U.S. Army reServe

BeSt WArrior“GAme mASterS”

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COVER STORY: Sgt. 1st Class Aaron Butler, left, and Sgt. 1st Class Casey Martin, are the 2016 U.S. Army Reserve Best Warrior noncommissioned officers in charge of the competition being held at Fort Bragg, N.C., May 2-6. Butler, the 2009 U.S. Army Reserve Best Warrior NCO winner, and Martin, an 11-year drill sergeant, bring their previous experiences to make this year’s event the most challenging in the nine-year history of the competition. (Photo by Timothy L. Hale/U.S. Army Reserve Command)

The Way I See It ............................................................ PAGE 3COVER STORY: U.S. Army Reserve Best Warrior Preview ............... PAGE 4LEADING OFF:

Celebrating 108 Years ............................................... PAGE 10U.S. Army Reserve Senior Leader Conference ..... PAGE 16DEPARTMENTS:

Military Reserve Exchange Program ........................ PAGE 24Camp Parks NCOA named TRADOC CofE ................ PAGE 26Safety .............................................................................. PAGE 28Chaplain’s Corner ......................................................... PAGE 30Family Programs ........................................................... PAGE 31Around the Headquarters ............................................ PAGE 32Across the Army............................................................ PAGE 34

INSIDE:

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Readiness is the Key to SuccessIt has been a busy month at the U.S. Army Reserve Command headquarters at Fort Bragg, N.C. Final preparations have been underway for the U.S. Army Reserve Best Warrior Competition which starts May 1st, U.S. Army Reserve 108th birthday celebration events took place, and our senior leaders from across the globe gathered for the U.S. Army Reserve Senior Leader Conference.

If there is one overarching theme from the past few weeks that you didn’t know before, you should now.

The readiness of our U.S. Army Reserve Soldiers is the key to not only our success but the success of our Total Army. This message was echoed by Gen. Mark A. Milley, the Chief of Staff of the Army, Sgt. Maj. of the Army Daniel A. Dailey, and Acting Secretary of the Army, the Hon. Patrick J. Murphy during the conference.

This issue highlights readiness in all of it’s manifestations - for both individual Soldiers and our units in the field - at home and overseas.

These are complex times in the world right now. The ongoing counter-terrorism fight, defense of the homeland, and potential aggression from a number of international nations to include Russia, China, North Korea, and Iran, the readiness of our men and women in the U.S. Army Reserve should be at the forefront of everything that we do.

In his address to U.S. Army Reserve senior leaders, Milley said, “You can only deter your opponent if you’re opponent believes that you have the will and the capability,” he said. “So readiness has a deterrent value as well as a war-fighting value.”

Everyday, our Soldiers depend on us. It doesn’t matter what command, headquarters, directorate, or section we work in, they are depending on us to give them the financial resources and capabilities to deter any potential threats while maintaining our ongoing counter-terrorism efforts.

Yes, they are jobs but we shouldn’t think of them as jobs. Our Soldiers have raised their right hands to defend the Constitution of the United States with their selfless service. Many of them have paid the ultimate price.

Don’t we, at this headquarters, owe it to them to provide our own selfless service to ensure they have the means and the tools to continue the fight, deter any future aggression, and, if needed, meet the next enemy on the field of battle?

They give their very best every time they put on the cloth of our nation and we should give our very best for them.

Timothy L. Hale, a U.S. Air Force veteran, is an award-winning photojournalist and editor of the USARC Double Eagle. He is member of a number of professional organizations to include: Nikon Professional Services, National Press Photog-rapher’s Association, and the North Carolina Press Photographer’s Association. The views expressed in this column are expressly his own and do not necessarily reflect those of the U.S. Army Reserve Command, the Department of the Army, and/or the Department of Defense.

Links to external websites do not constitute any endorsements by the U.S. Army Reserve Command, the Depart-ment of the Army, and/or the Department of Defense.

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The Way I See IT

Timothy L. HaleEditor

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The

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May 2016 Vol. 5, No. 2

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ARMY RESERVE COMMAND TEAM Lt. Gen. Jeffrey W. Talley

Chief of U.S. Army Reserve,Commanding General USARC

Maj. Gen. Megan P. TatuChief of Staff, U.S. Army Reserve

Chief Warrant Officer 5 Russell P. Smith Command Chief Warrant Officer

of the U.S. Army ReserveCommand Sgt. Maj. James P. Wills

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of, or endorsed by, the U.S. Government, Department of the Army, or U.S. Army

Reserve Command. The editorial content of this publication is the responsibility of the

USARC Public Affairs Office, Fort Bragg, N.C.

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Cover Story

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Butler & Martin: U.S. Army Reserve Best Warrior “Game Masters”FORT BRAGG, N.C. – Sgt. 1st Class Aaron Butler, and Sgt. 1st Class Casey Martin could be considered the “game masters” for the 2016 U.S. Army Reserve Best Warrior Competition.

Much like the characters from the popular “Hunger Games” books and movies franchise, Butler and Martin are leading a team of training cadre devising and preparing a series of events and challenges for the approximately 40 U.S. Army Reserve noncommissioned officers and Soldiers who will come to Fort Bragg, May 2-8, for the ninth-annual U.S. Army Reserve event.

But unlike tributes that battle against each other to the death for the delight of spectators on giant video screens, the U.S. Army Reserve Best Warrior Competition is a solitary event unseen by most except the watchful eye of evaluators and training cadre.

Story begins on Page 6Story & photos by TIMOTHY L. HALE | U.S. Army Reserve Command

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Staff Sgt. Andrew Fink, representing the 807th Medical Command (Deployment Support), completes an obstacle at the “Little Nasty Nick” obstacle course at the 2015 U.S. Army Reserve Best Warrior Competition at Fort Bragg, N.C., May 6. Fink won the noncommis-sioned Officer of the Year title and moved on to win the NCO of the Year title at the Department of the Army Best Warrior competition later that year at Fort A.P. Hill, Va.

The U.S. Army Reserve Best Warrior Competition pits Soldiers and NCOs competing against Army standards in

technical and tactical proficiency as well as overall Army knowledge.

Those who can overcome challenges and obstacles by thinking on their feet and paying attention to the smallest details will have the odds in their favor to survive and maybe, just be named, the “Best in the Army Reserve.”

The top Soldier and NCO from the competition will represent the U.S. Army Reserve at the Department of the Army Best Warrior Competition later this year at Fort A.P. Hill, Virginia.

“The U.S. Army Reserve Best Warrior Compe-tition sits at the heart of everything that a Warrior and a defender of our country is all about,” said Sgt. Maj. Blaine Huston, the USARC G-3/5/7 sergeant major. “It gives them opportunity to hone their skills, sharpen themselves as Warriors, and to come out

and demonstrate their proficiency and expertise. It’s the Super Bowl of Soldiers for a chance at the title of Best Warrior.”

Huston believes there is an expectation of what a Soldier should be in the eyes of the American public.

