By Rick Maze - Staff writer
Posted : Friday Dec 19, 2008 13:03:44 EST
The Reserve Forces Policy Board that advises Pentagon leaders on NationalGuard and reserve issues would be revamped with fewer service members and moreindependence, under a plan approved by Defense Secretary Robert Gates.
The initiative, which requires congressional approval, revises membership in away that makes active and reserve officers, who compose a majority of thecurrent 24-member panel, would be in the minority on the slightly smaller20-member panel.
http://www.navytimes.com/news/2008/12/military_reserveboard_121908w/
Showing posts with label Reserves. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Reserves. Show all posts
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Friday, December 12, 2008
Court clarifies MSPB role in reserve cases
By STEPHEN LOSEY
November 28, 2008
Federal employees who are military reservists or National Guard members have the right to appeal to the Merit Systems Protection Board if they lose their jobs or incur other adverse job actions because of their active-duty military service, a federal appeals court has ruled.
MSPB had previously ruled it lacked jurisdiction to hear Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA) claims when a collective bargaining agreement provides a grievance procedure.
The U.S. Federal Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Nov. 18 that MSPB must hear the case of Ermae Russell, an Army Reserve officer and trial attorney with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in Jackson, Miss. Russell was transferred to EEOC’s Birmingham, Ala., office after spending almost two years on active duty.
http://www.federaltimes.com/index.php?S=3841583
November 28, 2008
Federal employees who are military reservists or National Guard members have the right to appeal to the Merit Systems Protection Board if they lose their jobs or incur other adverse job actions because of their active-duty military service, a federal appeals court has ruled.
MSPB had previously ruled it lacked jurisdiction to hear Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA) claims when a collective bargaining agreement provides a grievance procedure.
The U.S. Federal Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Nov. 18 that MSPB must hear the case of Ermae Russell, an Army Reserve officer and trial attorney with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in Jackson, Miss. Russell was transferred to EEOC’s Birmingham, Ala., office after spending almost two years on active duty.
http://www.federaltimes.com/index.php?S=3841583
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Program Ensures Reserve Component Medical Readiness
By Navy Lt. Jennifer Cragg
August 29, 2008
The Reserve Health Readiness Program ensures that reserve-component servicemembers have the ability and access to meet their deployment requirements, the program’s director said yesterday.
“The program was designed to supplement the reserve component readiness mission, and to add another resource that they could tap into to have these services done so they could satisfy their deployment requirements,” U.S. Public Health Service Cmdr. Diedre Presley, program manager of the RHRP, said during a “Dot Mil Docs” radio program on BlogTalkRadio.com.
http://www.defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=50988
August 29, 2008
The Reserve Health Readiness Program ensures that reserve-component servicemembers have the ability and access to meet their deployment requirements, the program’s director said yesterday.
“The program was designed to supplement the reserve component readiness mission, and to add another resource that they could tap into to have these services done so they could satisfy their deployment requirements,” U.S. Public Health Service Cmdr. Diedre Presley, program manager of the RHRP, said during a “Dot Mil Docs” radio program on BlogTalkRadio.com.
http://www.defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=50988
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Military health care benefit extended to reservist family members
By Kellie Lunney
August 12, 2008
Families of some active-duty Reserve and National Guard members will get a break on paying annual deductibles associated with the military's health care system, according to a final rule published on Tuesday in the Federal Register.
The rule, which was proposed in August 2006 and took effect on Tuesday, makes permanent the Defense Department's authority to waive the annual TRICARE deductibles for eligible dependents of reservists and Guard members who are called to active duty for more than 30 days. It applies to those who choose to participate in TRICARE Standard or Extra, rather than TRICARE Prime.
http://www.govexec.com/dailyfed/0808/081208m1.htm
August 12, 2008
Families of some active-duty Reserve and National Guard members will get a break on paying annual deductibles associated with the military's health care system, according to a final rule published on Tuesday in the Federal Register.
