EVERETT, Wash. — Commander, Navy Region Northwest, Reserve Component Command (CNRNW RCC) Everett recently executed the Local Area Coordinator for Mobilization (LACMOB) program for deploying Selected Reservists (SELRES) in support of the fiscal year 2021 (FY21) remote and distributed mobilization training plan, March 22-26.
Capt. Jonas Jones, commander, CNRNW RCC Everett, was thrilled for his RCC to be the first Reserve region to exercise delegated LACMOB authority.
"Our Reservists are the best in the nation,” said Jones. “To know we are a critical enabler of this nation’s warfighting readiness makes this a great time to be in the Navy Reserve.”
Jones said RCC Northwest had a singular focus during LACMOB, “Our goal was to prove to Navy Expeditionary Combat Command (NECC) and Expeditionary Combat Readiness Center (ECRC) that we can rapidly mobilize Sailors and give them added capability and capacity going forward.”
By the end of the event, CNRNW RCC succeeded in mobilizing Reservists deploying to various overseas locations.
While most Reserve Sailors who have mobilized in the last 20 years have done so through a Navy Mobilization Processing Site (NMPS), the LACMOB program ensures the Navy Reserve itself can mobilize a large number of Reserve Sailors quickly in an era of Great Power Competition.
With a Full-Time Support (FTS) staff of 60 personnel at CNRNW RCC Everett, and 200 more at the 16 Navy Operational Support Centers (NOSC) within the region, Jones says RCC Northwest was selected as the test site for LACMOB at the echelon four level due to their reputation as a force leader in readiness metrics. Additionally, the region was selected due to the number of FTS Sailors who received on-the-job training last year while deploying Sailors in support of the COVID-19 pandemic response efforts, using the Distributed Mobilization (DM) concept, a process similar to LACMOB using local Reserve centers as the deployment processing site.
Chief Hull Technician Maria Michel, one of the coordinators of the LACMOB event, expressed why she was excited to be part of the test.
“Our shipmates and our Sailors continue to be mission-ready at all times,” said Michel. “We need to be ready to mobilize personnel when we get the call to support commands at every hierarchy level. We all know it is not a matter of ‘if’ we are called, but rather of ‘when.’”
Michel said it has taken significant training and focus to get to this point.
“Our DM team has invested a lot of hard work, dedication, learning and planning these many months,” she said. “This investment into mission readiness will pay significant dividends in the future. It is a strong foundation that will ensure the Navy continues to mobilize Sailors efficiently and effectively.”
In the next 12 months, the remaining five RCCs are expected to join RCC Everett as fully-qualified processing sites rising to meet the readiness demands of the Great Power Competition era.
Jones will turn over duties later this year, and views LACMOB as a part of the culmination of his command tour.
“Our team has made this one of the proudest moments in my 30 years of service. Leading the execution of this event in command of the finest RCC — in the finest Reserve Force — in the finest Navy the world has ever seen makes me feel extremely fortunate to be a part of this team. It has been an incredible honor.”
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