NAVY RESERVE LAW PROGRAM FLAG E-GRAM
April 2, 2009
Deputy Judge Advocate General of the Navy
Reserve Affairs and Operations
This is my first opportunity to communicate with the entire RC officer and LN community since issuing an assumption of office message in December, and I will plan to post similar messages quarterly. I would like to start by thanking all of you -- attorneys, Legalmen, and civilians -- for the hard work and sacrifice that you put forth daily to ensure mission accomplishment. I said this in my assumption of office statement, and it is one of my guiding principles; it is truly an honor and a privilege to serve with you. Thank you, and thanks to your families, for everything you do in support of our Navy and our country.
This is also an excellent forum to welcome two of our new key personnel. First, after six years of absolutely superior service as our Law Program Manager, CAPT Joe Twining has retired, and CAPT Janet Donovan has taken over as our new program manager, as well as SJA to Commander Navy Reserve Forces Command (CNRFC). Our LN community also has new leadership in LNCM Jeffery Luthi, who relieved LNCM Tim Ayoub in January. Both CAPT Donovan and Master Chief Luthi bring valuable expertise to their jobs.
The past four months have been eventful, and there is much to do in the years ahead. In February, we completed work on planning our Total Force structure, an effort previously referred to as “Active-Reserve Integration.” This planning process has been detailed in past Flag-Grams, and officers and LNs have been briefed on the general Total Force construct at various symposiums held throughout the year. The planning is over, and now it is time to execute.
Over the next several months, a team consisting of myself, CAPT Janet Donovan, LCDR James Mills, EA and head of Code 62, and LNCM Jeffrey Lüthi, Command Master Chief, will travel to major installations throughout the country to hold Town Hall meetings with active and reserve personnel. The purpose of the meetings is to provide more information on our Total Force plan, and to listen to questions and suggestions. Rest assured that the changes we are implementing have been well vetted by a variety of active and Reserve personnel, will be carefully implemented, and will provide us with a strong and fully integrated program.
I recently attended the ribbon cutting of the new CNRFC headquarters building at Naval Support Activity Norfolk, and I hope many of you have an opportunity to visit the facility in the coming years. The building places CNRFC squarely in the middle of the Fleet Forces compound activity, and close to NOB Norfolk. CAPT Donovan will post contact information within the next several weeks. In keeping with the theme of transition and change, VADM MacDonald presided over a formal retirement ceremony for RADM Norton Joerg on 31 March at the Washington Navy Yard, in recognition of RADM Joerg’s 1 December 2008 retirement. The ceremony was well attended, and photos will be posted to the website shortly.
I will close for now by saying that we have exciting and challenging work ahead of us in the coming years. In a knowledge-based community such as ours, it will always be the quality of the people, and of the leadership, that determines our success in accomplishing our mission and meeting new challenges. I am confident that we will succeed – we have good people, and we have a sound strategy to provide superior legal service to the Navy. That said, it is now time for execution, and that will be our focus over the next several years.
Warm regards,
/S/ Steve Talson
Rear Admiral, JAGC, U.S. Navy