The rule, which was proposed in August 2006 and took effect on Tuesday, makes permanent the Defense Department's authority to waive the annual TRICARE deductibles for eligible dependents of reservists and Guard members who are called to active duty for more than 30 days. It applies to those who choose to participate in TRICARE Standard or Extra, rather than TRICARE Prime.
http://www.govexec.com/dailyfed/0808/081208m1.htm
Friday, July 18, 2008
Bill seeks to ease disruptions caused by military service
By Elaine S. Povich, CongressDaily
With family and job disruptions among the biggest concerns of military service members, the House Veterans Affairs Committee approved a bill Wednesday designed to ease some of the problems they face when they leave active duty and return home.
The bill would require colleges and universities to refund tuition for service members who could not complete their course work because they were called to active duty. It would allow service members to cancel without penalty contracts such as those with cell phone companies.
Rep. John Hall, D-N.Y., said the bill allows a veteran to obtain his or her old telephone number when they return from duty.
Full story: http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=40493&dcn=e_gvet
With family and job disruptions among the biggest concerns of military service members, the House Veterans Affairs Committee approved a bill Wednesday designed to ease some of the problems they face when they leave active duty and return home.
The bill would require colleges and universities to refund tuition for service members who could not complete their course work because they were called to active duty. It would allow service members to cancel without penalty contracts such as those with cell phone companies.
Rep. John Hall, D-N.Y., said the bill allows a veteran to obtain his or her old telephone number when they return from duty.
Full story: http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=40493&dcn=e_gvet
Friday, May 23, 2008
Statement of John G. Cotton Chief United States Navy Reserve
Committee on Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense
May 14, 2008
Excerpt
“Whether supporting combat operations in Iraq or Afghanistan, providing Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief at home or abroad or supporting daily Navy missions at every Fleet and COCOM, Navy Reservists provide integrated operational support while continuing to maintain the RC's role as a Strategic Baseline. As demonstrated through force generation, deployment and redeployment, it is clear that RC forces meet two significant needs of our Navy. First, Reservists deliver a strategic capability and capacity in support of major combat operations, and second, they provide operational augmentation to meet predictable and periodic routine military missions. By continuing to fully develop ARI, our Navy has institutionalized an Operational Navy Reserve. The Navy simply cannot meet all Fleet and GWOT requirements without the many contributions of its Reserve Force.”
http://appropriations.senate.gov/Hearings/2008_05_14_-Defense-_Testimony_of_Vice_Admiral_Cotton_at_the_May_14th_Hearing_on_the_FY_2009_Guard_and_Reserve_Budget.pdf?CFID=30334872&CFTOKEN=50009343
May 14, 2008
Excerpt
“Whether supporting combat operations in Iraq or Afghanistan, providing Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief at home or abroad or supporting daily Navy missions at every Fleet and COCOM, Navy Reservists provide integrated operational support while continuing to maintain the RC's role as a Strategic Baseline. As demonstrated through force generation, deployment and redeployment, it is clear that RC forces meet two significant needs of our Navy. First, Reservists deliver a strategic capability and capacity in support of major combat operations, and second, they provide operational augmentation to meet predictable and periodic routine military missions. By continuing to fully develop ARI, our Navy has institutionalized an Operational Navy Reserve. The Navy simply cannot meet all Fleet and GWOT requirements without the many contributions of its Reserve Force.”
http://appropriations.senate.gov/Hearings/2008_05_14_-Defense-_Testimony_of_Vice_Admiral_Cotton_at_the_May_14th_Hearing_on_the_FY_2009_Guard_and_Reserve_Budget.pdf?CFID=30334872&CFTOKEN=50009343
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Army Reserve to Mark Century of Service to Nation
By Retired Army Col. Randy Pullen
Special to American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, April 20, 2008 – The U.S. Army Reserve will celebrate its 100th birthday on April 23, marking a full century of service in which Army Reserve soldiers have continuously answered the nation’s call.
