Innovation, cooperation drive readiness, Army Reserve Chief says

When it comes to improving the readiness of the U.S. Army Reserve, nothing is off the table, said the chief of Army Reserve during a recent Warfighter Talk at the Defense Logistics Agency.

"Right now, no idea is too crazy," said Army Lt. Gen. Robert Harter, chief of Army Reserve and the 10th commanding general of the U.S. Army Reserve Command. "We've been doing things for the last 60 years, and we just keep doing the same things. Then we wonder why we're not generating the results or output that we need."

The Army Reserve's purpose is to deliver combat-ready soldiers and formations at time of need to support the Army and the Joint Force, he said during the Sept. 29 talk.

"We deliver the bulk of the enabling capacity for the Joint Force, … sustainment, theater logistics, port openings, ordnance, ammunition, signal, medical, civil affairs, PSYOPS (Army Psychological Operations) - we have all of that capability," he said.

The Army Reserve has 170,000 soldiers spread across the United States, U.S. territories and about 20 countries who are funded for 39 training days each year. The Army, however, can call for 40,000 Army Reserve soldiers in the first 60 days of a large-scale combat operation, he said.

Properly manning these operations is his biggest issue, he added.

With Army Reserve soldiers who have full-time jobs and are geographically spread out, Harter said he has to start putting units where the soldiers are. He gave the example of an $80 million new reserve center built in Des Moines, Iowa. But due to shifting demographics and the propensity to serve, that unit went from 100% strength to 70%. A decision to move in a second unit led to both being understaffed.

"I'm chasing the cost of the building instead of getting back to my purpose to deliver combat-ready soldiers and formations," he said.

The current model, which has one command with soldiers spread across 34 states and another across 13 states, doesn't work, he said.

"Now I am so dispersed, and I have leaders that can't get to their formations and drive readiness, that we're not delivering what the nation needs us to deliver," he said.

With a lack of manpower and being spread too far out, Harter presented the Army Reserve's solution for these problems - Geographic Command and Control structure, or Geographic C2.

To bring tactical leaders closer to their formations, the Army Reserve is expanding from four to six two-star commands, called readiness divisions, that will cover the country. It also expands the role of the commanders within their area of responsibility.

Functional commands will still provide technical and training oversight, but local commanders will be more directly responsible for readiness, manning, facilities and coordinating with state government, the National Guard, and other organizations, he said.

This new Geographic C2 structure will also benefit the Army Reserve's relationship with DLA, he said.

More than 40 Army Reserve soldiers from the 377th Theater Sustainment Command and the 79th Theater Sustainment Command recently helped workers at DLA Distribution in Susquehanna, Pennsylvania. worked on inventory integrity, stock readiness and material remediation operations. The work resolved more than $160 million worth of material.

"Why don't we do this all the time?" Harter asked, adding that this is also a great training opportunity for his soldiers. "I've got the preponderance of the supply formation for the Army in my footprint."

Finding ways to save money and deliver lethality without bureaucracy is important, he continued.

"If we could export our bureaucracy to our enemies, we wouldn't have to fire another shot," he said.

He reiterated that no idea is too crazy and encouraged leaders to be open to them.

"I guarantee some of the best ideas are coming from some young person working in one of your depots or one of your distribution centers, and they're asking, 'Why are we doing it like that? We could do it like this.' But there's some bureaucracy that's smacking them down," he said.

Harter had several requests for DLA, starting with getting help on replacement parts that have long lead times, especially for equipment that's not modernized and is hard to maintain.

Turning in the backlog of items sitting in dispersed locations is another issue he said DLA can work with the Army Reserve to resolve.

"I think we've turned in over the last year $40 million worth of items," he said. "DLA has been awesome, but we got to keep getting after this."

Audience members asked Harter about the Army Reserve's partnership with DLA, next-generation command-and-control systems, the use of Army Vantage data, and the effects of the Reserve's planned geographic realignment on readiness divisions and joint assignments.

Hart expressed his appreciation for DLA's work.

"I assume you all realize the impact you have on the warfighter downrange, but if not it, you have a phenomenal impact, maybe more so than any strategic organization," Harter said.