Below is a copy of our Commanding General's New Year Message. I thought it interesting to post here because of the goals and visions stated for the upcoming year. Does your SDF have stated goals like this?

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Commanding General's
New Year Message

To the Officers, Soldiers, and Airmen of the California State Military Reserve,

Happy New Year and welcome to what will be the most exciting year in State Military Reserve (SMR) history. What a great place to be; serving our great nation and State. Today we are on alert for a severe winter storm during the next few days. WARNO 08-01 "Storm Sentinel" lists the SMR in the Concept of Operations with 4 major "Be prepared and on order" tasks to execute, which could involve hundreds of our personnel.

Last year was one of the most dynamic years in the history of the SMR. There was the mobilization of over 180 of our Soldiers and Airmen to Operation Fall Blaze, integration of the SMR into the Joint Staff, the graduation of our 2nd Officers Candidate School (OCS) class, and a realization on the part of the leadership of the California Military Department how important the SMR was to their operations and success. We ended 2007 with 658 Soldiers and Airmen in the SMR, this is almost 100 more than this time last year.

2008 is shaping up to be even more dynamic and rewarding. Our "New Year's Resolutions" are going to be challenging:

1. First quarter recruiting goal is to break 700. Continue to recruit quality personnel into the SMR.

2. Implement the SMR reorganization plan and stand up the Southern Regional Support Command in February.

3. Stand up the Northern Regional Support Command in the spring and find a suitable location for its new headquarters.

4. Energize the Air Component and double its size and support to the Air Guard.

5. See the Naval Militia reactivated.

6. Expand our integration into the Joint Staff and our support to National Guard units in their home Armories

7. Develop new and realistic TDA's to match our new structure and missions.

8. Develop SMR mobilization plans and battle roster our people to support the Guard.

9. Revamp BOC into a regional basic training "boot camp" done several times a year in both northern and southern California.

10. Continue to develop professional military education programs for our NCO's and officers. Graduate our 2nd Warrant Officer Candidate Class (WOCC) and our 3rd OCS class.

11. Continue to update, revise, and streamline our:

a. Regulations

b. Strategic Plan

c. Recruiting/Accession Process and Paperwork

d. Awards and Decorations Process

12. Last, but not least conduct Annual Training.

You have a lot to be proud of; each of you individually and collectively as units have accomplished more than I or anyone in the National Guard dreamed we could do to improve the image of the SMR and our professional standards. Stand tall and be proud to be in the SMR, the finest and most professional State Defense Force in the country. The benchmark for the rest and envy of all. Bravo Zulu.

Get ready for an even bigger and better year. Best wishes to all of you and your families. I am honored and privileged to be your commander and very proud to serve with all you. God Bless you.

EMORY J. HAGAN, III
Brigadier General, CSMR
Commanding General

Thats a great recruiting performance for 2007. Of course, the critical thing is keeping them in after their first year or two. That is when they really decide if the organization is right for them or not.

However, I'm a little skeptical about any organization that thinks its going to double its size (the air component). Seems unrealistic.

I guess the BZ reference is in hopes that CA will get that naval militia so that they can tell everyone else what that means...

Well, considering that the Air Component is numbering in the teens (if that much), doubling it may not be that much of a stretch.

quote:

Originally posted by CA_Soldier:
Well, considering that the Air Component is numbering in the teens (if that much), doubling it may not be that much of a stretch.

Hopefully BG Hagan is cleaning house and rewriting policy wrt the air side. They've had the policy where you had to be prior USAF, USAFR, or CANG to get in. Prior service in another branch or non-priors with relevant civilian skills need not apply. And as far as I know, CSMR soldiers can't transfer over either. The result is that force is small and consists of retirees that are (or at least look like) they're +55 years old. They're all officers or senior enlisted.

Why in the world would they make that a requirement for the air branch in particular? I can understand, but disagree with states that have a prior-service requirement to join the SDF, but it makes no sense to me to put such a requirement for just one part of an SDF.

They are definetely not going to double in size without dropping that requirement.

The "air" requirement is supposedly an un-written verbal policy from the DAG Air. The AF has always been a club, they don't want outsiders joining. I don't see the air requirement being changed any time soon.

But they can recruit all they want, won't do them any good when it takes 6 months or more to get applications approved by HQ.

I was reading through CASMR's Goals for 2008 and was wondering if CASMR was making good progress towards its goals?

quote:

Originally posted by SSGTJarvis:
I was reading through CASMR's Goals for 2008 and was wondering if CASMR was making good progress towards its goals?

