ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY

Despite a host of challenges, the first major Army Reserve unit to mobilize as the COVID-19 pandemic set in recently completed a successful nine-month deployment to the Middle East, supporting operations across 13 countries while keeping soldiers safe.

The Army Reserve is set to meet its end strength goal this year, according to the component’s senior enlisted soldier, who said that while the component missed last year’s recruiting mission, it surpassed its retention goals.

Describing 2020 as “a tough year” for the Army Reserve as it carried out multiple emergency missions at home, Command Sgt. Maj. Andrew Lombardo, who became the 14th command sergeant major of the Army Reserve in April, said the component has increased its mission requirements and is executing a plan that will help boost recruiting.

The senior enlisted soldier of the Army Reserve speaks Dec. 9 in a webinar hosted by the Association of the U.S. Army.

The Army Reserve must prepare its commanders and soldiers for multidomain operations with training that incorporates mission command, tools that can replicate domains other than land, and the platforms soldiers need to remain physically fit and resilient, senior leaders said.

U.S. Army North, already overseeing DoD COVID-19 operations in Texas, will deploy military medical personnel to California as the global fight against the novel coronavirus continues.

“We’re working with FEMA across the entire country to determine what other military capabilities may be needed to assist in this fight,” Lt. Gen. Laura Richardson, Army North commander, said July 14 during the Association of the U.S. Army’s Thought Leaders webinar series.

The military’s reserve components could play larger roles in the overall U.S. defense after the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a retired Army general. 

“This is a fairly striking period of time,” retired Lt. Gen. David Barno, a visiting professor of strategic studies and senior fellow at the Merrill Center of the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies, said during a virtual discussion with the Center for Strategic and International Studies in June. 

Maj. Gen. Jody Daniels, commander of the Army Reserve’s 88th Regional Readiness Division and a former chief of staff for Army Forces Command, has been nominated to be the next chief of the Army Reserve.

If confirmed by the Senate, Daniels will receive her third star and become the first woman to lead a major Army component. She would succeed Lt. Gen. Charles Luckey, who has led the Army Reserve since June 2016.