RALEIGH, N.C. - Army Maj. Gen. Greg Lusk, the adjutant general of North Carolina, looked at a room full of his peers. These men and women deploy ready trained forces. They lead professionals who serve in defense of our nation. They are experienced senior U.S. military officers in the Army, Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force. They shared one mission at the North Carolina Reserve Component Commanders Council at the North Carolina National Guard Joint Force Headquarters, in Raleigh, N.C., June 10, 2014.
“We all need to work together,” said Lusk.
They also face unique problems that their active duty brethren do not face. A commander of an active duty fort, base or camp may be responsible for a facility the size of a large city with training areas dozens of miles across and may be the largest employer in the area.
These commanders lead more than 22,000 Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines, training in 183 facilities spread across all 100 counties in the state with an economic impact of nearly 1 billion dollars.
“We have got to keep in mind the value of the reserve component,” said Lusk.
The challenge facing the commanders is balancing the needs of members, their families, employers and communities. Long commutes to training, education and health benefits, career progression in the military and civilian world, informing employers, maintaining ties to the community and improving training facilities.
“There are an awful lot of things that affect the reserve component,” said Lusk.
One thing affecting many reserve members is translating their military schools and training in to civilian credentials. This was made much smaller by the North Carolina General Assembly and Lusk’s commander in chief, Governor Pat McCrory. McCrory earlier that day signed into law a bill at NCNG Headquarters that day to give greater opportunities to turn military skill and experience into civilian college credits and certifications.