organizational, credibility and the pride of<br />
achievement are only feasible through accountability.<br />
In conclusion, creating a culture that thrives on accountability<br />
can be a momentous undertaking; and it takes a genuine commitment<br />
from leaders at the top of the organization to set the tone and to<br />
support its managers in order to make it work. As a Department<br />
Head, I fully understand that I am accountable for the results of my<br />
Department. I also hold all of my personnel accountable 100<br />
percent of the time. After all, when you have an entire organization<br />
committed to creating a culture of accountability in ways that are<br />
truly invigorating and growth oriented for your personnel, you will<br />
find improved success in achieving your business outcomes.<br />
LT Charlene Inouye, Ph.D., currently is the Administrative<br />
Services Officer, <strong>Naval</strong> School of Health Sciences in San Diego,<br />
CA. She is also a distinguished professor and teaches graduate<br />
courses on organizational leadership and health care administration<br />
at three universities.<br />
Linked to 68 Worldwide<br />
Transition Site<br />
Denver Navy <strong>Reserve</strong> Web Site to<br />
Assist <strong>Naval</strong> Officers Relocating to<br />
Mile High Area<br />
By Frank Evans<br />
Rear Admiral Richard Young, USNR (Ret.), President of<br />
The Rocky Mountain Chapter of the <strong>Naval</strong> <strong>Reserve</strong><br />
<strong>Association</strong>, announced today that the unit’s Web site is<br />
reaching out to help fellow <strong>Naval</strong> officers worldwide who<br />
might be considering settling in Denver following release from<br />
active duty.<br />
“The RMCNRA organization’s Web site has established a link in the Officer Transition Assistance<br />
section of the ‘Stay Navy’ Web site,” he said. “What this means<br />
is that all 68 of the Navy Personnel transition sites located around<br />
the world are now linked to our Web site. Now, any Navy active<br />
duty personal leaving active duty and thinking about coming<br />
to Denver can link to our site and electronically contact us<br />
concerning employment networking resources, relocation<br />
assistance, and other valuable information on the numerous<br />
opportunities available in the Mile High City.<br />
“The quality of talent among our 90 members is outstanding,”<br />
he said.<br />
“In civilian life, the majority of our <strong>Naval</strong> <strong>Reserve</strong> <strong>Association</strong><br />
Officers fill many professional positions. These include such<br />
posts as lawyers, financial advisors, teachers, and administrative<br />
heads. Many of our officers have been part of the community for<br />
20-30 years. All of us are excited about this opportunity and are<br />
standing by to help.”<br />
Rear Admiral Young said that most of the members filled out<br />
chapter questionnaires some time ago. “Our purpose, as<br />
explained then, was that if an officer transitioning from active<br />
duty wants to get more specific information on a certain job field,<br />
he or she can e-mail several officers who may have more detailed<br />
information and can directly respond to that person.”<br />
The <strong>Naval</strong> <strong>Reserve</strong> <strong>Association</strong> nationwide has 22,000<br />
members and is the voice for <strong>Naval</strong> <strong>Reserve</strong> Officers, with its<br />
primary purpose aimed at professional development and support<br />
of the U.S. Navy. The Denver NRA chapter has 100 members.<br />
He added, “It was George Washington who said, ‘The<br />
willingness with which our young people are likely to serve in<br />
any war, no matter how justified, shall be directly proportional<br />
as to how they perceive the veterans of earlier wars are treated<br />
and appreciated by their nation.’”<br />
“We’ll see how it goes, but I know we can be of real help<br />
to those who are leaving active duty and want to settle in<br />
Denver.”<br />
NRA NEWS/SEPTEMBER 2004
38<br />
Reservists in Action <br />
The first 32 <strong>Reserve</strong><br />
officers graduated<br />
from the Advanced<br />
Joint Professional Military<br />
Education (AJPME) program<br />
conducted by the Joint<br />
Forces Staff College on 21<br />
May 2004.<br />
The Goldwater-Nichols<br />
Act of 1986 reorganized<br />
the Department of Defense<br />
to create an organization<br />
that was more focused on<br />
joint matters. One of the<br />
results of the Act was to<br />
create and mandate joint<br />
professional military<br />
education for Active<br />
Component officers. While<br />
DoD had fully complied<br />
with the requirements for<br />
the active component, the<br />
Act of 1986 did not address<br />
<strong>Reserve</strong> Component (RC)<br />
officers. To rectify this<br />
shortfall, Title 10 USC,<br />
Chapter 38, Section 666<br />
Thirty-Two <strong>Reserve</strong> Officers Graduated<br />
directed a parallel effort for RC officers, stating, “The Secretary of<br />
Defense shall establish personnel policies emphasizing education and<br />
experience in joint matters for <strong>Reserve</strong> officers not on the<br />
active-duty list. Such policies shall, to the extent practicable for<br />
<strong>Reserve</strong> Component, be similar to the policies [for the AC].”<br />
In the FY 1999 National Defense Authorization Act, Congress<br />
