Reserve duty requirement for AC General Officer promotion?

COL Thomas F. — Thu, 23 Jul 2015 13:44:40 -0400

A comment that I have heard reflects the idea of a Total Army, in which Active Component Officers should have served sometime in the reserve community before they are considered for general officer. The thought is since all three COMPOs are working more closely, AC GOs will need to intimately understand how the RC works and what it brings to the table to better incorporate them into the mission. Yes, they do get (limited) education in their professional military education, but we are talking about a significant time period embedded in an RC unit. Tours such as an AC/RC position, working in First Army, assignment to one of the USAR Training Commands, etc.

Response by MAJ Jim Steven made Jul 23 at 2015 2:38 PM

MAJ Jim Steven — Thu, 23 Jul 2015 14:38:14 -0400

not necessarily a bad idea, but not a great one due to flawed logic - you can read and listen, but until you have lived it, you will never know...
I thought it was, every reservist needed to do some time on active duty to know what "the real army was like." And, then, someone decided officers needed to served enlisted first, to better understand the plight of the soldier and barracks life. Of course, every President should have done some time in uniform (would a 4 year NG enlistment really be enough), of course, if you have been to prison, you probably better understand the shortcomings of the judicial system....
experience helps, but then you have those who try to tell you what you are and are not, based on those experiences.

Response by BG Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 29 at 2015 2:45 PM

BG Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 29 Jul 2015 14:45:40 -0400

I think this is a great idea. We purposely built the Army to require use of the Reserves, but many AC officers still do not get how to use us. I still have a battle with them on understanding that we have our own color of money (RPA) and computer system (RLAS) and can't simply use theirs.

Response by LCDR Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 29 at 2015 3:20 PM

LCDR Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 29 Jul 2015 15:20:31 -0400

I don't think this is realistic. The problem is for an active component officer to serve in the reserve component, they need to take a "slot" in the reserve component, and thus someone else's potential job opportunity.

Response by CPT Aaron Kletzing made Jul 30 at 2015 9:50 AM

CPT Aaron Kletzing — Thu, 30 Jul 2015 09:50:37 -0400

I don't see why this should be a REQUIREMENT. At first glance, it doesn't make sense to me as a mandatory thing.

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 30 at 2015 10:04 AM

LTC Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 30 Jul 2015 10:04:30 -0400

When AC Service-members get sent to school, I think that would be a great time for them to work in a Reserve unit. It could be an enlightening, or even humbling experience, for those who think Reservists are less-than. It would also help Reserve units by providing more personnel and diverse experiences.

Response by MG Stephen Hogan made Aug 5 at 2015 3:01 PM

MG Stephen Hogan — Wed, 05 Aug 2015 15:01:42 -0400

It has a historic precedence. McArthur banished Geo. Marshall to the Illinois Guard as an 0-6, and Marshall did credit that time as essential in the conceptual design of the Victory plan. It is alleged that McArthur did it to kill Marshall's career, though.

That said, it is excellent in theory, problematic in practice. We have known professional officers that were 'box checkers"- in that they studied and tried to land on the dime of that certain amount of time to be branch qualified, in their functional area, joint assignments, whatever. I'd say such a policy would encourage that sort of behavior.

I actually also think that the RC side would be the entity that killed such an initiative. We have our own schedules and some of the same habits in "checking blocks", and an AC program of this sort would not be helpful in the timely checking of blocks.

So, I'd have to say no- it's the officer's own responsibility to be functional in all aspects of jointness.

One man's opinion.

Response by LTC Michael A. Staves made Aug 15 at 2015 9:29 PM

LTC Michael A. Staves — Sat, 15 Aug 2015 21:29:56 -0400

I thought Officers moving up the ranks have had to do at least one of the 3 Rs for some time (Reserve, Recruiting, or ROTC)?

Response by BG Jeffrey Horne made Aug 20 at 2015 1:41 PM

BG Jeffrey Horne — Thu, 20 Aug 2015 13:41:53 -0400

This is a tough situation for both parties, but I think it definately rounds out a future GO. Its often a challenge to truly understand and lead a population you have never experienced but the gates you need to make to ensure competitiveness make this unlikely for some. It's probably a good objective that is rewarded when dont, but not a mandatory requirement.