“When you say the word ‘Soldier’ to someone sitting in an airport or in a diner across this great nation, somebody has a picture in their mind of what a Soldier should be. All these visions come into their minds and I believe, if they were able to tune like an episode of the “Hunger Games,” and they could watch from their homes, they would see precisely what they envision of a Soldier, or a Warrior of this nation, by watching the U.S. Army Reserve Best Warrior Competition.”

Experienced Cadre’Butler is no stranger to Best Warrior competitions. As the 2009 U.S. Army Reserve NCO of the Year, Butler knows what it takes to compete and win. Since competing at the Army-level event, Butler has been a sponsor and has organized Best Warrior

Reaching for the Best

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competitions for his brigade and the Army Reserve Medical Command in 2014 and 2015. Butler, from Three Forks, Montana, is assigned to the 4225th U.S. Army Hospital in Helena, Montana as a medical logistics specialist.

Martin, a forward observer, has been a drill sergeant for 11 years and has dovetailed his experiences working with basic trainees and serving as a Best Warrior cadre two years ago at Fort Dix, N.J. into this year’s competition. Martin, from Mount Airy, N.C., is assigned to Delta Company, 1st Battalion, 320th Infantry Regiment, 98th Training Division, 108th Training Command.

“Butler and Martin are two fantastic senior noncommissioned officers that are absolutely in charge,” Huston said.

“They received our commanding general’s and command sergeant major’s intent and once they had that, they gave us an absolute ‘thumbs up’ and they took charge. They are gelling. They are seamless and one-in-the-same. They understand the big picture of producing the best candidates to go forward and

represent the U.S. Army Reserve at the Department of the Army Best Warrior Competition,” Huston said. “At the end of the day, they are the two master-minds, the game masters. This is going to be a professionally-run event.”

But it is not just a two-man show. Butler and Martin have the support of hundreds of experts from across the U.S. Army Reserve and active duty units at Fort Bragg and Huston had high praise for those who are supporting this year’s competition.

“We have so many down trace commands that play a role in planning considerations,” Butler said.

“We have to tailor our events for a much larger competitor field. As far as execution goes, we have large support coming from Army Reserve Soldiers from throughout our commands who are here as part of their own annual training. Plus we have support from our active duty brothers and sisters in the XVIIIth Airborne Corps, 82nd Airborne Division, and the NCO Academy here on Fort Bragg. Our active duty partners are providing range NCOICs and safeties since they are more familiar with the ranges here.”

A U.S. Army Reserve drill sergeant from 2nd Battalion, 397th Regiment, 95th Training Division, watches a competitor complete an obstacle at the “Little Nasty Nick” obstacle course at the 2015 U.S. Army Reserve Best Warrior Competition at Fort Bragg, N.C., May 6. The drill sergeants will once again play an integral role in this year’s competition.

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See BEST WARRIOR Pg. 8

As a drill sergeant, Martin said the experience they bring to a competition of this size is unmatched.

“Drill sergeants primarily work as part of the U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command so they understand standardized training and evaluations,” Martin said. “An event like the U.S. Army Reserve Best Warrior is pretty much the same as running Basic Combat Training or Advanced Individualized Training standards. It’s all standard, collective training and evaluation without

impartiality. The lane events in our competition will be run and evaluated in a similar fashion as current TRADOC programs of instruction.”

Butler said there will be 36 drill sergeants on the field at the competition. Each one was personally interviewed to determine their individual strengths in order to “ensure we put our best foot forward as a cadre’.”

From U.S. Army Reserve drill sergeants to transportation and medical, administration support, and each directorate within the command headquarters, Huston

said that Butler and Martin have the best support staff to plan and manage the competition.

“Everyone of those organizations has a hand in the support of this competition,” Huston said.

No Time to RestButler said this year’s competition has a very aggressive training schedule packed into a compressed, three-day window.

“We’re going to be moving the Warriors from one event, to the next, and to the next with very little downtime in between,” Butler said. “Cadre teams will be leap frogging to each event with a lot of coordination and logistics in between.”

He said competitors will arrive on May 1 and 2 for in-processing and other administrative duties. The actual competition phase runs from May 3-5, with the winners announced at an awards luncheon on May 6.

“This is our ninth year and it is going to be one of the most challenging events these Warriors have ever seen,” Huston said. “It is going to be physically demanding, mentally grueling, and they will be deprived of sleep to complete the competition in the short time we have them here.

“We will execute the competition to the standards and to do that we may take away a little bit of their time to rest, recoup, and recover. At the end of the day, that’s what it’s really all about - the Best Warrior

Army Reserve Sgt. 1st Class Jason Manella, a civil affairs specialist representing the U.S. Army Civil Affairs and Psychological Operations Command (Airborne) competes in the 10km ruck march event at the 2013 U.S. Army Reserve Best Warrior Competition at Fort McCoy, Wis., June 26. Manella went on to win the Department of the Army Best Warrior competition that year in the noncommissioned officer category. He was the first U.S. Army Reserve NCO to win at the Army-level competition.

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BEST WARRIOR

from Pg. 7

Competition - and Warriors find a way. They’re living the Warrior Ethos and the Soldier’s Creed and they continue to move out.

“There is not going to be time for pain, there is not going to be time to be tired, there is not going to be time to be hungry. There is just going to be time to go,” he said.

The overall Soldier and NCO winner and their alternates will have three weeks of training with selected U.S. Army Reserve drill sergeants at Fort Devens, Massachusetts in August. That training will be the final preparation for the Department of the Army Best Warrior Competition at Fort A.P. Hill.

A Legacy of SuccessIn 2007, the U.S. Army Reserve and the Army National Guard made their first appearance in the Army-level competition

at Fort Lee, Virginia, which was previously closed to reserve component Soldiers and NCOs.

In 2008, both the Army Reserve and National Guard shocked the active duty by sweeping the competition in both the Soldier and NCO categories – a feat that has not been duplicated since.

That year, then Spc. David Obray, a U.S. Army Reserve engineer, won the title of Soldier of the Year while, Staff Sgt. Michael Merino, a Montana guardsman, won the NCO of the Year title.

In the 14-year Army-level competition, the U.S. Army Reserve has had two more outright winners – Sgt. 1st Class Jason Manella in 2013, and the reigning NCO of the Year, Staff Sgt. Andrew Fink in 2015. There was one previous U.S. Army

Reserve winner at the Army-level competition.

Spc. John Emmett, the Soldier of the Year in 2006, was mobilized with the U.S. Army Europe so they claimed the win.

Let the Games BeginWhile the schedule will be tight and the events challenging, Butler wanted to remind this year’s Warriors of two things.

“Sleep while you can because you’re not going to get a lot of that here. And while you’re here and maybe struggling through an event, don’t forget that better Soldiers have done more and asked for less.”

The Warriors will have to reach deep down within themselves to find out — to borrow a line from the “Hunger Games” — if the odds are forever in their favor.

Spc. David Obray exits a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter during the 2008 Department of the Army Best Warrior Competition at Fort Lee, Va. Obray was named the Army Soldier of the Year winner that year.