http://www.defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=49633
Photo essay at http://www.defenselink.mil/PhotoEssays/PhotoEssaySS.aspx?ID=665
Special to American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, April 20, 2008 – The U.S. Army Reserve will celebrate its 100th birthday on April 23, marking a full century of service in which Army Reserve soldiers have continuously answered the nation’s call.
http://www.defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=49633
Photo essay at http://www.defenselink.mil/PhotoEssays/PhotoEssaySS.aspx?ID=665
Friday, April 18, 2008
Airline settles USERRA class-action suit
By Karen Jowers - Staff writer
Posted : Friday Apr 18, 2008 9:31:54 EDT
American Airlines has agreed to a settlement in a class action lawsuit alleging that the airline violated the rights of pilots who are military reservists, by not allowing them to accrue vacation and sick leave benefits while on military leave, according to the Justice Department.
http://www.navytimes.com/news/2008/04/military_pilots_USERRA_041708w/
Posted : Friday Apr 18, 2008 9:31:54 EDT
American Airlines has agreed to a settlement in a class action lawsuit alleging that the airline violated the rights of pilots who are military reservists, by not allowing them to accrue vacation and sick leave benefits while on military leave, according to the Justice Department.
http://www.navytimes.com/news/2008/04/military_pilots_USERRA_041708w/
Bill offers better GI Bill for Guard, reserve
By Rick Maze - Staff writer
Posted : Friday Apr 18, 2008 9:31:38 EDT
A proposal for a simplified and more generous GI Bill for National Guard and reserve members was unveiled Wednesday by a bipartisan group of 10 senators.
The Reserve Educational Assistance Program Enhancement Act would allow reservists who serve multiple deployments to accumulate credit toward larger education benefits.
http://www.navytimes.com/news/2008/04/military_guardreserve_gibill_041708w/
Posted : Friday Apr 18, 2008 9:31:38 EDT
A proposal for a simplified and more generous GI Bill for National Guard and reserve members was unveiled Wednesday by a bipartisan group of 10 senators.
The Reserve Educational Assistance Program Enhancement Act would allow reservists who serve multiple deployments to accumulate credit toward larger education benefits.
http://www.navytimes.com/news/2008/04/military_guardreserve_gibill_041708w/
Bill would let more reservists retire early
By Rick Maze - Staff writer
Posted : Wednesday Apr 9, 2008 16:06:00 EDT
A bipartisan group of 10 senators moved Wednesday to greatly expand a new reserve retirement pay formula to provide credit toward earlier retirement checks for any time spent mobilized since Sept. 11, 2001.
A new law took effect in January that allows reservists, who now must wait until age 60 to draw military retirement pay, to get payments 90 days earlier for every 90 days of continuous mobilization. But credit is given only for days spent on active duty as of the date the bill became law.
The lack of retroactive credit in the new law, included in the 2008 Defense Authorization Act that was signed on Jan. 28, prompted complaints from a host of military and veterans groups, including the major National Guard and reserve associations.
http://www.navytimes.com/news/2008/04/military_reserve_retiredpay_040908w/
Posted : Wednesday Apr 9, 2008 16:06:00 EDT
A bipartisan group of 10 senators moved Wednesday to greatly expand a new reserve retirement pay formula to provide credit toward earlier retirement checks for any time spent mobilized since Sept. 11, 2001.
A new law took effect in January that allows reservists, who now must wait until age 60 to draw military retirement pay, to get payments 90 days earlier for every 90 days of continuous mobilization. But credit is given only for days spent on active duty as of the date the bill became law.
The lack of retroactive credit in the new law, included in the 2008 Defense Authorization Act that was signed on Jan. 28, prompted complaints from a host of military and veterans groups, including the major National Guard and reserve associations.
http://www.navytimes.com/news/2008/04/military_reserve_retiredpay_040908w/
Friday, February 29, 2008
Navy Times Editorial: Retire this bad idea
The Commission on the National Guard and Reserve, chartered by Congress to study and propose changes to every aspect of the reserve components, released its final report Jan. 31.
