Army Reserve Chief: Multi-Component Training Is Key

As threats around the world continue to evolve, the head of the Army Reserve said the Army must continue to adjust its requirements. 

"The Army may be called upon to operate in an environment that is more dangerous and more intense than it has been for some period of years," said Lt. Gen. Charles Luckey, who became the commanding general of Army Reserve Command on June 30.

"The Army Reserve needs to make sure that it’s able to be an integral part of that total force, so that’s really what I’m working on."

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One way to improve Army Reserve soldiers’ readiness is by seeking more multi-component training, Luckey said.

"We bring tremendous capabilities and talents at a discount into the Army," he said. "We will continue to look for places to exploit that as we move into the future."

This includes working closely with Forces Command to take "every opportunity" to train with active Army and Army National Guard soldiers, Luckey said.

"Putting a demand, if you will, on the system, on our formations to make sure that they have the capabilities and the capacity to deliver what they need to under stress," he said.

The Reserve also is working to identify certain units, based on criteria such as skills and manning, that are at a higher level of readiness to respond if needed, Luckey said.

"Identifying those units and making sure they know that if push comes to shove, they will be expected to be able to, on relatively short notice, move from phase zero to a higher level of readiness and be able to be deployed into any number of potential contingency operations," he said.

This would mark a shift in the way the Army Reserve prepared for contingencies, Luckey said.

"We have tended, for all the right reasons, to look at this as a rotational model of building readiness over time and then consuming that readiness in some sort of anticipated deployment or exercise," Luckey said. "While I think that’s still a legitimate way of building readiness over time to meet reasonably foreseeable requirements, it may not be, in and of itself, sufficient to have surge capacity in the event that something more expansive is called for."

Army Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Milley has said "the threat environment we’re in calls for the Army to be able to, on relatively short notice, surge to a potentially anticipated requirement," Luckey said. And the Army Reserve must be ready because it is home to much of the Army’s combat support and combat service support capabilities, he said.

As the Reserve works to build for the future, it remains engaged around the world.

"The Army is asking for everything from military police formations conducting detainee operations in Guantanamo to port facilities operators in the Middle East," Luckey said.

The component also is focused on continuing to reinforce and support its families and employers, Luckey said.

"Not only is it very important that every soldier feels that their families are being taken care of and are being appreciated and supported, but it’s also the right thing to do," he said.

Luckey said he is optimistic about the future of the Army Reserve despite the challenges that lie ahead.

"We’re not training and manning and equipping ourselves to fight the last war," he said. "We’re looking to do the best we can based on what the future threat environment looks like and how we need to be organized, trained and equipped to deal with those threats. We’ve got a big challenge ahead of us, but we’re going to do this with leadership, energy and execution. This is about unleashing the power of this team of some 200,000 soldiers to take ownership of and deliver this capability for the American people, and I have total confidence that we’re going to do it."