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Soldiers and civilians assigned to the U.S. Army Reserve Command headquarters at Fort Bragg, N.C., form the number 1-0-8 in honor of the 108th anniversary of the of the U.S. Army Reserve, April 20. The U.S. Army Reserve was founded April 23, 1908, when Congress authorized the Army to establish a Medical Reserve Corps, the official predecessor of the U.S. Army Reserve. Over the years, U.S. Army Re-serve Soldiers have participated in every major military campaign to include; World War I, World War II, Korean War, Vietnam, Cold War, Desert Shield/Desert Storm and the Global War on Terrorism. Today, approximately 200,000 U.S. Army Reserve Soldiers serve around the globe. (Photo by Timothy L. Hale/U.S. Army Reserve Command)

Celebrating 108 YearsLeading off

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Celebrating 108 Years

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Celebrating 108 Years

Sgt. Maj. Harry Bennett, U.S. Army Reserve Command G-3/5/7 sergeant major; Hilda Griffin, Civilian Personnel Management Office, Maj. Gen. Megan P. Tatu, U.S. Army Reserve chief of staff; Sgt. 1st Class James Kodes, Secretary General Staff, and Nathan Galbreath, USARC G-4, cut the ceremonial birthday cake during the 108th birthday celebration of the U.S. Army Reserve, April 20. (Photo by Timo-thy L. Hale/U.S. Army Reserve Command)

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Celebrating 108 Years

Soldiers assigned to the U.S. Army Reserve Command headquarters at Fort Bragg, N.C., and their Families, continued their celebration of the U.S. Army Reserve 108th birthday with a staff run, April 22, 2016. Amanda Pagan-Lambert, daughter of Maj. Roxana Pagan-Lambert, a strategic planner with the U.S. Army Special Oper-ations Command-Army Reserve Engage-ment Cell, stretches during the morning workout. (Photos by Master Sgt. Mark Bell, top, and Sgt. Maj. Anthony J. Martinez, left, U.S. Army Reserve Command)

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Celebrating 108 Years

The U.S. Army Reserve concluded its 108th birthday celebration with a military ball, April 23, at the Iron Mike Conference Center at Fort Bragg, N.C. The ceremonial cake was cut by: (L-R) James Balocki, Director, Army Reserve Services and Infra-structure; Chief Warrant Officer 5 Russell Smith, Command Chief Warrant Officer of the Army Reserve; Gen. Robert Abrams, U.S. Army Forces Command command-ing general; Lt. Gen. Jeffrey W. Talley, Chief of Army Reserve and Commanding General of U.S. Army Reserve Command; Command Sgt. Maj. James Wills, Interim Command Sergeant Major of the Army Reserve; the Hon. Patrick J. Murphy, Act-ing Secretary of the Army; and Command Sgt. Maj. Scott Schroeder, U.S. Army Forces Command Command Sergeant Major. Murphy told the U.S. Army Reserve Soldiers, officers, and guests at the ball, the Army is “America’s varsity team” and needs to be ready at a moment’s notice. We’ve got to be ready to go. We’ve got be ready to go tonight. That’s why readiness is so important,” Murphy said. (Photos by Timothy L. Hale/U.S. Army Reserve Command)

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Celebrating 108 Years

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FORT BRAGG, N.C. – Gen. Mark A. Milley, the Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army said the readiness of the Total Army is his number one priority.

This message was at the forefront of his talk to leaders at the U.S. Army Reserve Command Senior Leader Conference, April 25, 2016 at the Iron Mike Conference Center.

Milley said America’s national strategy has to be able to deal with five challenges.

“You’ve heard the Secretary of Defense talk about them,” Milley said. “Russia, China, North Korea, Iran, and counter-terrorism. Of those five challenges, we have to be able to deal with two of the four named countries simultaneously, or near simultaneously, and one of them we have to defeat and the other we have to deny. At the same time, you have to maintain your current level of effort against the counter-terrorist fight and you have to

protect the homeland. That’s for the U.S. military, not just the Army.

“Our piece of that is pretty significant,” Milley continued. “In my heart of hearts, I think we’re in pretty good shape to defend the homeland. I think we’re in pretty good shape to fight terrorists. I think we have the capabilities and capacity – the size of forces – to do that.”

He said what concerns him is dealing with one or more of

Gen. Milley: “Readiness has a deterrent value”

Story & photos by TIMOTHY L. HALE U.S. Army Reserve Command

Gen. Mark A. Milley, Chief of Staff of the Army, addresses U.S. Army Reserve senior leaders at the Iron Mike Conference Center, April 25, 2016, Fort Bragg, N.C. With the readiness of the Total Army as his number one priority, Milley said, “It is our job to be ready, to provide options to the President of the United States.”

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the named countries. He said the skills and methods of engaging one or more of those countries are not the same as fighting counter-terrorism, adding, this is where military readiness is a key to success.

“You and I, as an Army, have to maintain the capability and the readiness. We have to sustain that which we have learned over 15 hard years of lessons learned,” he said. But added to that equation are the other state or international players.

Milley said after the fall of the Berlin Wall, Russia turned in on itself as the previous threats prevalent during the Cold War faded. Since 2005, however, he said their external behavior and foreign policy turned to becoming an aggressive power.

Starting with cyber attacks and then moving to outright armed invasions of the sovereign nations of Georgia in 2008, the illegal seizure of Crimea, and the use of covert and overt surrogates to seize the eastern portions of Ukraine, Milley said the United States and Europe had not seen that kind of behavior in decades.

“No one has seen aggressive foreign policy by any country in Europe for 70 years where armies, or surrogate armies, have crossed the borders of sovereign, independent countries,” he said. “That is a big deal. It’s got everybody’s attention now. Ten thousand years of recorded history tells us that aggression left unanswered leads to more aggression.”

Milley said the U.S. military has increased its presence in Europe to include 40-50 exercises

a year to deter any future incursions.

“You can only deter your opponent if your opponent believes that you have the will and the capability,” he said. “So readiness has a deterrent value as well as a war-fighting value.”

When it comes to China, Milley said they are the rising power of this century – economically and militarily. He added that history shows the two go hand-in-hand.

He said while history is “not deterministic, it is suggestive. In 18 case studies between rising powers and status quo powers, 15 ended up in armed conflict between the two powers. The other three have ended up in serious military tension.

“It is our job to be ready, to provide options to the President of the United States,” he said. “We know for certain that China

is a rapidly rising power and they have been for 30 years and it’s likely to continue. We know that for 30 years, we’ve seen a massive economic shift in money and resources,” noting that China continues to invest in modernizing their air force, navy, army, missile force, and cyber.

“They are getting better by the day,” he said. “We also see a significant shift in international behavior with a rapid militarization of the South China Sea.”

He said both Russia and China are also seeing a rise in nationalism – loyalty to their respective states – that also leads to a dominant military.

Moving to North Korea, Milley said they have the most heavily armed border in the world. Add to that, their frequent military provocations and rhetoric are causes for concern for the U.S. military.

