WASHINGTON, D.C. –
It is my great honor to serve as your Chief of Navy Reserve and Commander, Navy Reserve Force. This Force has been a constant source of pride and watching you balance the competing demands of family, civilian careers and service has been truly inspirational. You are the reason why I am fired up about the next four years.
We are in a strategic competition that demands urgent and focused preparations for a high-end fight. When the call comes to mobilize the Reserve Force, I am counting on each of you to be ready on day one to deliver warfare expertise to the Navy, Joint and Combined Force.
Four years ago, VADM Mustin initiated a decisive turn, positioning the Reserve Force to deliver strategic depth to our Navy Total Force. As a result, we have been singularly focused on warfighting. Warfighting will remain priority one, but you will see renewed attention on the warfighter. Reserve Sailors are our competitive advantage and most valuable resource and I intend to invest in you.
We will build a culture that enables all Sailors to reach their full potential; fosters high-performance at the individual, unit, and Force levels; and promotes a sense of connectedness across the entire Navy Reserve – our Sailors, Civilians, and Families. Cultivating a positive culture is critical to improving recruiting, retention, and warfighting readiness and we all have a role in this.
We will respect the multitude of demands placed on our Reserve Sailors and find ways to make the drilling experience simpler and more effective. Unnecessary requirements sap the energy of our Sailors and cause them to lose trust in our organization. We will explore changes to policy, processes, and systems to do this.
Leaders at all levels, you are the key to our success. You must lay the foundation for the success of every Sailor and Civilian in the organization. Cultivate trust and respect within your commands and units. Invest in everyone individually. Expect and demand the best from your team and facilitate that level of performance.
I am proud of where the Reserve Force is today. We have worked hard to build the strategic depth the Total Navy Force needs. But we have more work to do; work we will take on together. Our job is to fight and win our nation’s wars and we must ensure our Sailors and their families are prepared to do this when the call comes. Our work starts now.
We live in uncertain times. We can see the storm clouds gathering in the distance and feel the winds of change. While the challenges ahead may be daunting, I am energized to navigate this journey with you.
VADM Lacore