February has been a busy month, as we move in the new calendar year to address new challenges even as we review the lessons learned over the past 12 months. I want to focus for a moment on some very good news; discussions of our new challenges and efforts will come in the next few Flag*Grams.

The Reserve Law Program has never contributed more to our community. Our Reserve judge advocates and legalmen together are a formidable force-multiplier every day.

Consider the following facts. We have upped Active Duty for Special Work (ADSW) contributions by 60% in the face of an overall cut in ADSW funding, Navy-wide, of 50%. Overall contributions by legalmen alone are up 85% year-over-year: about 20 man-years, spread over virtually our entire Reserve LN community. Judge advocates have added another 100 man-years through ADSW, ADT, AT, and drills. This means that, day-to-day, our RC officers and enlisted members have provided the equivalent of about 120 skilled, problem-solving, ready, and flexible professionals to the JAG Corps mix. This is huge, and matches or exceeds our highest rate of contribution ever.

What is more, this great contribution does not take into account our contributions via mobilizations in support of our efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan. All-in-all, RC judge advocates and legalmen have contributed about 30% of all individual augmentees (IAs) to those theaters – and elsewhere, such as Guantanamo Bay and the Office of Military Commissions. That percentage will rise as demands for top-drawer legal talent continues to grow.

To meet these demands, you are stepping up as never before, with a willingness to flex your schedules and lives that is impressive and deeply gratifying. Still, there are strains, as we struggle to balance the competing needs of civilian jobs, Reserve duty and families –- to the point where we have had to go to involuntary recalls to fill IA requirements on several occasions. To a person, all those affected have met their burdens and sacrifices with grace and commitment, indistinguishable in every respect from their active duty counterparts. We are truly a community of professionals, dedicated to service.

Active-Reserve Integration and Alignment is all about ensuring that we remain tightly bound with each other, RC and AC -– to best deliver legal services to the Fleet in a way that takes advantage of the best each part of the community can offer. We are pursuing CNO’s goals to maintain "a diverse, high-performing, competency-based and mission-focused force" and to "[i]nstill in [it] a focus on mission and individual readiness that is underpinned by a warrior ethos." As a tightly-integrated, focused, marvelously competent and ready team of professionals, we are well on our way. BZ!

Norton Joerg

February, 2008