The most eye-popping proposal in the 432-page report has little to do with the Guard and reserve; it’s a call to blow up the military retirement system as we know it.
Instead of starting retired pay for active-duty members at 20 years of service, the commission proposes to start dispensing retirement benefits for as little as 10 years of service. But checks wouldn’t start until age 62. Those who served 20 years would have to wait until age 60; those who stick it out for 30 years would begin cashing in at age 57.
The plan would allow early payments — but at reduced annuity levels.
Delaying retired pay would help the Pentagon rein in its soaring manpower costs, now well north of $100 billion a year. But with current troops grandfathered under the old system, significant savings would be years away.
And left unsaid is the potentially disastrous effect of such a change. The last time the military tried to cut retirement benefits, it wasn’t until the mid-’90s, 10 years after its enactment, that problems with the Redux retirement system surfaced. By then, dissatisfied troops quit in droves, and Congress had to offer troops a choice: a $30,000 bribe to stick with Redux or switch to the older, more generous system.
The commission far overstepped its bounds with this idea.
http://www.navytimes.com/community/opinion/navy_editorial_retirement_030308/
The most eye-popping proposal in the 432-page report has little to do with the Guard and reserve; it’s a call to blow up the military retirement system as we know it.
Instead of starting retired pay for active-duty members at 20 years of service, the commission proposes to start dispensing retirement benefits for as little as 10 years of service. But checks wouldn’t start until age 62. Those who served 20 years would have to wait until age 60; those who stick it out for 30 years would begin cashing in at age 57.
The plan would allow early payments — but at reduced annuity levels.
Delaying retired pay would help the Pentagon rein in its soaring manpower costs, now well north of $100 billion a year. But with current troops grandfathered under the old system, significant savings would be years away.
And left unsaid is the potentially disastrous effect of such a change. The last time the military tried to cut retirement benefits, it wasn’t until the mid-’90s, 10 years after its enactment, that problems with the Redux retirement system surfaced. By then, dissatisfied troops quit in droves, and Congress had to offer troops a choice: a $30,000 bribe to stick with Redux or switch to the older, more generous system.
The commission far overstepped its bounds with this idea.
http://www.navytimes.com/community/opinion/navy_editorial_retirement_030308/
Saturday, February 9, 2008
Commission defends proposal on state control of troops
By Megan Scully CongressDaily
February 7, 2008
The Commission on the National Guard and Reserves Thursday defended a controversial recommendation in its recently released report that suggests placing active-duty military units under the operational control of governors during state emergencies.
During a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing, Commission Chairman Arnold Punaro and other commission members argued that the recommendation, which has been strongly opposed by Pentagon officials, would streamline the chain of command and improve disaster response. In most cases, active-duty forces under the president's command can supplement state-run National Guard units for only a brief period of time, said retired Maj. Gen. Gordon Stump, a member of the commission and the former adjutant general of Michigan. For "unity of command purposes," Stump said, those active-duty units should temporarily fall under the control of the governor in many cases.
"Every single response that we have is going to start with the National Guard," Stump said. "It doesn't matter what the government or anybody says -- that's just the way it is."
The commission's report "hit a small volcano" in the Pentagon over the recommendation on operational control, Sen. John Warner, R-Va., former committee chairman, said during the hearing. Indeed, Pentagon officials have argued that the recommendation, which they fear would take authority away from the federal government, is unconstitutional.
http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=39250&dcn=todaysnews
February 7, 2008
The Commission on the National Guard and Reserves Thursday defended a controversial recommendation in its recently released report that suggests placing active-duty military units under the operational control of governors during state emergencies.