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See MILLEY Pg. 18

He said if violence broke out on the Korean peninsula, the U.S. would need high levels of readiness to counter the threat.

“That’s the world around us,” Milley said. “But there are lots of other things. Ebola, crime and drug trade in northern Mexico, and lots of bad things happening in other parts of the world.

“But those are the mission profiles we’ve been given, as an Army,” he continued. “Our obligation to the nation is to be ready, prepared, trained, manned, and equipped, for all four of those named countries and the ability to protect our homeland and fight counter-terrorism.

“That’s the reason why priority one is readiness and the challenges in front of us are pretty significant,” Milley said. “And we haven’t seen this level of challenges

in a long, long time.”When speaking more

specifically about the capabilities of the U.S. Army Reserve and the Army National Guard, Milley said the two reserve components bring unique capabilities to the Total Force concept.

“It’s an incredible story, what you guys bring to the fight,” he said. “First of all, the U.S. Army, as an organization, can’t get off Jump Street without the Army Reserve. You guys have got it all. We can do short-term things with the regular Army. But you can’t do sustained, land combat without significant elements of the Army Reserve. It’s the way the system was designed. It has stood the test of time. It’s fundamental to the all-volunteer concept and it’s fiscally smart. So get out there and tell the Army Reserve story

and connect those dots for the (American) people.”

He said that no matter which component Soldiers serve – active Army, U.S. Army Reserve, or Army National Guard – it’s one Army.

“On a broader scale, I want to put reality on a ‘one Army’ concept,” he said. “It’s about the nation. It’s about why we fight wars and how we protect our country. At the end of the day, it is one singular Army that is mutually interdependent on each other for success.”

And to be successful, all signs point back to readiness.

“I need to raise your readiness,” Milley said. “I am going to consciously and willingly raise your readiness levels because they are tied directly to the rapid response to war-fights.”

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MILLEY

from Pg. 17

FORT BRAGG, N.C. – Sgt. Maj. of the Army Daniel A. Dailey told a gathering of U.S. Army Reserve senior leaders they must execute the Army’s core mission of fighting and winning. In order to do that, Dailey said leaders must maintain readiness, look to the future of the Army, and take care of Soldiers and their Families.

He shared his initiatives that echo the priorities of the U.S. Army Chief of Staff, Gen. Mark A. Milley, at the U.S. Army Reserve Senior Leader Conference, April 25, 2016, at the Iron Mike Conference Center.

“At the end of the day, if we fail to do anything else, if we fight and win, we have accomplished our mission for the taxpayers of the United States of America and have done our part for the joint force of the Department of Defense,” Dailey said.

Dailey said that readiness is the number one priority in the Army.

“Our number one Soldier problem across the Total Force is personal readiness,” he said. “I know we all have different MOSs (Military Occupational Specialties) and we all are in

different roles, but at the end of the day, the first and the last Soldier in the United States Army will be behind the trigger. And every Soldier has to get on the line and fight.”

Dailey said America hasn’t played a “home game” since World War II, when the Aleutian Islands in Alaska were invaded.

“We have no intention of playing a ‘home game’ so if you’re not on the ‘away bus’ you’re not on the team,” Dailey said. “We pay Soldiers to do one thing – fight and win.”

Dailey said leaders should

Story & photos by TIMOTHY L. HALE U.S. Army Reserve Command

SMA Dailey: “We MustFight and Win”

Sgt. Maj. of the Army Daniel A. Dailey, addresses U.S. Army Reserve senior leaders at the Iron Mike Conference Center, April 25, 2016, Fort Bragg, NC. “At the end of the day, if we fail to do anything else, if we fight and win, we have accomplished our mission for the taxpayers of the United States of America and have done our part for the joint force of the Department of Defense,” Dailey said.

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See DAILEY Pg. 20

do a better job of addressing the issue of Soldiers that are non-deployable.

“We’ve got to get our hands around this deployable problem,” he said. “What I ask you to do is write down the number of acceptable non-deployables in the United States Army and hand it to me. The goal should be that 100 percent of the Army is deployable. That is the only number you should be writing down.”

Dailey said the secretary of the Army recently signed a memo stating that Soldiers are either deployable or non-deployable and

leaders should not go to a unit if they are not fully able to deploy with that unit.

“We can’t do it because what we have found is there is a high probability of individuals in that organization will be non-deployable as well,” he said. “We have to take a hard look at this. We have to look internally at whether or not we are ready to fight and win and what we are projecting to our Soldiers as a readiness model to ensure we are successful in the future.”

Along the lines of readiness, Dailey said the Army has to take

back individual and collective training and put in the hands of noncommissioned officers.

For the reserve components (U.S. Army Reserve and National Guard), Dailey said he and the chief have to look at how to raise the number of training days, saying it was a tough subject.

“We are looking at some creative ways. We have to reduce the mandatory training tasks. That has a huge affect on the reserve component,” he said. “They come in for their training cycles and they spend a lot of that time just doing a list of things that we

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DAILEY

from Pg. 22

(the Army) says they have to do that are more important. But so is fighting and winning. We are looking at that very hard. The (Army) G-3/5/7 is leading a Herculean effort to get rid of some of those things. Some of that is DOD policy, some of that is regulation, and some of that is law. So we’ve found ourselves in a situation where we have to review the entire thing. The good news is the Chief of Staff of the Army has given commanders authority to use mission command to delegate that authority down to be able to say, ‘You need to focus on those things that are most important to your organization.’”

When looking to the future of the Army, Dailey said he looks to people, not gadgets and widgets. Dailey cited initiatives in enlisted and NCO professional development, talent management, and establishing Army University.

“We are not the only trained and educated enlisted force in the world anymore,” he said. In 2005, the People’s Republic of China reorganized their entire military education system for enlisted and officers, committing to train and educate their senior NCOs to the three-year collegiate level, he said.

“We are not there. And that was a decade ago,” Dailey said, adding that Russia is doing the same thing with educating their enlisted force. “So we’ve got to continue to focus on this. Not just focus on it but figure out how we maintain pace on our adversaries as we professionally educate and train our force – officers, warrant officers, and enlisted. We lived under the glory of having the best professional military education

system. But I’ll tell you, our adversaries or potential adversaries have learned from us for many years.

“That’s why Army University is so important,” Dailey continued. “For many years we’ve been training and educating our Soldiers with world-class capabilities but not giving them any (college) credit for it for whatsoever. If we don’t give ourselves academic credit, nobody is ever going to do it.

“With Army University, it would combine all of our academic resources into one homogenous organization and give us the ability to issue the degree,” he said. “That’s the power that we don’t have over our academic partners – we don’t have the power to issue a degree.”

He said the Army is not looking to build mechanical engineers or business leaders but the Army can “stake claims on things like leadership. Many of these (academic) organizations have come to us to use our curriculum and then turn around and give credit for training that we’re giving every single day.”

Dailey said he would be meeting with the Department of Education officials to further discuss how Army University can become a reality.

His final initiative is taking care of Soldiers and their Families. He said he tells young Soldiers that we owe it to Americans to give them a better chance at life.