#2 has been completed. #7,8,9,10 are currently (supposedly) in progress. Good question, though. I'll have to inquire.

As far as it taking 6 months or more to process - most are due to packets that are incomplete or incorrectly done. This should change to due to the recent recruiter training school (1st one) that many recruiters (including myself) received.

quote:

Originally posted by CSMRSgt:
As far as it taking 6 months or more to process - most are due to packets that are incomplete or incorrectly done. This should change to due to the recent recruiter training school (1st one) that many recruiters (including myself) received.

This is very true. The application process is quite detailed and part of the reason for it is to see if an applicant is willing to invest the time to do it correctly or if they have the - "Heck, I'm just volunteering. So what if I half **s the thing. They're lucky to have me" type attitude. The SMR is no longer just a place to hang out with your buddies to drink coffee and talk about the good 'ol days or pretend to be a soldier. We need people who are willing to give time to projects big or small, which is a tall order. It's not for everyone.

As for recruiter school, thank you for going to that. We've never had a "unified" approach to recruiting. My only concern is that everyone got paid to do go to that school. I can only hope we'll get some quality recruits in return as opposed to the "revolving door" recruits in the past. (i.e. recruiter lies to get people in to inflate numbers. recruit finds out recruiter lied. recruit quits.)

This message has been edited. Last edited by: sdfsgt,

quote:

Originally posted by SSGTJarvis:
I was reading through CASMR's Goals for 2008 and was wondering if CASMR was making good progress towards its goals?

Here's the mid-year report, plus a little blurb (albeit, outdated) about our participation in OPERATION LIGHTNING STRIKE:

Commanding General's
Mid Year Update

Commanding General's
Mid Year Update

To the Officers, Soldiers, and Airmen of the California State Military Reserve,

At the beginning of the New Year I published New Year’s resolutions/goals for the State Military Reserve (SMR) for 2008 and I want to give you an update on how we are doing on meeting those challenges:

1. First quarter recruiting goal is to break 700. Continue to recruit quality personnel into the SMR.

In April, we broke 700 and today there are 740 personnel in the SMR. At this rate, we could possibly go over 800 by the end of the year.
We conducted our first recruiter school in April with 26 graduates and 5 staff personnel attending. These graduates will be our full time recruiters in the Southern and Northern Recruiting Commands and will be authorized to wear the CSMR Recruiters Badge as they achieve their recruiting goals.

2. Implement the SMR reorganization plan and stand up the Southern Regional Support Command in February.

The Southern Regional Support Command was activated on 9 February 2008.

3. Stand up the Northern Regional Support Command in the spring and find a suitable location for its new headquarters.

The Northern Regional Support Command will be activated as soon as I resolve some organizational issues.
Elements of the soon to be Northern Regional Support Command Headquarters have started moving to the Fairfield Armory. The 49th MP Brigade Headquarters given them a warm welcome and found suitable space for them.

4. Energize the Air Component and double its size and support to the Air Guard.

The Air Component has gone from 21 to 37, so we are well on our way to accomplish this goal.
We are now providing Air Component support at Channel Islands, Moffet, Fresno, and Joint Forces Headquarters.

5. See the Naval Militia reactivated.

<list>On 6 May 2008, The TAG approved the Naval Militia reactivation plan and directed we move on to next phase which is briefings for members of the Governor’s office. Our next step is to brief the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services and Office of Homeland Security.</list>

6. Expand our integration into the Joint Staff and our support to National Guard units in their home Armories.

<list>The Joint Staff continues to refine its requirements for SMR support. We are building those requirements into the Joint Staff Support TDA and are actively recruiting personnel to support those. We now have approximately 21 people assigned to the Joint Staff.
We have had several inquires about SMR support in Redding and Chico. </list>

7. Develop new and realistic TDA’s to match our new structure and missions.

<list>The first round of new TDA’s, which include the new Regional Support Commands, have been submitted and they are being worked.
These TDA’s are being built for the SMR of the future (2013 to 2018), not for the SMR of today.</list>

8. Develop SMR mobilization plans and battle-roster our people to support the Guard.

<list>Progress is being made on this project. With the activation of over 64 CSMR personnel in support of the on going “Operation Lightning Strike 2008,” which is the Military Department’s support to fight the current wild fires throughout the state, and forecast for a heavier than usual fire season, the Mobilization Plan and Battle-Rosters have moved up in the priority to be finalized.</list>

9. Revamp BOC into a regional basic training “boot camp” done several times a year in both northern and southern California.