During a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing, Commission Chairman Arnold Punaro and other commission members argued that the recommendation, which has been strongly opposed by Pentagon officials, would streamline the chain of command and improve disaster response. In most cases, active-duty forces under the president's command can supplement state-run National Guard units for only a brief period of time, said retired Maj. Gen. Gordon Stump, a member of the commission and the former adjutant general of Michigan. For "unity of command purposes," Stump said, those active-duty units should temporarily fall under the control of the governor in many cases.
"Every single response that we have is going to start with the National Guard," Stump said. "It doesn't matter what the government or anybody says -- that's just the way it is."
The commission's report "hit a small volcano" in the Pentagon over the recommendation on operational control, Sen. John Warner, R-Va., former committee chairman, said during the hearing. Indeed, Pentagon officials have argued that the recommendation, which they fear would take authority away from the federal government, is unconstitutional.
http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=39250&dcn=todaysnews
DoD: No ‘appalling’ readiness gap
By William H. McMichael - Staff writer
Posted : Friday Feb 1, 2008 17:38:50 EST
The Defense Department on Friday rejected the conclusion in a congressionally chartered commission’s report that there is an “appalling gap” in the nation’s ability to respond to nuclear, chemical or biological attack.
“I think the choice of that word was unfortunate and inaccurate,” said Paul McHale, assistant secretary of defense for homeland defense, during a hastily called news conference the day after the Jan. 31 release of the final report by the Commission on the National Guard and Reserves — and several news stories that highlighted the charge.
http://www.navytimes.com/news/2008/02/military_guardreserve_reportreaction_080201w/
Posted : Friday Feb 1, 2008 17:38:50 EST
The Defense Department on Friday rejected the conclusion in a congressionally chartered commission’s report that there is an “appalling gap” in the nation’s ability to respond to nuclear, chemical or biological attack.
“I think the choice of that word was unfortunate and inaccurate,” said Paul McHale, assistant secretary of defense for homeland defense, during a hastily called news conference the day after the Jan. 31 release of the final report by the Commission on the National Guard and Reserves — and several news stories that highlighted the charge.
http://www.navytimes.com/news/2008/02/military_guardreserve_reportreaction_080201w/
Sweeping changes recommended for reserves
By William H. McMichael - Staff writer
Posted : Friday Feb 1, 2008 7:42:41 EST
Active and reserve service members would have to wait until age 57 or longer before drawing retired pay under a controversial recommendation from a congressionally chartered commission.
The proposal would spell the end of the current active-duty plan that provides nondisability retirement immediately after completing a minimum of 20 years of service.
Read the executive summary of the report
http://www.navytimes.com/news/2008/01/military_guardreserve_080131w/
Posted : Friday Feb 1, 2008 7:42:41 EST
Active and reserve service members would have to wait until age 57 or longer before drawing retired pay under a controversial recommendation from a congressionally chartered commission.
The proposal would spell the end of the current active-duty plan that provides nondisability retirement immediately after completing a minimum of 20 years of service.
Read the executive summary of the report
http://www.navytimes.com/news/2008/01/military_guardreserve_080131w/
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Labor Department to fly solo on veterans' employment complaints
By Brittany R. Ballenstedt
The Labor Department once again has sole jurisdiction to investigate military service members' complaints about their federal employment, even though a study examining the processing of such claims was considered inconclusive.
A pilot project created by Congress in 2004 sought to determine which of two federal agencies -- Labor's Veterans Employment and Training Service or the Office of Special Counsel -- was better suited to investigate alleged violations of the 1994 Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act. The law protects veterans from employment discrimination resulting from their service.
Lawmakers allowed the demonstration project to expire on Jan. 1, 2008, and federally employed service members now must return to consulting VETS for initial investigation of their claims.
Full story: http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=39004&dcn=e_gvet
The Labor Department once again has sole jurisdiction to investigate military service members' complaints about their federal employment, even though a study examining the processing of such claims was considered inconclusive.
