Lt. Gen. Charles Luckey explains the role of the Army Reserve in Hurricane Harvey relief efforts.
KN Stephanie promise with ABC news thanks for watching abcnews.com. Right now we’re joined with lieutenant general Charles di lucky the chief of the army reserve. As in a big boss the big boss of the army reserve and commanding general public advocates are combat. Certainly understand that they through time by the way thanks for him it’s a pleasure to be. We others. Thank you we understand that you leave it more than 200000. Reserve soldiers and civilians it across the country really in some overseas. And we also an army we’re army reserve soldiers are. They train and they are ready to deploy the moments on this and we’re seeing that in Texas with the tragic and catastrophic flooding happening in Texas right now. Army reserve soldiers being deployed to Houston and Beaumont in other areas. Talk to us a little bit about that effort and how these soldiers are managing. That effort they are that. Part of the country. This system here is huge public characterizes deployment of characters and more of an employment because what we’re really doing is leveraging. This scope and magnitude of America’s army reserve so. In the state of Texas alone we have thousands of them soldiers and America’s under over that live in communities all over this great state taxes. And what happens on a bad day is if some of the capabilities of some of those soldiers camp was equipment or capacity is needed by folks to help amount. While they were responding we call immediate response authority. To get out there and take care what needs to get so that’s been happening now for several days. We’ve we’ve had helicopters involved in doing this heavy lift and he looked helicopters effect trucks we’ve shared space it in it and it in enabled other. In some case naval personnel. Texas Guardsmen and civilians who have either you need to places for shelter was we’ve opened a partly was or status for them so it’s. It’s really not about. Moving a bunch of stuff to support the effort in the first instance is about. Leveraging effect that we are except that means we’re in the communities across America. Ready to support the American people company that’s all the story on right now Texas is part of the total army total team effort. To make sure to order we came here. But seeing those reserve soldiers there on the grounds of soldiers from the 79 quartermaster. Company also the 11 by the pianist who were seen these army reserve soldiers there hands on getting to work. We heard from the head of the National Guard. Earlier in the week he said that they had 30000 guards men. On standby ready to two to go into that part of the country. And and help. What. What’s this situation. Or how dire does this. Situation need to feed before. Army reserve soldiers are sent out into that region. Well I would. You know so again we’re were already there so we’re leveraging these I think we’re more national I would so once we get past immediate response is really. What does that FEMA needs what’s that mission assignments. Who was decided that we need additional capacity capability. So like a work for the chief Jeff and I say charm it worked for the commander of yours army forces command. If if my senior leadership tells me they need more capability of force to move more things we will do like that. What I don’t I’m my own decide I’m gonna move more stuff more places a response to the chain of command as they term. Sewers you know. American army reserve is a federal force all the time so I there’s no change in change of command my work for the chief for the forced on command of sector. Point 473225. In either one of my job so that you don’t leisure and accurate Israel’s. You charge. So I’ll just say it works were ready to do whatever folks need is to do bought. We would. Right now we’re doing what’s it in our within our stories and appropriate base somewhere I’ve been absent. Your visit so let’s talk a little bit about the army reserve as a whole we know that army reserve soldiers to put the we know that army reserve soldiers clear basically leading to life they’ve got their civilian career. There are multiple lives right there Stanley they’ve got their Stanley lines and then they’ve also got. They’ve got this military career. Talk a little bit about that balance that army reserve soldiers have been have to had. In order to be a part of this military world yet so thanks for that is it really did gives me now tinged talk for just a second the American people about. What an awesome team American farmers are so. About a 195.200000 soldiers do more than that when you include civilian workforce and some of the folks are supporting us and contracts for things at the end of the day. 200000 soldiers plus or minus spread across. Pretty much of an actual service we’re were twenty times in it in their capacities most of them about 92% ham. Civilian jobs outside of the military so they are not full time soldiers. The music at a bouncer relation to their employers. And they got to pay and they got a they got to make sure that their families are not overly stressed by war ration do so to delicate balance in a way reported that and I think I. Actually supposed to force really our responsibilities to be ready enough to be relevant to support whatever it is the American people need to do with army needed to do. But not so ready that most of my soldiers can’t keep its green jobs so part of my responsibility part of my challenges to message everywhere I can every day. Obvious that the imports of the strategic partnership between me as league of America’s army reserves in employers across. Really across such a such as America but in many parts of the world levers as partnership where. We’re sharing the best talent in America between America’s army reserve that employer and yes the family’s troubles troops. So it’s a delicate balance but we’ve got fantastic soldiers we have extraordinarily supportive damaged. We a lot of employers are out there that they are proud to be part of this team. So it’s working out OK you know ABC news is one of them. But so the post about at. Readiness and I’ve heard you speak of the ready for sex right. And with Vista to the current situation that we see with what that North Korea pockets of ice is in a rock in Syria in Afghanistan the dealing with a twelve under so much going on across the world. Talk to us about this new effort that you are putting into play called ready for sacks. A ready for sex is really. Picketers and intellectual construct a national a little worried but really what it is it’s a way for some managed inside your army reserve. Those things we have to do. Most quickly it to the best of our ability to deploy capable so with that ranges of the 200000 soldiers we talked about there’s a smaller group would then it needs to be at him from the unit of action perspective. Very ready to be able to move quickly so we focus. Some of our Manning policies are quickly and policies modernization. In his some cases in some cases where we put four structure to get after making sure we’re we are. Focusing on doing the first things first which is. Key units have to go quickly making sure that they are should stated very Iger. And if you’re trained to our level proficiency simply because the amount of time we’ll have post mobilization. To actually move them into harm’s way attention in the enters its abuse it’s not a whole lot of times we’ve got to be pretty. Helping. Pick and basically if something were to go wrong now usually with the deployment.
