NAVAL RESERVE FLAGpGRAM 03-01

From: Rear Admiral Steven B. Kantrowitz, JAGC, USNR

To: All Naval Reserve Judge Advocates and Legalmen

Subj: FlagpE-Gram 03-01

Date: 30 October 2002

1. As in the past, this Flag E-Gram will inform you of issues important to our Reserve JAG Corps community.

2. Deputy Judge Advocate General of the Navy and Commander, Naval Legal Service Command. Our new JAG leadership team is now complete. Rear Admiral Jim McPherson assumed his duties on 4 October 2002. Admiral McPherson is a superb judge advocate, leader and friend, with broad experience in the most significant billets in our Corps. Admiral Lohr’s introduction of Admiral McPherson at the change of command included something I want to share with you: Admiral McPherson’s prior command was recognized with the Admiral Hugh H. Howell award for both its supporting unit and as best gaining command, in the same year. This is an unmatched achievement that says it all about Admiral McPherson’s commitment to a strong active/Reserve partnership. I look forward to working with him.

3. Leadership Conference. Our SJA/CO conference will be held on 13-15 December 2002 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Crystal City, Arlington, Virginia. Details are available on our Web page: www.nrjag.org. The leadership of our community will be trained there and have an opportunity to raise issues of importance and operate as our "Board of Directors," charting our future course. That information will be carried back to the drill decks by the COs.

4. Leadership Team. Captain Mac Carter continues as my Deputy but a number of other changes have occurred. While I know that most are aware of these, I want to highlight them. LCDR Frank Bustamante now heads OJAG, Code 62. LCDR Bustamante is the link between the active and Reserve partners. He determines active requirements for Reserve support and plans for meeting these through mobilization, ADSW, ADT/AT, and drills. Captain Joe Twining has assumed duties as Law Program Manager (and Force Judge Advocate) at Naval Reserve Forces Command in New Orleans. In addition to serving as our advocate and manager for resources, he is involved in identifying and solving manpower problems –including ensuring that our units are properly structured and filled. Last, but not least, Master Chief Tim Ayoub has assumed duties as our Senior Enlisted Advisor. Master Chief is responsible for running our Chief’s Mess and our entire legalman program –training, mentoring, detailing and leading.

5. Issues of Interest.

a. New Order Writing System (NOWS). NOWS is online and working. One important point for those without convenient Web access: You still may do business by delivering, faxing or mailing an orders request to the Naval Reserve Activity (NRA). NOWS is not meant to inconvenience anyone. For those who are Web-enabled, NOWS is a great way to do business. As of 17 October, more than 20,000 Web users were registered, and more than 6,000 orders had been written. Eventually, NOWS will send an email concerning status, but for the present, the Naval Reservist needs to get on the Web and check status. If orders are rejected for lack of funds, use the chain of command to see if there is a workaround –do not give up. Call the Help Desk with any problems –that is what it is there for and those who staff it want to help. Presently, the system is generating travel itineraries within one day (excluding Federal holidays) in 95 percent of cases. This is a great system and a great improvement in how we do business. Bravo Zulu to the Naval Reserve Leadership!

b. Additional Drills for Unit Leadership. Reserve Forces Command will now authorize one extra pay drill per month for unit COs, XOs or TOs (training officers), and senior unit enlisted (LPO or CPO). This is overdue recognition for the extra time put in by the leadership outside normal drill. Please contact the NRA if you are entitled and want the extra pay drills.

c. NRA Support. Our Naval Reserve leadership’s goal is to have the NRA properly serve its customers –you. The Full Time Support (FTS) personnel (formerly TARS) are there to help. Rear Admiral McLaughlin, Commander of Naval Reserve Forces Command, places the highest priority on that service. Toward that end, NRAs will be open for business throughout the month to support drilling Reserves. If you are not receiving the quality of customer support our Reserve leadership demands, use the chain of command to seek change. If necessary, I will discuss it with the Reserve Forces Command Flags.

d. Travel orders. Our Reserve leadership has addressed one source of concern for Reservists executing various types of orders (AT, ADT, IDTT). No longer will Reservists be required to go from the home of record to the place of temporary duty. It also allows travel from one place of duty to another. Now the orders may be from the place where the Reservist is located to the duty station, so long as it is no more expensive than from the home of record.

e. Mobilization/Demobilization. At the Reserve Flag Conference, The Vice Chief of Naval Operations put forward the Navy’s view of Reserve support during the Global War on Terrorism (GWOT): Because we will continue to need Reserves at various times during the GWOT, we cannot afford to waste these assets when they are not really needed. This is also unfair to the Reservist unnecessarily mobilized. Therefore, Reservists will be demobilized when no longer critical. The GWOT is a long-term conflict and Reserves will be called up throughout the duration. You need to be prepared in every way –trained for your mobilization billet, medically/dentally ready, family primed to the maximum extent possible, and employment concerns addressed.

