Guest Column

For those desiring to pursue a career in the U.S. Navy, the days of being “in” or “out” are long gone. You can be
“in” the Navy while serving in the Active Component (AC) or in the Reserve Component (RC). Take for example Julie, who is a hardcharging surface warfare officer who completed two successful sea tours and a shore tour as a junior officer. After her division officer tours, she is selected for the Career Intermission Pilot program, and transitions into the Individual Ready Reserve (IRR) for three years, during which time she has a baby and works part-time for a consulting firm. She returns to active duty and flourishes in her department head tours. At her next decision point, Julie separates from active duty and affiliates with the Navy Reserve. One year later, she returns to active duty for an Individual Augmentation as part of an overseas Provincial Reconstruction Team. For her career, she switches several times between active and reserve duty, fulfilling her passion for service to her country while also raising a family and pursuing other interests. She is thrilled to have “the best of both worlds.”

This type of career is not quite possible – yet. But it is the kind of career we envision for officers and enlisted who transition from active duty in the future. It is also the kind of career – full of flexible service options – that appeals to those members of our Total Force team who are part of the Millennial Generation – a group that we must attract, recruit, develop, and retain for our future.

Our nation relies on the dedication and hard work of the Total Force – active and reserve Sailors and Navy civilians, working together to meet mission requirements. Reserve Sailors have played an indispensable role supporting Individual Augmentations (IAs) for Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) over the past few years. Since 9/11, Navy Reservists have completed over 54,000 Individual Augmentee deployments compared to just over 20,000 for the active force. They will continue to fill vital roles in places such as Iraq, Afghanistan, the Philippines, the Horn of Africa, as well as other locations around the world.

Chief of Navy Reserve Vice Admiral Dirk J. Debbink and I are working to strengthen and enhance the Navy’s Total Force by fostering a “continuum of service.” Our goal is to provide opportunities for Sailors to transition seamlessly between active and reserve service throughout their careers. For this concept to reach fruition, we must identify and eliminate legislative, financial, management, and policy barriers impeding a quick and efficient transition between components. One of our key initiatives is implementing a process to transition Sailors between the AC and the RC in either direction within 72 hours.We desire to develop management practices that will allow us to capitalize on the spirit of volunteerism and also enable us to retain the right mix of Sailors to meet changing workforce demands. To do this, we are looking for ways, including the use of technology, to reduce the administrative impediments, making it possible to attain our goals. Ultimately, we will conduct all manpower transactions electronically with records shared through a common data system.

It is imperative that we get the requirements right. The recent Reserve Component transition to a community managementbased promotion policy for officers (both SELRES and FTS) is a step in the right direction. The decoupling of RC officer promotion zones from the AC officer promotion zones from the old Running Mate System (RMS) will lead to improved Reserve community health, and stability and predictability in promotions. Under this new policy, the number of officers selected for promotion will be closely related to the requirements determined through community management analysis and consideration of end strength, accessions, as well as historical loss rates—factors not considered using the RMS. When SELRES officer inventory is more closely aligned with Officer Programmed Authorizations (OPA), there is greater potential for actively drilling officers to be selected for Apply Board billets.

It is crucial that we turn this new paradigm into, a reality. I applaud the Reserve Forces vital contribution to our Individual Augmentation mission and look forward to what we will accomplish in the future. Navy Expeditionary Combat Command (NECC) is leading the way, with reserve forces outnumbering active duty forces in their First Naval Construction Division, Maritime Expeditionary Security Force, and Navy Expeditionary Logistics Support Group. We must ensure the absolute best use of our greatest asset, our people. That means we need to make it easy, and appealing, for our best and brightest Sailors and their families to shift to a mindset of a lifetime of service in the Navy via a series of off-ramps and on-ramps. Ultimately, our goal is to provide the Fleet with the right person, with the right skill sets, at the right time, and at the best value to accomplish the mission.