Photo By Master Sgt. Jim Greenhill | "Our military readiness is directly tied to our family readiness," Adm. Mike Mullen,...... read more read more
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NEW ORLEANS – Military readiness is directly tied to family readiness, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff told National Guard family program volunteers here today.
“This is our ninth year at war,” Adm. Mike Mullen said. “We continue at a level that has generated extraordinary results from the best military that I have ever been associated with in some 40-plus years.”
Family support has been a vital ingredient. “We couldn’t be anywhere close to where we are without you,” Mullen said.
The National Guard has transformed since Sept. 11, 2001, Mullen said. “There's no institution where things have changed more dramatically than in the Guard," he said. “We would not be anywhere close to where we are in terms of our execution of mission without the Guard and Reserve.”
And like other elements of the armed forces, the Guard has improved its family programs.
“You represent the best of the best,” Mullen told attendees at the 2010 National Guard Family Program Volunteer Workshop. “You represent so much of what America is, coming from every single community across the land.
“Thanks for your dedication. Thanks for your service. Thanks for caring about those who are serving and who are sacrificing.”
Further improvement in family readiness can be achieved across the military, Mullen said. “While there has been much done, there is much that is still out there to be done.”
That does not mean new programs. “We have seen our programs multiply by the dozens,” he said. “I don’t need anymore programs. I need the ones we have to really be working well.”
States, territories and the District of Columbia should share best practices, Mullen said.
“We don’t have time to have everybody developing a best practice,” he said. “Exchanging ideas … on what’s working and what isn’t is absolutely critical.”
Community-based support can be improved, Mullen said.
Other areas for improvement Mullen cited include: Stigma surrounding seeking help; treatment of traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress; homelessness among veterans; medical plans; suicide prevention and programs for wounded warriors.
“The emphasis is on disability and money,” Mullen said. “The emphasis needs to be on ability and on people and on their future.”
It was the chairman’s second visit to a National Guard Family Program Volunteer Workshop. He first attended the annual event in 2008.
“To me, this is an inspirational group,” Mullen said after his visit with workshop attendees. “They care a lot, they work the issues, and there is a lot of capability there.”
Throughout the armed services, “we have made enormous improvements in focusing on our families,” Mullen said.
Now family programs should aspire for further improvement, he said. “I don’t think any of us can rest on our laurels, and we need to move forward,” he said.
“What the leadership needs to do is take a look at what’s gone well, look very precisely at the gaps … just to make sure that we are meeting the needs of our families,” he said.
“This is not an infinite list,” Mullen said. “It is schools. It is child care. It is medical care. It is … preparation for deployment. It is what do we do on deployment. What do we do when we get back? … And address the stress levels, which are clearly there, and it’s something that’s going to be with us for a significant period of time.”
Addressing suicide in the armed forces, Mullen said everyone has a responsibility to attack the problem. “Leadership has to stay focused on this. I’m talking about leadership at the E-4, E-5 and E-6 level. All of us have a responsibility.
“It’s a very complex problem. We need to understand it. We need to thoroughly conduct training so people understand symptoms and can head this thing off. Oftentimes buddies and families are the first ones that see the symptoms.”
Increased dwell times as operations in Iraq wind down will help, Mullen said. “That will take some of the pressure off.
“That said, it’s not just all about deployments, because there have been an awful lot who have committed suicide that haven’t deployed, so there’s a completely comprehensive approach that has to be taken here.”
2010 is a year of increasing discussion about the future of the transformed National Guard.
The Guard’s participation in overseas operation has been a strength for America, Mullen said.
“That participation fundamentally changes every unit that goes,” he said. “It changes the whole military mix in that state, and we need to learn from that.
“Longer term, what does a strategic reserve look like? What does an operational reserve look like? And what’s the rotational cycle?
“That’s still all to be determined.”
| Date Taken: | 08.02.2010 |
| Date Posted: | 08.03.2010 06:16 |
| Story ID: | 53865 |
| Location: | NEW ORLEANS, LA, US |
| Web Views: | 96 |
| Downloads: | 86 |
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