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The Army National Guard is a vital part of the U.S. military, serving communities at the state and national levels by responding to domestic emergencies and overseas missions. It regularly undergoes evaluations for readiness, stationing, force structure allowance (FSA) and assigned modernization levels (AMOD) efforts directed by the Department of Defense (DOD), Headquarters Department of the Army (HQDA) and National Guard Bureau (NGB).
The FSA designates or adjusts AMOD for Army National Guard units, desired equipment allocations, resources, and force structure.
"Meeting the Force Structure Allowance for the fiscal year of 2023 for the Hawaii Army National Guard (HIARNG) was significant because it means that we have full formations within the National Guard to be able to complete our state and federal missions," said Lt. Col. Allen Tudela, commander of the Recruiting and Retention Battalion, HIARNG. “A prime example was the Maui wildfire and its impacts. With the many Soldiers that were called up to do that, we fulfilled the requirements to support the local community within Maui."
At the beginning of each fiscal year, the National Guard Bureau issues target numbers to the states and territories to meet for combat effectiveness and disaster response readiness.
“We have to meet the FSA in order to be able to fight the nation's war; at that level of war, it's way beyond us meeting just our numbers," said Col. Barbara P. Tucker, the HIARNG military personnel officer. "We need to do our part within our state to meet that level in order to have a bigger picture at the national level to keep Hawaii ready for whatever we may be called on to serve and whenever we are needed.”
The U.S. military is constantly preparing for conflict in any theater worldwide and relies on each state to meet specific capabilities in times of war and conflict.
"It's important for the Hawaii Army National Guard to meet the FSA because that brings force structure into the state, which equates to money coming into the state as well as bringing jobs into the state," said Tucker. "The more units we have and the more Soldiers we have, the more resources we get from the national level."
The Hawaii Army National Guard exceeded the FSA's expectations for the fiscal year 2023.
"Our mission letter had us at 3,056 Soldiers for the State of Hawaii," said Tudela. "Through all the efforts for that year, we ended up at 3,067. Recruiting and retention successes were key to meeting our force structure allowance."
Cohesive and coordinated programs strengthen recruitment and retention initiatives within the Hawaii Army National Guard.
"The Hawaii Army National Guard Recruiting and Retention Battalion directly impacted the FSA through the means of gaining enlisted, officers, warrants, folks coming from active duty, and interstate transfers coming into the state," said Tudela. "Our marketing campaigns, visibility on local media, interactions with high schools and local centers were all able to contribute immensely to meeting the FSA."
Tucker believes that at the other end of recruiting is retention, and a strong connection with Soldiers is a crucial factor in maintaining their commitment to the HIARNG.
"As part of our retention campaign, it comes down to taking care of our Soldiers," said Tucker. "When they feel taken care of, they want to continue to serve, so retention rate was high, which helped the recruiting portion, and the two components complimented each other to grow."
The National Guard occupies a dual state-federal mission and can rapidly mobilize as a combat fighting force overseas or locally to support disasters and state emergencies.
"Hawaii is doing its part," said Tudela. "We're fully manned and have the capability of expanding, getting more resources, and that's what we're trying to do here."
The Hawaii National Guard's mission is to provide trained, ready and resilient joint forces for multi-domain operations locally within the state and local communities and the global theater of operations.
"From just us being out there in the communities, knowing what opportunities we can provide, and what the benefits those individuals get to serve," said Tudela. "People know who we are, what we are, what our capabilities are, and it allows us to do our mission as a fully capable combat fighting force or in the state emergency response."
The commitment to serve in uniform within their communities is a critical component of why Soldiers of the Hawaii National Guard choose to serve.
"I feel that the majority of the National Guard joined the Guard to serve the communities," said Tucker. "Yes, we wear that uniform of the federal mission, but it feels good to be able to help the people in the community, a sense of belonging and a sense of service, and I think that is a key to recruitment and retention within the Hawaii Army National Guard."
| Date Taken: | 02.08.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 02.09.2024 19:33 |
| Story ID: | 463632 |
| Location: | HONOLULU, HI, US |
| Web Views: | 277 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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