“So it requires everyone one of us to be deployable. It requires everyone of us to get behind a rifle and selflessly serve,” Dailey said. “It requires the same motivation

of those individuals approaching Omaha Beach and waiting for that ramp to go down on Wave 1 on D-Day.”

He said none of us would have what we have today if those men had not gotten in those landing craft.

“We engage in the crucible of ground combat with the enemy and it is a nasty, dirty business,” he said. “And sometimes we forget that. And that is why we are here – to preserve that – to take care of people.”

He said studies have shown the number one reason young Americans join the military today is to go to college, not because of sense of service.

Dailey said while serving in the military is still perceived by the majority of Americans as an honorable service, the perception of serving in the Army is the lowest of all the uniformed services.

“This is unsustainable, just like non-deployables,” Dailey said. “We have to get back at becoming an organization that people want to join and recruiting is not easy right now, it’s hard.”

He also said too often when a Soldier is getting out of the Army and they have done a good job, we often don’t give them enough recognition and help to make their transition back to civilian life better.

“We have to really take a hard look into how we are sending our Soldiers off to our great communities out there,” Dailey said.

“Because we are relying on them to regenerate the next Soldier that wants to serve,” he said.

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FORT BRAGG, N.C. – The Honorable Patrick J. Murphy, the Acting Secretary of the United States Army, praised the U.S. Army Reserve for their contributions to the Army’s Total Force.

His remarks were made during the U.S. Army Reserve Senior Leader Conference, held in conjunction with the 108th birthday of the U.S.

Army Reserve, at the Iron Mike Conference Center, April 23, 2016.

“Thank you so much for all that you do. I know it’s not easy for all of you,” Murphy said. “What you do as part of the Army team is remarkable. We, as a broader Army, have a lot to learn at some of the things you are getting after, and bring that in to the broader Army.”

Murphy, who was sworn in as the 32nd under secretary of the Army and Chief Management Officer, Jan. 4, is a former 82nd Airborne Division officer, served in Bosnia and Iraq, and as a law professor at the United States Military Academy at West Point, N.Y.

Murphy also served in Congress from 2007-2011, the first Iraq veteran to be elected, where

Murphy praises U.S. Army Reserve for contributions to Army’s Total ForceStory & photo by TIMOTHY L. HALE U.S. Army Reserve Command

The Hon. Patrick J. Murphy, Acting Secretary of the Army, addresses U.S. Army Reserve senior leaders at the Iron Mike Conference Center, April 23, 2016, Fort Bragg, NC. Murphy summed his time with the senior leaders by saying the Army is “America’s varsity team” and needs to be ready at a moment’s notice. And the U.S. Army Reserve is an integral part of the team. “When the President or these gov-ernors ask us to respond, we can’t say, ‘I’m sorry.’ We’ve got to be ready to go. We’ve got be ready to go tonight. That’s why readiness is so important,” Murphy said. He also was the guest speaker later in the evening at the U.S. Army Reserve 108th anniversary ball.

Leading off: army reServe Senior Leader ConferenCe

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he was a member of the Armed Services, Select Intelligence, and Appropriations committees. From 2011-2015, Murphy also was a contributor on NBC Universal and hosted a show on MSNBC.

“When I left Congress five years ago, the Army budget was $250 billion. We are fighting right now to get just under $150 billion. So a 40 percent cut in five years,” he said. “Five years ago we didn’t have Russia invading other countries, we didn’t have ISIS, and we didn’t have North Korea launching missiles.”

He said the operational tempo of the Army has not decreased. But there have been changes.

“We have shown that we are a Total Force – not just the active Army but the Army Reserve and the National Guard,” he said. “Readiness is the number one priority, there is no other. What the reserve does so well is integrate with that deploying force on active duty. The Citizen-Soldiers have a broader perspective because of the dual-hatted nature – you are twice the Ctizen, twice the Soldier.”

Murphy said that readiness is a three-part process: individual, unit, and Army. Within this readiness are three initiatives that Murphy wants to see improved: Public-Private Partnerships, expanding Soldier for Life, and telling the Army story.

“We have to be more agile and be quicker to partner with others in every capacity in what we do,” Murphy said, citing an Army energy project at Fort Hood, Texas that saved the Army $38 million by donating land to the project.

“I’m going to be asking, you in this room, for more help with

that (Public-Private Partnership). You’ve already done incredible work in this regard. When we talk about Public-Private Partnerships, I want you to be thinking about audit readiness. Congress is our board of directors and they have mandated that every federal agency – 16 of them – must have audit readiness. The only one of the 16 that is not audit ready is the Department of Defense ... We have to do a better job and I need to make sure that our enterprise resource systems work for you. It’s not a comptroller issue, it’s a leader issue – a commander issue.”

He’s also looking at best business practices in innovation, making sure every dollar counts, and the current “spend it or lose it policy” which he said isn’t a sound practice. He also challenged leaders to look at how they execute their budget by looking for the positive return on investment.

“That’s not how it should be,” Murphy said. “If you can save some money you should not be penalized. If you do things more efficiently, that’s a positive.”

When it comes to Soldier for Life, Murphy cited his time at West Point as an example. He said at West Point, their mantra is “develop leaders of character for a lifetime of service. We are all leaders of character … it’s not whether you serve for three years or 30 years, you are still expected to serve.

“We are civic assets. And when you wear the cloth of our country, you have the love of country stamped on your heart. Because you are away from your Families and we have this shared sacrifice. We have the same core beliefs of

duty, honor, and country,” he said.Public-Private Partnerships

and Soldier for Life dovetail into Murphy’s final priority of telling the Army story. To tell that story, Murphy said the Army needs social media.

“It’s important to communicate to younger Americans who can join our ranks and we need them to join our ranks,” Murphy said. “They do not read newspapers. Only 24 percent of Americans read newspapers and I happen to be one of them. The average age of a newspaper reader is over 60-years-old. Newspapers are important but 90 percent of teenagers get their news from social media.”

Units and leaders need to leverage their good news stories using social media in order to reach a younger audience, Murphy said.

“The majority of them get their news from Facebook,” he said. “If there is an article about your unit, put it on Facebook. If there is not an article, take their picture, write an article and put it on Facebook and tell their story.”

Murphy said the he understands that we, as an Army, have an ethic of being quiet professionals but it’s important to brag about unit and Soldier accomplishments.

“Just tell their story,” Murphy said. “It helps the team and tell it using social media. We have to do a better job.”

Murphy summed up his time with the senior leaders by saying the Army is “America’s varsity team” and needs to be ready at a moment’s notice. And the U.S. Army Reserve is an integral part of the team.

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Military Reserve Exchange Program:Enhancing readiness by serving with allied partners

WASHINGTON - We live and die by readiness… there’s no if, ands, or buts about it. Given its significant role in our profession, we are all charged with doing all we can to consistently generate, sustain, and enhance readiness.

One novel way to achieve this is through the Military Reserve Exchange Program (MREP).

The MREP is a reserve component-oriented program that enables Soldiers and units to achieve enhanced, meaningful readiness.

