vWe didn’t hear one mention of the Army National Guard or United States Army Reserve. It’s fascinating to us at Friendly Forces that we seem to be the only ones talking about the tie-in between all of these issues…recruiting, retention, the talent war, national security…. The private sector doesn’t compete for Guard and Reserve soldiers because many of us already… Continue reading Army Faces Private Sector Competition in Battle for Skilled Workers

One of the dirty little secrets of the Guard and Reserve is that it basically cannot function without a bunch of work in between drill periods from soldiers, NCOs, and Officers. This time is usually unpaid and often those who push back against it are shamed as being bad/uncommitted soldiers and rewarded with a less… Continue reading DUTY AND COMPENSATION IN THE RESERVE COMPONENT: ONE WEEKEND A MONTH, TWO WEEKS A YEAR, AND A BUNCH OF UNPAID WORK

On September 11th, 2001, the concept of the weekend warrior serving “one weekend a month, two weeks a year” became obsolete. Overnight, the Reserve Component (the National Guard and Reserve) went from a “strategic reserve” to an integral part of daily global US military operations. Two decades of war, a massive uptick in domestic missions,… Continue reading Welcome to Friendly Forces