VADM Mustin:

Shipmates,

I’m Vice Adm. John Mustin, Chief of Navy Reserve and Commander, Navy Reserve Force.

This is the final video– the fourth of four – in our series on the Navy Reserve Fighting Instructions. The Fighting Instructions are aligned with the CNO’s Navigation Plan 2021, and are the Navy Reserve’s action plan to transform the force from a Global War on Terrorism, Individual Augmentee force…to the warfighting-ready Reserve the Navy, Marine Corps and joint forces require to compete and win in an era of long-term strategic competition.

There are three distinct lines of effort outlined in the fighting instructions: design, train, and mobilize the force.

Today, we are focusing on the “Mobilize the Force” line of effort… and I’m joined by my friend, Rear Admiral Alan Reyes, who’s leading this important series of actions. Admiral Reyes is working to ensure we can mobilize the entire Selected Reserve force – all 49,000 SELRES – within 30 days.

RADM Reyes: Thank you, admiral.

Many of you have likely been an Individual Augmentee… to Afghanistan, Iraq, AFRICOM or other land-based missions, which the Navy Reserve has been sourcing for the last twenty years following 9/11.

If you have, you likely mobilized through the Expeditionary Combat Readiness Centers in either Norfolk or Gulfport.

The professional support staff at those locations perfected their mission to mobilize about 3,000 members a year in support of the Global War on Terrorism.

But the world has changed. We are now operating in an era of long-term strategic competition, which could require us to mobilize the entire Selected Reserve force…in 30 days.

The new process to help us achieve this is called distributed activation – or “DA.”

DA procedurally, geographically and even virtually mobilizes sailors through the regional commands and large local NOSCs…not through ECRC. Your NOSC and RCC will handle all paperwork and initiate your active duty account so you can arrive on station in as few as 48 hours.

We declared DA initially operational in January, meaning we can now mobilize the entire force in 90 days. We expect to declare full operational capability by January 2022 – meaning we can activate – and later deactivate – the entire force in 30 days.

COVID-19 and the SURGEMAIN activations/deactivations tested the early proof of concept nine months sooner than expected. We have taken the many lessons learned and worked them into the current DA process.

Also coming online in January 2022, is the Navy Pay and Personnel System – NP2 – which will simplify the establishment of active and Reserve pay accounts with the click of a button. Another win for mobilizing Reserve members quickly to the fight.

VADM Mustin: Thank you, Alan. The “Mobilize the Force” line of effort is a heavy lift, but one that is both long overdue and important…and well on its way to being fully operational.

Our joint forces, our service, and our nation demand that we get this right.

I welcome all your feedback as we test this new process.

Thank you for following our series on the Navy Reserve Fighting Instructions. We are moving out to implement changes to how we design, train and mobilize our force with a sense of urgency, and I expect you to know your role in maintaining your individual warfighting readiness.

Thanks for what you’re doing.

I look forward to seeing you in the fleet.

Now, let’s get busy.

(U.S. Navy video by Commander, Navy Reserve Public Affairs)