“The MREP is a great opportunity for Reserve Service Members to participate in exchange activities and events with reserve Service Members from other countries,” said Col. Gary Robinson, MREP Director.

Exchanges occur during the summer training periods and are cost-effective ways to broaden Service members’ perspectives about life and service to their country. Through reciprocal exchanges with reserve units in the United Kingdom, Germany, Estonia, or Denmark, U.S. Army Reserve Soldiers have a chance to travel overseas to improve their cultural competency, and U.S. Army Reserve units have an

opportunity to improve their interoperability tactics, techniques and procedures by hosting reserve Service members from foreign countries.

“Although it’s a great opportunity that helps units and individuals in so many ways, the MREP is an underutilized program,” said Robinson, a National Guard officer who would like to see the U.S. Army Reserve’s participation rates increase during FY17.

MREP is a unique opportunity that touches upon infrequently addressed staff functions and promotes individual development that augments a unit’s readiness in immeasurable ways. By capitalizing on this readiness-enhancing opportunity, the MREP serves the best interests of the U.S. Army Reserve and its Soldiers.

To take advantage of this unique opportunity, Soldiers simply need to request their chain of command express an interest to participate in the MREP to: the Office of the Chief of the Army Reserve, G-3/5/7 at 703-806-7413. Additional information can be found at: http://www.people.mil/Deputates/Readiness,Training,Mobilization/MilitaryReserveExchangeProgram.aspx.

By COL. ERIC FLOWERS Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense-Manpower & Reserve Affairs (Reserve Integration)

Soldiers with the Military Reserve Ex-change Program pose with a member of the Danish Home Guard while in Denmark, June 21, 2014. The MREP provides Soldiers with the opportunity to train with allied militaries and gain a better understanding how foreign powers operate. (U.S. Army photo by 1st Lt. Kyle Kennedy, U.S. Strate-gic Command)

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Danish Army Soldiers stand with U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Mark Korte, center, a civil affairs noncommissioned officer with Company B,457th Civil Affairs Battalion, 361st Civil Affairs Brigade, 7th Mission Support Command, and U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class JeromeSmith, a civil affairs NCO with Company B, 457th Civil Affairs Battalion, 361st Civil Affairs Brigade, 7th Mission Support Command, June 18, 2015 and their Danish interpreter during the Danish army’s Civil Military Cooperation Support Team, 2nd Armored Infantry Battalion’s NATO Response Force validation and training exercise Brave Lion 15, held June 8-19, 2015. (Photo by Sgt. 1st Class Matthew Chlosta, 7th Mission Support Command)

A Danish medical group with the Danish Home Guard practices wound analysis, preparation and movement of a casualty to an aid station in Denmark, June 20, 2014. These exercises were done in joint participation with American Soldiers from the Military Reserve Exchange Program in order to provide a joint training environ-ment. (U.S. Army photo by 1st Lt. Kyle Kennedy, U.S. Strategic Command)

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83rd USARRTC Camp Parks NCO Academynamed TRADOC “Institution of Excellence” CAMP PARKS NCO-ACADEMY, Calif. – 83rd United States Army Reserve Readiness Training Center (83rd USARRTC), Noncommissioned Officer Academy – Parks was declared an “Institution of Excellence” March 15.

The announcement was made following the accreditation process conducted by United States Army Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) Nov. 2-6, 2015.

“Having the Institution of Excellence” title solidifies our commitment not only to the students who come here from across the country, but gives us that high standard to focus on and sustain when training our small group leaders and staff members who support the mission,” said Command Sgt. Maj. Robert Ireland, Commandant, NCO-Academy – Parks.

“HQ TRADOC recognizes the dedication and hard work of all personnel committed to ensuring the U.S. Army NCO Academy Parks received “Institute of Excellence” status, and this achievement demonstrates your commitment to meet the competency needs of today’s Army and total force,” said Gen. David G. Perkins, Commanding General, TRADOC.

The accreditation process is a tri-annual requirement. Parks’ outstanding staff and faculty worked together to conduct proactive self-assessments and test their practices and procedures leading up to the TRADOC evaluation hoping their concerted

efforts would pay off. And it did with an achieved rating of 98 percent.

There are four levels of accreditation: Institution of Excellence, requiring a 95-100 percent rating that marks the institution as having exceeded TRADOC requirements; Full Accreditation, requiring an 80-94 percent rating that satisfies the TRADOC requirements; Conditional Accreditation, with a 60-79

percent rating and requiring the institution to correct deficiencies and submit a report for approval; and Candidate of Accreditation, with a 0-59 percent rating and the requirement of reevaluation within 12 months.

NCOA-Parks was evaluated and met requirements across doctrine, organization, training, materiel, leadership and education, personnel,

and facilities (DOTMLPF) domains that merit the accreditation rating. “Achieving an “Institute of Excellence” rating means we have exceeded the TRADOC and proponent standards for training facilities and training delivery,” explained Sgt. Maj. Heriberto Quintana, Deputy Commandant, Camp Parks NCO-Academy.

Fiscal year 2016 accreditation was a little more challenging than previously.

Parks’ staff and faculty are all new, their facility was renovated requiring the development of new standard operating procedures, their Basic Leader Course trained its first active component Soldiers making it an official multi-component academy and all was accomplished by full-time support staff consisting of noncommissioned officers.

Story by Lt. Col. DEBBIE LIPSCOMB 83rd U.S. Army Reserve Readiness Training Center

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U.S. Army Reserve looking for next Instructor of the Year

The United States Army Reserve Command will hold the 2016 Instructor of the Year (IOY) Competition, Nov. 16, 2016, to recognize the quality and skills of U.S. Army Reserve instructors. Winners of the USARC competition will advance to the TRADOC level 2016 IOY competition.

All personnel currently assigned to an Instructor/Writer position are eligible to compete in the 2016 Instructor of the Year competition. Drill Sergeant Leaders assigned to the U.S. Army Drill Sergeant Academy are also eligible, however, DSL’s cannot compete in the Drill Sergeant of the Year and the Instructor of the Year competition within the same fiscal year.

If you have questions concerning the competition or submission of packets, please contact Sgt. 1st Class Matthew Torres at matthew.r.torresvandine.mil@mail.mil. Packets are due NLT Oct. 28, 2016 for participation in USARC level competition. The selection board will be held Nov. 16, 2016.

Training and Support Commands will conduct unit-level boards to identify candidates for the USARC level competition.

