ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. -- We each have a story to tell as to how and why we decided to serve and more importantly why we stay. One commonality is that we are all volunteers. Every one of us made a commitment to our Nation to serve and protect. Choosing this life requires a balance of personal and family obligations with a military career. Reserve service presents many diverse opportunities affording members choices designed to achieve that balance. In the current, highly competitive environment for talent, the Reserve continues to struggle with retention, especially in our junior enlisted force. As a result, it’s time for us to operationalize retention. I view retention as a component of readiness. With a goal of reducing our loss rate by 1% leaders shall be accountable for actions to improve unit retention. This mindset needs to become a part of our culture with each of you taking an active role to improve retention in your units. The first step towards improvement is awareness.
A critical means to gain awareness is through feedback. Every voice matters. Leadership teams across our Command including CMSgt Nuñez and I value your perspectives and experience. As we reviewed unit exit surveys, two reasons stand out — Reservists leave military service due to climate issues and a perceived lack of career opportunities. We are all responsible for unit culture and climate, regardless of where we sit in the organization. A good culture is one that supports and encourages participation directly impacting retention. When a member feels valued, they are more likely to remain in our ranks. On the surface this seems easy but based on exit survey data, we have been missing the mark. It requires collaboration, continual engagement and conversations to gain insight and requires leaders at every level to act. At various points in one’s career, we are faced with a decision to remain in uniform or determine military service no longer fits in our life. Sometimes those decisions are beyond our span of control. Mandatory Separation Dates/Retirement and medical conditions are two examples. It is those variables we can control that I expect leaders to engage in. Proximity, AFSC, training and development and unit climate are variables we can positively influence. Leaders must engage and determine options for a member who is considering separation. Would they be more likely to continue service in a different capacity or is there a unit that is more conducive to support their civilian obligations making reenlistment a more tenable option. We have to explore these opportunities and have a responsibility to try. Taking accountability is needed for ensuring positive workplace environments for all Reservists. Creating a positive culture isn’t a one-time fix; it requires continual evaluation and action.
One benefit of Reserve service is flexibility to choose when, where and in what capacity you serve. Balancing multiple careers takes work. Our commitment to you is to maximize each drill period with impactful training. Time is precious – so when you are in status, your time needs to be spent building warfighting lethality. Training periods must be spent building and maintaining the skills required for success in a high-end fight. Airmen want to “live the commercial”. They are not scared of hard work or long days when they believe the effort is preparing them to do what they signed up to do; deter and defend against aggression and if that fails, defeat any adversary. There is not a single path to achieve success, but it requires retention.
Your communications and actions are the key to our competitive advantage. CMSgt Nuñez and I recognize that there are other barriers to continued service. For many years, the out-of-pocket expenses associated with travel for inactive duty were a burden for Reservists. However, in FY24 an amendment to the Joint Travel Regulation authorized the Reserve to increase Inactive Duty for Training (IDT) Travel Reimbursements. As a result, we increased the maximum reimbursement from $500 to $750 per trip and over the past two years, the program has provided stability for 13,000 part-time Airmen to decide where they want to serve. We realize improving this program is one small step in making Reserve service easier but there is more work to be done. It’s my belief that we recruit Airmen but retain families, so we will remain focused on and accountable to quality-of-life programs and policies to encourage continued service.
Our most valuable resource is our people. CMSgt Nuñez and I are committed to removing barriers. Together we must commit to operationalizing retention by taking ownership of culture at all levels, from the section commander through the wing commander. This is in line with the TASKORD I published as my first act as your AFRC Commander. My expectation remains that each member owns the responsibility for readiness, which includes retention and unit culture. My charge to each of you is to lead by example – be a positive influence in your unit and speak up when needed. There are multiple resources available to support and manage your military career. The Reserve model is based on choice, and we want you to choose us!