A pilot project created by Congress in 2004 sought to determine which of two federal agencies -- Labor's Veterans Employment and Training Service or the Office of Special Counsel -- was better suited to investigate alleged violations of the 1994 Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act. The law protects veterans from employment discrimination resulting from their service.
Lawmakers allowed the demonstration project to expire on Jan. 1, 2008, and federally employed service members now must return to consulting VETS for initial investigation of their claims.
Full story: http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=39004&dcn=e_gvet
Monday, December 31, 2007
As military begins to draw down, National Guard ramps up
By Sydney J. Freedberg Jr.
National Journal
December 26, 2007
The Iraq drawdown has begun. By New Year's, a brigade of more than 3,000 U.S. troops will have left Iraq without a comparable unit taking its place. By mid-2008, the Bush administration pledges that force levels in Iraq will have returned to what they were before the 2007 "surge."
Republican political candidates across the country are hoping that this troop reduction -- from a high of 164,000 last August to 130,000-plus next July -- will relieve the political pressure from a still-unpopular war at a critical moment in their 2008 campaigns.
But there's a snag. While the military as a whole is ramping down, its most politically sensitive component -- the citizen-soldiers of the Army National Guard -- is ramping up. "Today we stand at 46,000 mobilized," said Lt. Gen. Clyde A. Vaughn, the Pentagon's director of the Army Guard. "I see us adding about 10,000 to that."
http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=38907&dcn=todaysnews
National Journal
December 26, 2007
The Iraq drawdown has begun. By New Year's, a brigade of more than 3,000 U.S. troops will have left Iraq without a comparable unit taking its place. By mid-2008, the Bush administration pledges that force levels in Iraq will have returned to what they were before the 2007 "surge."
Republican political candidates across the country are hoping that this troop reduction -- from a high of 164,000 last August to 130,000-plus next July -- will relieve the political pressure from a still-unpopular war at a critical moment in their 2008 campaigns.
But there's a snag. While the military as a whole is ramping down, its most politically sensitive component -- the citizen-soldiers of the Army National Guard -- is ramping up. "Today we stand at 46,000 mobilized," said Lt. Gen. Clyde A. Vaughn, the Pentagon's director of the Army Guard. "I see us adding about 10,000 to that."
http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=38907&dcn=todaysnews
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
Pilot project on handling veterans' employment complaints called inconclusive
By Brittany R. Ballenstedt
A demonstration project designed to study which of two federal agencies is better suited to investigate military service members' complaints about their federal employment rights was inconclusive and merits further review, members of a Senate committee said Wednesday.
Congress created the demonstration project in 2004 after criticism from several Guard members and reservists that the Labor Department's Veterans Employment and Training Service took far too long to investigate alleged violations of the 1994 Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act at federal agencies. The law is designed to protect veterans from employment discrimination resulting from their service.
"As our troops are returning home from battle, many of them seek to return to the jobs they held prior to their military service," said Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee Chairman Daniel Akaka, D-Hawaii. "I must admit to being particularly upset at the volume of claims related to federal service."
Full story: http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=38448&dcn=e_gvet
A demonstration project designed to study which of two federal agencies is better suited to investigate military service members' complaints about their federal employment rights was inconclusive and merits further review, members of a Senate committee said Wednesday.
Congress created the demonstration project in 2004 after criticism from several Guard members and reservists that the Labor Department's Veterans Employment and Training Service took far too long to investigate alleged violations of the 1994 Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act at federal agencies. The law is designed to protect veterans from employment discrimination resulting from their service.
"As our troops are returning home from battle, many of them seek to return to the jobs they held prior to their military service," said Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee Chairman Daniel Akaka, D-Hawaii. "I must admit to being particularly upset at the volume of claims related to federal service."