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Safety: readineSS 2016

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• ACCIDENT: Any unplanned event or series of events resulting in death, injury, illness or damage/loss of equipment or property;

• POLICY: Investigate and report all Army accidents IAW AR 385-10;• GOAL: Prevent re-occurrence

Accident Reporting

Accident classification determines how (and even if) you will investigate/report Army Accidents (See your Command Instructions, USAR Reg 385-2 and AR 385-10 for definitions and procedures)- Class A: $2,000,000 or more; aircraft destroyed, missing, abandoned; injury and/or occupational illness results in a fatality or permanent total disability;- Class B: $500,000 < $2,000,000; injury and/or occupational illness results in permanent partial disability; three or more persons hospitalized as in-patients in a single occurrence;- Class C: $50,000 < $500,000; injury or occupational illness causing one or more days away from work or training (beyond the day or shift on which it occurred) or disability at any time (not meeting the definition of Class A or B and is a days away from work case);- Class D: $20,000 < $50,000; injury or illness resulting in restricted work, transfer to another job, medical treatment greater than first aid, needle stick injuries, cuts contaminated by blood/infectious material, medical removal under medical surveillance requirements of an OSHA standard, occupational hearing loss, or a work-related tuberculosis case;- Class E Ground: Property damage is $5,000 < $20,000;- Class E Aviation: An Army aviation accident where property damage is $5,000 < $20,000;- Class F Aviation Incident: Recordable

incidents to aircraft turbine engine damage because of unavoidable internal or external foreign object damage, where that is the only damage.

I am the Unit ADSO. What are my minimum duties for ground accident reporting? - Ensure senior person on the ground completes your Commands specific Incident/Accident Report;- Submit DA Form 7306 (Worksheet for Telephonic Notification of Ground Accident) IAW your command’s instructions; - Investigate and report IAW your command’s instructions (The on-line REPORT IT system should be used, when applicable). Depending on the accident, you may be directed to support an accident investigator appointed from a different level Request Estimated Cost of Damage (ECOD) from G4/S4, ECS, Installation, or Engineers depending on the damage to unit equipment/property;- Transmit the completed accident report up your chain of command IAW your command’s instructions;- Follow up with your higher Safety Office ensuring you have met all investigation requirements;

“Ready in 2016” For more information on Army Ground Accident investigation and reporting contact your Higher Safety Officer/NCO and the US Army Reserve Safety Office at (910) 570-SAFE.

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Making Connections

It’s a well-worn saying that “You choose your friends, but you don’t choose your Family.” Well, you can dis-own a relative or two in a fit of indignation, but the genetic link is hard to break. Actually, the saying isn’t exactly absolute. The choosing your friends part is true enough, but Family? Well, you can expand your definition of Family. You can choose who to marry. You can adopt children. For some folks, the people you work with everyday are Family. However, blood is blood—though the relationship itself is sometimes thicker than blood—but it’s the blood connection that chooses us.

Some connections are more significant than others. When it comes to Family, moms are tough to top. It’s interesting that we don’t get the mother we want, though most of us get the one we need. That is, most of us have an evolving estimation of moth-erhood. When we’re very young, mom is everything. Then when we begin to stretch our wings, mom can seem a little restrictive. As we become young adults, she may seem intrusive. For a lot of us, it isn’t until we start raising our own kids that we truly begin to appreciate all mom was and is in our lives.

Now, we all know that not all moms are happy about being moms. Some even commit abuse. Some do not choose motherhood—some embrace it, but others struggle with the prospect. Fortunately, most mothers end up exceeding expectations. We may call children our future, but without a proper past and present, the future they own may be very dark indeed. And everyone has an important contribution to make. Dads are important for many reasons. Ex-tended Family can also be quite influential, but the foundation is laid and the direction is steered largely by mom. As another well-worn saying goes, “The hand that rocks the cradle rules a nation.”

My wife is keen to point out that the older I get,

the more like my dad I become in mannerisms and sense of humor. It’s getting harder to deny. I even catch myself repeating some of his quips I grew up hearing, like, “I thought I was wrong once, but I was mistaken.” But the well I draw from most for wis-dom, empathy, encouragement, optimism, trust, and forgiveness, just to name a few, is mom.

I learned what service is from mom. Looking back, I now know conclusively that serving others is nobler and more worthy of my effort than being served. In a society that seems to be growing more narcissistic, the idea of sacrifice, principally to benefit others, is undervalued, even ridiculed. But, ultimate-ly, serving oneself leads to a gnawing emptiness that can never be filled. The joy and satisfaction—even contentment—that comes from knowing you made a significant difference in someone’s life is price-less, and it cannot be attained without sacrifice and service to others. How do I know? I learned it from mom. I saw it every day. Every time I practice it, I experience joy anew.

Now, moms are human. Mine would certain-ly admit to an occasional error in judgment. But I‘ve observed that, though there is a lot of variance among moms (some are more effective than others), most hit the mark in her own way. What I know is my connections to others is clearly influenced and guided by my connection to my mom. My entire Family of origin is an inescapable part of who I am, but mom is the wellspring for my thirsty soul, and my first impression of what God is like.

Father in heaven, thank You for my mom. I didn’t choose her, but You chose to bring us togeth-er, and You worked through her to mold me into who I am and will be. I’m so thankful for my mom. I wouldn’t choose anyone else. She is my first and greatest blessing.

By CHAPLAIN (LT. COL.) KEN HUBBS USARC Chaplain’s Office

Chaplain’s Corner

U.S. Army Forces Command and U.S. Army Reserve Command hosts a weekly Christian Bible study. Studies are held each Tuesday, starting at 11:30 a.m., Room 1901 near the USARC G-4.

Please come and share a time of fellowship and worship with us.

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What to Do with the Summer Break? Volunteer!FORT BRAGG, N.C. – Army Reserve youth face unique challenges in their lives that many of their peers will never understand, such as parents with frequent deployments, having to move on a regular basis, and being isolated from larger military communities.

With these challenges also come opportunities; chances to demonstrate resilience and adaptability for the future. Army Reserve Family Programs helps reinforce those strengths through volunteer opportunities with Child, Youth and School Services. Summer is the perfect time to explore volunteerism, finding something you love to do, while helping others.

These opportunities not only help these students feel like part of the Army Reserve Family, they also help teach and develop real life skills while solving problems, strengthening the community and connecting with others. Alaina,

an Army Reserve Youth Volunteer with dual-military parents, has volunteered her skills as a graphic artist to her mother’s unit. She helped to design a military coin as well as a design for the unit’s physical fitness training shirt. She plans to use those designs for her portfolio when applying to graphic design schools.

“Being an Army Reserve child can be difficult. Most of my friends don’t understand my Family’s situation,” Dexter said. “Volunteering helps me connect to others who can relate to that, and it’s a great feeling when you see your ideas come to life and get used.”

In addition to the skills that Army Reserve Youth Volunteers gain through their experience, they also have substantial accomplishments they can then use for college applications, along with resources to find and apply for scholarships. Army Reserve

Teen Panel Junior Advisor, Erica, has four years of Volunteer experience and says her experience helping others will translate into her future school plans, as she focuses on special needs education.

“My time volunteering has helped me learn to be more flexible and more resilient,” Underwood said. “I’m looking forward to using those skills to help others.”

While the challenges of the military lifestyle can be difficult, the opportunities available through Army Reserve Family Programs help to ensure strong, ready, and resilient Families.

For more information about Child, Youth and School Services or other Army Reserve Family Programs service and resources, visit www.arfp.org, contact Fort Family at 1-866-345-8248 or your command’s Family Programs Director or Coordinator. We Inspire and Empower. Anytime. Anywhere. 24x7x365.

