By Esther Carey
Special to Federal News Radio

The leaders of the Army and the Army Reserve are focusing on viewing the two organizations as one unified force and encouraging personnel to transition from one to the other, said retired Lt. Gen. Jack Stultz, former commanding general of the Army Reserve Command.

When soldiers choose to switch from active duty to reserve or vice versa, it saves the Army the money of training new people and maintains a “circle of talent,” said Stultz on Federal News Radio’s On DoD. Stultz relinquished command to Lt. Gen. Jeff Talley at a June 9 ceremony after serving in the post for six years.

“Formerly, both the active and Reserve forces were fully focused on retention,” Stultz said. “As we reduce the active Army force, the Reserve is beginning to absorb some of those people. We want them to see this as a time of transition rather than a time to get out of the military.”

The Reserve is an important part of the Army, since it accounts for the vast majority of support personnel such as engineers, drivers and medics. Stultz said his challenge as commander was transforming the Reserve from a strategic to an operational force when time was the issue rather than money. Talley will face the distinct challenge of maintaining the Reserve with plenty of time but limited budget.

Esther Carey is an intern at Federal News Radio.

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