Full story: http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=38448&dcn=e_gvet
Friday, September 28, 2007
Reserve part of NECC could grow, admiral says
By Andrew Scutro - Staff writer
Posted : Thursday Sep 27, 2007 22:34:59 EDT
NAVAL AMPHIBIOUS BASE LITTLE CREEK, Va. — To listen to Vice Adm. John Cotton, chief of the Navy Reserve, the world is flat but gone to hell. Who gets to fix it? The ever-shrinking U.S. Navy, of course.
In a high-flying presentation that crossed the globe, bounced around and got back in just over two hours, the recalled-to-active-duty airline pilot told sailors and a few Marines that Cold War notions are dead, an ever-hungry China will dominate the global economy, poor nations make lots of babies, Islamic fundamentalists hate us, but really everyone just wants to live near the coast and chat on a cell phone.
No matter, he told them. The U.S. must be ready for any crisis and bloody human conflict has no end, but taxpayers can’t afford a large military force, so a chosen few will be asked to do more, even in a disaster or attack at home.
More at http://www.navytimes.com/news/2007/09/navy_cottonnecc_070927w/
Posted : Thursday Sep 27, 2007 22:34:59 EDT
NAVAL AMPHIBIOUS BASE LITTLE CREEK, Va. — To listen to Vice Adm. John Cotton, chief of the Navy Reserve, the world is flat but gone to hell. Who gets to fix it? The ever-shrinking U.S. Navy, of course.
In a high-flying presentation that crossed the globe, bounced around and got back in just over two hours, the recalled-to-active-duty airline pilot told sailors and a few Marines that Cold War notions are dead, an ever-hungry China will dominate the global economy, poor nations make lots of babies, Islamic fundamentalists hate us, but really everyone just wants to live near the coast and chat on a cell phone.
No matter, he told them. The U.S. must be ready for any crisis and bloody human conflict has no end, but taxpayers can’t afford a large military force, so a chosen few will be asked to do more, even in a disaster or attack at home.
More at http://www.navytimes.com/news/2007/09/navy_cottonnecc_070927w/
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
From Baghdad: CAPT Joel Rothschild checks in
RADM Masso stopped by on Friday and was here for the promotion of 31 new Chiefs. The ceremony was held in the Al Faw Palace and GEN Petraeus was in attendance. It was a really spectacular event. . . . I was fortunate to be in town. I've been doing a lot of travel lately, both around Iraq and the region. It has been a terrific opportunity to get out and meet many of the fine soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines as well as the Iraqis.Of them all, I have developed a special relationship with the Kurds. It has been said that nothing will improve here in Iraq until the love for their children overcomes their hatred for each other. They have done that in the North and I think the Kurds have a bright future ahead of them if given the opportunity.
CAPT Rothschild is just past the halfway mark in his current Iraq tour.
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Reserve EOD community forming
By Chris Amos - Staff writer
Posted : Tuesday Sep 18, 2007 17:16:09 EDT
The Navy will stand up an explosive ordnance disposal rating next month for the relatively small number of reservists — fewer than 100 — who are trained in the field.
The rating will initially be manned by reservists from different Navy Reserve communities who hold NECs 5332 through 5337, but Master Chief Petty Officer Don Siegel, an enlisted community manager technical adviser at Navy Personnel Command in Millington, Tenn., said there are not enough trained reservists to fill those slots.
More at http://www.navytimes.com/news/2007/09/navy_reserveeod_070918w/
Posted : Tuesday Sep 18, 2007 17:16:09 EDT
The Navy will stand up an explosive ordnance disposal rating next month for the relatively small number of reservists — fewer than 100 — who are trained in the field.
The rating will initially be manned by reservists from different Navy Reserve communities who hold NECs 5332 through 5337, but Master Chief Petty Officer Don Siegel, an enlisted community manager technical adviser at Navy Personnel Command in Millington, Tenn., said there are not enough trained reservists to fill those slots.
More at http://www.navytimes.com/news/2007/09/navy_reserveeod_070918w/
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