Story & photos by Contributing Writer

Alaina, left, and Erica are Army Reserve Youth Volunteers who use their volunteer experience to help develop skills in preparation for college, while enhancing life skills to make them more resilient.

famiLy ProgramS

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Tony Jones, U.S. Army Forces Com-mand/U.S. Army Reserve Command building manager (left), Bobby Warren (middle) and Ricky Bell (right), facility engineering technicians, were presented with the “Green Boot Program Award”, at the Fort Bragg Department of Public Works headquarters, April 13. The Green Boot Program is an opportunity for agencies on post to enhance their missions through resource stewardship, with the goal of reducing environmental impacts at a unit or directorate level, reallocating the funds saved. Through initiatives such as water conservation, energy conservation and recycling to other aspects of the mission, these men have help the FORSCOM/US-ARC directorate help secure Fort Bragg as a functional installation for future genera-tions. (Photos by Brian Godette/U.S. Army Reserve Command)

FORSCOM/USARC earns Green Boot awardaround the headquarterS

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In August 2015, the Office of Personnel Management announced a rare event: an open season for the Federal Employees' Group Life Insurance Program (FEGLI).

FEGLI open seasons are extremely rare — previous open seasons were held in 2004 and 1999.

The upcoming FEGLI open season will be held Sept. 1-30, 2016.

Eligible employees may elect or change their FEGLI life insurance coverage using the transaction application under Army's Electronic Benefits Information System (EBIS).

Employees who are satisfied with their current FEGLI coverage do not need to make any elections during the FEGLI Open Season as their current elected coverage will continue.

Annuitants can never increase their FEGLI coverage, even during a FEGLI Open Season. As a reminder, employees and annuitants can reduce or cancel FEGLI at any time.

The effective date for changes to FEGLI coverage under an Open Season election will be delayed one full year to the beginning of the first full pay period on or after Oct. 1, 2017.

Premium rates will change for some types of coverage - rates are updated on the FEGLI web site (www.opm.gov/insure/life) in January 2016.

For more information, contact Amber Wilson-McIntyre, amber.j.wilson-mcintyre.civ@mail.mil, 910-570-9045 or DSN 670-9045.

OPM to offer rare FEGLI Open Season in September

The Civilian Personnel Management Office (CPMO) has launched a new resource for Civilian Training and Leader Development (CTLD) information for the U.S. Army Reserve civilian workforce.

The U.S. Army Reserve must effectively manage people and ensure continuity of leadership while sustaining a learning environment that drives continuous improvement in performance, and provide a means to share critical knowledge across the organization.

As a result, CPMO developed this site to serve as a knowledge management tool, which facilitates self-development and professional and personal growth.

CPMO launched a CLTD site to assist with individual and organization growth, and it is located at https://xtranet/sites/cpmo/SiteAssets/Civilian%20Personnel%20Training%20Page.aspx?PageView=Shared&InitialTabId=Ribbon.WebPartPage&VisibilityContext=WSSWebPartPage.

The site is designed as a resource to assist in the training, management, education, and career development of Department of Army civilians and their supervisors. The site is not all inclusive, but serves as a central repository of information to meet the training and developmental needs of our civilian workforce.

The site is currently structured to identify development opportunities in the following areas: Executive, Professional, SETM/ETM, MilTech, Civilian Education System, and the U.S. Army Reserve Readiness Training Center catalog. You will also find information on career program training, academic degree training, and more.

The CPMO will continue to add and update the information on this site, and welcome any comments or suggestions you may have.

For more information, contact Danny Sampson, danny.s.sampson.civ@mail.mil, 910-570-8343 or Rainey Green, rainey.g.green.civ@mail.mil, 910-570-9027.

CPMO launches new Civilian Trainingand Leader Development site

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MARYSVILLE, Wash. — The largest multi-national exercise will take place in Poland, June 1-17. EXERCISE Anakonda 16, a Polish-led, combined air, land, and sea exercise, is a premier training event for U.S. Army Europe.

The goal of Anakonda 16 is to train, exercise, and integrate Polish national command and force structures into an allied, joint, multinational environment.

The U.S. Army Reserve has a large role to play for the American contingent.

The test for the U.S. Army Reserve will primarily fall on the shoulders of the men and women serving in the 364th Sustainment Command (Expeditionary). The 364th ESC is the lead sustainment command deployed in the theater of operations for Anakonda 16.

The 364th ESC is a deployable expeditionary command that manages the Army’s supply systems in conjunction with other logistics, transportation,

and personnel units. The 364th ESC provides theater-level logistics command and control for the theater commander.

“During Anakonda 16, the 364th ESC will lead active component and National Guard sustainment units in addition to U.S. Army Reserve Soldiers who will conduct theater opening activities such as receiving all material coming into Polish sea

and airports headed to nearly 27,000 joint service members deployed across Poland for this three-week exercise,” said Capt. Trista Budzynski, a 364th ESC logistician.

“The Army’s supply systems work well in the continental United States or in long-established areas of operations. However, we will be doing this mission in austere conditions,” Budzynski said. “That means we have to think about our work in a different way than we have during our past deployments,” she said. “We will not be on an established forward operations base. We will have to establish our own life support systems.”

U.S. Army Reserve units provide unique capabilities to austere European exercise

EXERCISE Anakonda 16

Story & photos by Maj. MARVIN BAKER364th Sustainment Command (Expeditionary)

Soldiers with the U.S. Army Reserve 364th Sustainment Command (Expeditionary) move more than 100 pieces of equip-ment, April 15, in Marysville, Wash., in preparation for EXERCISE Anakonda 16. Anakonda 16, the largest, biannual joint exercise of the Polish Armed Forces with the international participation of allies and partners, will take place June 7-17, in multiple Polish military training areas as well as international air and sea space of the Baltic Sea. The shipments, which included containers, wheeled vehicles, and other palletized items, will be loaded onto aircraft and cargo ships bound for Europe later this month from multiple U.S. locations. Soldiers in the 364th ESC will use the equipment to conduct their sustainment mission in Poland.

aCroSS the army

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EXERCISE Anakonda 16 Public Affairs Coverage

Look for EXERCISE Anakonda 16 coverage in the July issue of the

USARC Double Eagle.

You can also follow the exercise on these social media sites:

ROAD TO ANAKONDA http://www.eur.army.mil/roadtoanakonda

DEFENSE MEDIA & IMAGERY DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM (DVIDS) https://www.dvidshub.net/feature/

Anakonda16

Soldiers with the U.S. Army Reserve 364th Sustainment Command (Expeditionary) move and weigh more than 100 pieces of equipment, April 15, in Marysville, Wash., in preparation for EXERCISE Anakonda 16. Anakonda 16, the largest, biannual joint exercise of the Polish Armed Forces with the international participation of allies and partners, will take place June 7-17, in multiple Polish military training areas as well as international air and sea space of the Baltic Sea.

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866-345-8248