<list>We have developed an enhanced Basic Orientation Course (BOC). It is 6 training days long, consisting of three weekends, one weekend a month for 3 consecutive months. Training for those weekends will be all day Sat and Sun. This will be the drill weekend for those new personnel.
We ran the first phase on the new BOC at Camp Parks on 26-27 April for the Northern Area.
The second phase of BOC (North) is tentatively scheduled for August/September.
Feedback after the first phase indicates the new program is going to be highly successful. Great job to all the Officers and soldiers in the G-3 shop.</list>

10. Continue to develop professional military education programs for our NCO’s and officers. Graduate our 2nd Warrant Officer Candidate Class (WOCC) and our 3rd OCS class.

OCS and WOCC phases 1 through 4 have been conducted so far this year and phase 5 should be completed by December.
All the NCO Schools (BNCO, ANCO, and SNCO) are tentatively scheduled for a consolidated training event. See more under Annual Training below at #12.
Officer Advance Courses and Command and Staff College remain a challenge to find for our officers, but we continue to seek options.
An Officer’s Basic Course for the professional officers (Medical, Dental, Nurses, SJA’s, and Chaplains) has been developed and is tentatively scheduled for the consolidated training event.

11. Continue to update, revise, and streamline our:

Regulations

CSMR 670-1 our Uniform Regulation has been published.
CSMR 600-1, 600-2, 600-3, 600-9, and 600-10 are under revision.

Strategic Plan

Our portion of the Military Department’s Strategic Plan has been updated.

Recruiting/Accession Process and Paperwork

Extensive work has been done and is continuing to be done by our recruiting force and G-1 to further improve this process.

<list>The use of the abbreviated accession package for applicants retiring or being released from active duty, the reserves, or the National Guard has been extended from 6 months to 13 months from their release date.
New Live Scan procedures for the background checks are being developed.
Awards and Decorations Process
Every award that Headquarters is aware of has been processed. If someone has been put in for an award and has not received it, please resubmit it to the G-1 ASAP.</list>

12. Last, but not least conduct Annual Training.

<list>Annual Training that was scheduled for 5 days at Camp Parks from 30 July to 3 August 2008 has been postponed due to the State budget situation. I do not expect that we will have a State budget approved and in place by 1 September 2008. This prevents us from contracting and expending money except for emergencies and thus prevents us from conducting any type of training in July or August.
The new plan is to restructure Annual Training into a consolidated training event which focuses on Defense to Civil Authorities (DSCA) and Professional Military Education (PME) courses for those who are available and capable of attending.
The new tentative dates for this consolidated DSCA/PME Training Event are primary 8-12 October 2008 and secondary 5-9 November 2008. The location is still Camp Parks. In light of the State budget crisis, we need to resolve some budget issues to determine if we can go forward with this training event. As soon as I know more I will pass it to you and your commanders.
Commanders please finish completing and submitting your unit’s individual training schedules to the G-3. More details will be published as soon as possible.</list>

In some areas we have made great progress and in few areas we are still grinding forward at a painfully slow pace. But at the end of the day, we are making significant progress in resetting the SMR to exceed the expectations and needs of the California National Guard.

“Operation Lightning Strike 2008.” Currently we have a total of -64 SMR personnel that have been activated in support of the Military Department as augment staff in the J-1, J-3, J-4, J-5, J-8, Joint Operations Center (JOC), and the State Personnel Office. We are manning IC4U communications units around the State. We have deployed Liaison Officers (LNO’s) to the State Operations Center (SOC) and we have deployed one of our Purchasing and Contracting (P&C) Teams. Additionally, we are running the In/Out Mobilization Processing Center for all National Guard and CSMR personnel who have been deployed to the Joint Forces Headquarters. We are significantly engaged in this operation and doing a superb job.

I want to thank everyone for all the hard work and time that they have put into the accomplishments listed above. What we have done is truly a team effort. I receive comments on a daily basis from every level of the National Guard and other support agencies as well as from within the SMR about how professional the SMR is and what great strides we have made. We are changing the culture of the SMR and the way we are viewed by the National Guard. Take pride in what you have done and keep charging forward. We continue to raise the benchmark for excellence.

Again, I can’t express how honored and privileged I am to be your commander and I am very proud to serve with each of you. God Bless you.


EMORY J. HAGAN, III

Brigadier General, CSMR
Commanding General