included the following language and tasked the DoD, stating, “In<br />
order to prepare <strong>Reserve</strong> Component (RC) field grade officers<br />
for joint duty assignments, the committee directs that a course similar<br />
in content to but not identical to the in-residence Joint Forces<br />
Staff College course for field grade Active Component officers be<br />
developed as soon as possible, as well as distance learning, to present<br />
the best combination of academic rigor, cohort development, and<br />
cross-service acculturation.” And, Congress further added, “Periods<br />
of in-residence training, as well as distance learning, present the<br />
best combination to achieve the above stated goals of academic<br />
rigor, cohort development, and cross-service acculturation.”<br />
The legislation described above outlined the process and<br />
procedures for delivering joint education to RC members, but still it<br />
did not address concurrent statutory guidelines for <strong>Reserve</strong> Joint<br />
Officer Management. To address this shortfall, the office of the<br />
Assistant Secretary of Defense for <strong>Reserve</strong> Affairs (ASD/RA) drafted<br />
a DoD Instruction (DoDI 1215.20) to provide such guidelines.<br />
Finally, in the FY 2002 Defense Authorization Act, Congress<br />
authorized funds to begin development of the full Advanced Joint<br />
Professional Military Education (AJPME) Course. This course<br />
was designed to meet the intent of both the Goldwater-<br />
By CDR J. Miguel Santos, NRA Life Member<br />
Nichols Act and the FY 99<br />
Defense Authorization Act<br />
and related Congressional<br />
requirements.<br />
The JFSC was tasked<br />
to develop a JFSC-like<br />
AJPME program on<br />
“joint matters” for <strong>Reserve</strong><br />
Component field-grade<br />
officers who will serve as<br />
augmentees to Joint Task<br />
Force (JTF) and Crisis<br />
Action Team (CAT) staffs.<br />
The program was tasked<br />
with ensuring that these<br />
officers arrive at combatant<br />
commanders’ headquarters<br />
fully prepared with the<br />
required joint staff officer<br />
skills.<br />
Like its in-residence<br />
counterparts, the AJPME<br />
Curriculum is designed to<br />
provide the students with<br />
an opportunity to experience<br />
all of the plans and<br />
operational challenges that<br />
a Joint Specialty Officer should anticipate over a three-year joint<br />
duty assignment – from Joint Staff to a Joint Task Force and<br />
Service Component Staff. Lessons progress through the deliberate<br />
planning cycle, punctuated with numerous crisis action planning<br />
opportunities. Students’ skills are developed working as part of a<br />
fictitious U.S. Africa Command joint.<br />
The 34-week program consists of approximately 80-to-120<br />
hours of advanced distributed learning (ADL) and 130 hours of<br />
face-to-face time presented in four blocks. The curriculum is<br />
characterized by a progression from higher-order cognitive<br />
activities to affective exercises that encourage attitudinal<br />
shifts. The cognitive learning activities focus on recall and<br />
mastery of information, application of concepts and principles,<br />
problem solving, discovery, and building on existing military<br />
experiences. The affective learning activities will foster<br />
recognition and integration of new attitudes and values that<br />
promote joint acculturation.<br />
Delivery of the first course began in September 2003. Thirtytwo<br />
students from USA, USAF, USMC, USN, Army and Air<br />
National Guard were either appointed or board selected by their<br />
respective services to attend the course. After 34 weeks of<br />
advanced distance learning sections, combined with the requirement<br />
for two face-to-face periods at JFSC, totaling 25 days, two joint<br />
information papers, and one joint research paper, and a multitude<br />
of joint war-gaming exercises, thirty-two (32) <strong>Reserve</strong> officers<br />
are now ready to serve the JOINT requirements of today’s United<br />
States and allied defense needs.<br />
USNR members from the 32 attendees of the first Joint Forces Staff<br />
College Advanced Joint Professional Military Education (AJPME) class –<br />
Class of 2004. First row (L to R) CDR Lou Anne DeMattei, CAPT Donna<br />
Hopkins, CAPT Timothy Moon, CDR J. Miguel Santos, CDR John Wrenn<br />
(Instructor), LCDR Steve J. Simon, CDR D. Steve Brown, CDR John<br />
Steckel. Back row (L to R) LCDR Steve Swift, LCDR Robert A. Green,<br />
CDR Chuck Gbur, CDR Roland Powers, LCDR Joey Dodgen, CDR J. T.<br />
Sebastyn.<br />
NRA NEWS/SEPTEMBER 2004
Want to Know More<br />
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Want to Know More<br />
Call today for details.<br />
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You will succeed.<br />
You believe success comes from testing yourself and meeting challenges<br />
head on. When you join the <strong>Naval</strong> <strong>Reserve</strong>, your part-time service will result<br />
in many character building opportunities. You will also experience benefits<br />
and rewards that will help advance your career and enhance your life. To<br />
learn more, go to our website or give us a call.<br />
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1-800-USA-USNR<br />
To learn more about the <strong>Naval</strong> Reservist depicted here, go to navalreserve.com/eric
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