Photo By Julianne Sympson | U.S. Army Col. Tom Niles (left) takes the oath of office during his promotion ceremony...... read more read more
NAVAL STATION NORFOLK, Va. - On Feb. 1, the U.S. Army Reserve Command (USARC) reorganized the Joint Enabling Capabilities Command’s (JECC) Army Reserve structure. It was re-designated as the JECC Army Reserve Element (ARE) on the same day. This reorganization demonstrates a continual focus on the full integration of active duty and Reserve component personnel to execute the JECC’s mission of providing mission-tailored joint capability packages to combatant commanders to rapidly establish joint force headquarters, fulfill Global Response Force execution and bridge joint operational requirements.
The JECC employs a “total force” concept in which Reserve members train to the same readiness standards as active duty members and are regular participants in JECC deployments for combatant command exercises and real-world missions. This total force concept creates a strong, cohesive unit that builds upon each other’s areas of expertise to bring even greater value to the joint force commander.
With the reorganization of the Army Reserve structure, there will be one clear chain of command for all the Army Reserve personnel assigned to each of the JECC’s subordinate joint commands – the Joint Communications Support Element (JCSE), the Joint Public Affairs Support Element (JPASE) and the Joint Planning Support Element (JPSE). As a subordinate unit of the 335th Signal Command (SC), led by U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Lawrence W. Brock, III, the JECC ARE will fall under his administrative control while the JECC headquarters will maintain operational control when Reservists are called to active duty.
“The benefit of having one Army Reserve unit under the JECC is unity of command,” said Ms. Bethany Lenderman, the JECC J9 Reserve Forces manager and a primary subject matter expert during the JECC ARE reorganization. “The commander of the JECC can engage one commanding general for all U.S. Army Reserve issues. The 335th SC is also a seasoned operational command. Their ability to adapt their operational processes to enable JECC's rapid deployment has thus far allowed a seamless transition.”
Army Reserve personnel from JPASE and JPSE were previously aligned with the 76th U.S. Army Reserve Response Command under the former U.S. Joint Forces Command’s legacy Reserve structure, while Army Reserve personnel from JCSE’s 4th Joint Communications Squadron have always been aligned under the 335th SC. This past September, the USARC determined the reorganized JECC ARE, including all the command’s subordinate elements, would be aligned under the 335th SC in order to provide unity of effort for their support to the JECC.
“The primary advantage of being aligned under the 335th is maintaining the functional alignment of communicators in the 4th Joint Communications Squadron,” said Lenderman. “Most U.S. Army Reserve communications units are aligned under the 335th and remaining with them allows the JECC communicators to maintain currency in U.S. Army Reserve communications trends while promoting professional development opportunities.”
U.S. Army Col. Tom Niles will serve as the acting ARE Commander until mid-summer when a permanent, board-selected ARE Commander arrives. Niles then will assume command of the U.S. Army Reserve Logistics Civil Augmentation Program Support Group at Rock Island, Ill. Until this time, Niles will be responsible for providing trained and ready troops to execute the JECC’s mission. As a career Army officer with over 20 years in the Army Reserve, Niles was honored to be selected to lead this cohesive unit in the interim.
“It’s quite a compliment to be given this opportunity,” said Niles. “Commanding at this level is very personally satisfying. It means that people believe you have the experience and skills required and trust your judgment to make the ARE a more successful organization.”
Niles is looking forward to shaping the JECC ARE to best support the JECC’s mission requirements and creating a robust unit capable of contributing the capabilities and expertise needed to the complement the JECC’s total force team.
“The JECC ARE is engaged in meaningful work. In addition to meeting standards of readiness, we have an impact on mission requirements,” said Niles. “The biggest challenge will be to ensure we can support the JECC’s rapid mobilization. However, this is an opportunity to build the ARE to be a more effective team.”
The JECC ARE will have a total authorized strength of 260 billets, although the unit is currently only manned at 85 percent. The JECC is actively recruiting qualified Army Reserve personnel to fill the remaining vacancies within the ARE. To find out more about these positions or to apply, please visit the JECC ARE’s site on Army Knowledge Online at: https://www.us.army.mil/suite/page/661395 or send an email to U.S. Army Lt. Col. Rich Graham, the JECC ARE interim Deputy Commander, at: richard.m.graham4.mil@mail.mil.
| Date Taken: | 03.01.2014 |
| Date Posted: | 03.04.2014 12:08 |
| Story ID: | 121484 |
| Location: | NAVAL STATION NORFOLK, VIRGINIA, US |
| Web Views: | 269 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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