General Stenner: Keep components in sync

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. Paul Dean
  • Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs
WASHINGTON (AFNS) --  "We are not interested in a tiered readiness level," said the chief of the Air Force Reserve Sept. 15 during the Air Force Association's 2009 Air & Space Conference and Technology Exposition held at the National Harbor in Oxon Hill, Md.

"We are a seamless partner. We must turn challenges into opportunities, and opportunities into measurable objectives as we continue to improve the way the Air Force Reserve feeds the fight," said Lt. Gen. Charles E. Stenner Jr., the chief of Air Force Reserve and commander, Air Force Reserve Command.

The key priorities of Secretary of the Air Force Michael Donley and Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz are interwoven into the major command goals and objectives of the Air Force Reserve, General Stenner said. However, the management of citizen Airmen and their resources often detours him as he works toward the same destination.

The general's first challenge and opportunity is to provide and maintain a strategic reserve force that can be, and is, used around the world. This strategic force must also be sustainable, General Stenner said.

Obstacles in the path of a sustained strategic force include the ongoing high operations tempo, whereby if the force is overused in its entirety "or if any component of it is overused, the whole thing breaks," said General Stenner.

Working toward solving potential threats to the integrity of a sustainable strategic reserve, General Stenner said he is using hard data, proven management tools, feedback from his nine partnered major commands and application of sound military judgment.

The primary focus of sustainability is an analysis of low-density, high-demand jobs, comparing today's toolset to current and potential threats, and trying to anticipate shortfalls, the general said.

"Look to the future, (then) program to fix it," he said. "We are all getting together with all of the combatant commands and asking 'What do you need? What will you need?'  

"We have to know what we will need to fight the fights," General Stenner said, "because when the system is stressed there are only two options: the tempo goes down -- not likely -- or the talent pool has to increase, which takes a lot of time."

Any increase to the talent pool, which Reserve officials will undertake Oct. 1 because of an (adjustment) to their end strength cap, means more people will assume "triad" responsibilities: balancing family life, military life and civilian work obligations. 

Command officials are collecting data designed to help make sure programs are in place that make the triad easier to manage and also to allow open communication with political leaders who are asking how to build stronger bridges between the Reserve and civilian employers.

The general commissioned an independent survey to look for answers about the military leg of the triad, why people join and what keeps them in. The survey revealed that the most important things to citizen Airmen are a sense of patriotism and the chance to earn a retirement. This information will help with recruiting and retention.

General Stenner is now ready to ask employers to verify his suspicions about their greatest needs: predictability in knowing when an Airmen will deploy, an understanding of why "their" Airman is needed, a true sense of how long the Airman will be gone and information about when they will have to go again.

Addressing the family balance leg of the triad, the general said he is committed to using best practices from any branch or component that can be helpful to citizen Airmen.

The third of General Stenner's current challenges and opportunities is acquisition, one of Secretary Donley's and General Schwartz's key priorities.

This challenge is also markedly different for the Reserve, said General Stenner. The budget and appropriations process does not work the same for the Air Force Reserve as it does for the active duty component.

"But we must not do things one component at a time," said General Stenner. "We are doing things as one Air Force. We have to rebuild and modernize. We must also synchronize."

Synchronization is the key to any challenge facing the Air Force, said General Stenner.

"This is all about getting the most capability in the most effective and efficient manner. We will work together through the details, then as an Air Force we will continue to win."