If the Army goes to war, so will the Army Reserve, and the component’s formations must be ready now, said Lt. Gen. Robert Harter, the new chief of Army Reserve and commanding general of Army Reserve Command.

Speaking at the Association of the U.S. Army’s Annual Meeting and Exposition, Harter said the Army Reserve will be needed “early and often” because it has the bulk of the service’s combat support and combat service support capabilities, Harter said.

“The Army Reserve exists for one reason, we have one purpose, to build and deliver combat ready soldiers in formations in support of the Army, and we have to drive on that,” Harter said Oct. 15 during an Army Reserve forum. “We are an essential enabling capability for the United States Army and the nation.”

Harter, who was sworn in on Aug. 5, said, “I love my Army Guard teammates” and noted that he and Army National Guard Director Lt. Gen. Jonathan Stubbs are friends who are going to “drive on things together.”

“But the Guard provides strategic depth with combat capability,” he said. “With your Army Reserve, and I know I'm preaching to the choir here, we will be needed early and often. We have 100% of theater opening capability for the United States Army.”

Harter listed some of the capabilities the Reserve provides to the Regular Army, including 99% of the bulk fuel capacity, 100% of theater engineer commands at the two-star level, 100% of theater tactical signal brigades, about 80% of interrogation assets, 70% to 80% of medical capacity and 70% of water purification units, among others.

“My point is the [Regular Army] goes, the [National Guard] goes, we go, you go, we go, and if I have a concern, the challenge is that when I look at the threat environment today, and I hear these other senior leaders talk about the threat environment, …  it's not if, but when,” Harter said.

— Gina Cavallaro