6. Article 6 Billet Board (Apply Board). As you know, all commander, captain, and commanding officer billets are selected by board action. Our "Article 6 (UCMJ) Board" is a panel of the national Apply Board convened by Commander Naval Reserve Forces Command. Captains Steve Peterson, Mac Carter, Bruce MacDonald (active duty, Special Counsel to the CNO), Norton Joerg, Claudette Wells, Joe Twining, and Paul Gamble joined me on the board.  LCDR Frank Bustamante served as Recorder. Rear Admiral Bob Clark, President of the overall board, also served on our panel. Our board worked very hard to select the best-qualified officer for each billet and to honor individual preferences as much as possible. Unfortunately, not all qualified officers could be detailed to billets. That is a fact of life not only in the JAG community but also in virtually all Reserve officer communities. The best we can do is to select our top officers based upon their records. This was done.

The work of the board does bring up a serious concern. While many officers have outstanding records, a fair number of judge advocates either do not know how to manage their career and maintain their records or do not care enough to do so. Either way, they are hurting themselves and we need to reach out to them to improve this situation. Since our prior efforts have left us considerably off the mark, professional development and record maintenance will be a focus of the FY 2003 Leadership Conference and Military Law Update Workshops. We have to do better, and we will.

7. ADT period in support of JAG/NLSC. In late July, I again sat in at the Pentagon during a period when Admiral Lohr was taking much-deserved leave and Admiral McPherson was not yet nominated. It was an interesting week for me. I had several meetings with the General Counsel of the Navy, the Honorable Alberto J. Mora, and his deputies. I also met with Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Manpower and Reserve Affairs, the Honorable William A. Navas, Jr., and I attended the SECNAV staff meeting and the CNO morning meeting. As this ADT demonstrated, I am committed to being prepared to perform my mobilization billet. At the same time, this ADT period reflects Admiral Lohr’s confidence that a Reserve flag can and should be a full partner. Our takeaway on this is clear: You should be ready to fill in for your counterpart (petty officer, chief, judge advocate, or CO) and your counterpart should give you the most challenging opportunities.

During that same time, I met with a number of JAG/NAMARA codes and heard great things about the support you provide. I also worked on restoring end strength and funding for our 30 new TSO billets (lost during a budget drill late in the spring). I mention this because you need to know about the help we received from Vice Admiral Totushek and Rear Admiral Lohr. That timely and tough support made all the difference. Admiral Totushek’s financial management staff was stellar. Without Captain Ken Panos and Commander Rob Marin, 30 judge advocates and legalmen would be out of pay right now. Thanks to these two new honorary Reserve judge advocates.

8. Bottom Line (Repeated from my last FlagpE-Gram because it is critical): We must continue to focus on real-time support, provided in a customer-friendly manner. AT must be scheduled far in advance and for periods when the gaining command can fully utilize the support. There must be no "surprise" judge advocates or legalmen appearing to perform AT, ADT, or IDTT. Communication is critical. If the Naval Reserve Activity (NRA) is seen as a negative factor in mission accomplishment, then the unit leadership must take steps to resolve the issue -- be it lack of IDTT funding, inadequate equipment at the drill site (not the gaining command), or taskings by the NRA that detract from gaining-command support and are not required by higher authority. Again, we need to communicate and attempt to understand the NRA’s perspective and work through a solution. If the matter cannot be resolved at the unit level, please utilize the chain of command so that I can work on a solution. This guidance applies equally to units supporting OJAG, NAMARA, and CIVLAWSUPPACT.

9. Professionalism (Also repeated from a previous FlagpE-Gram because of its importance): Over the past year, I have made improving our Navy professionalism a top priority. Captain Mac Carter and I are pleased with the progress, but we still have a way to go. I see too many communications that do not comply with the most basic requirements of Navy correspondence rules and etiquette. If you are unsure, ask someone or consult the appropriate references. Official record maintenance, including microfiche record and personnel summary record (PSR), is also a continuing concern. Lack of attention to the record may result in non-selection for promotion, billets, and other critical screenings. We provided detailed instruction regarding this area at the 2001 Military Law Update Workshops and, as noted above, we will do so again in FY 2003. Use the chain of command to get the help you need to ensure that your record is accurate and complete.

10. Our team is doing great things to enable the Navy/Marine Corps team to fight and win. We need to continue to focus on two things –mission accomplishment and development of our legalmen and judge advocates. Keep your leadership posted on your successes and what support you need to get even better. We will respond. Thank you, your family, and your employer for all that you do for our Navy.

11. I request that you forward this FlagpE-Gram to those under your cognizance promptly.

12. God Bless America.

R,

Steven B. Kantrowitz