Military Officer - November 2006 - (Page 54)

erations. ■ Stultz, a 25-year employee of Procter & Gamble (P&G), has been mostly a full-time soldier since October 2002, when he deployed to Kuwait as commander of the 143rd Transportation Command in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Moving forward in the invasion force, Stultz established the ﬁrst forward logistics hub at Tallil, Iraq, and initial rail operations in Garma, west of Baghdad. By October 2003, he was responsible for the deployment and redeployment of sustainment supplies for U.S. and coalition forces in Kuwait and Iraq. From January to August 2004, he oversaw port and ground transportation operations for the largest movement of forces since World War II. ■ After 22 months in theater, Stultz returned to the U.S. and shifted to his “citizen” role as P&G’s operations manager in Orlando, Fla., until his appointment to chief, Army Reserve. This interview with contributing editor Tom Philpott has been edited for space and clarity. How does your experience as a corporate executive with P&G affect your Army Reserve leadership? First, I know what soldiers go through when they have to put their civilian lives on hold, leave their families, and then come back to try to put things together. It helps me put in perspective what’s important to soldiers and families. I understand, too, what employers go through. I know what it means to lose an employee as a soldier. I also recognize the value added for both parties. We have this partnership [with employers under the 54 MILITARY OFFICER NOVEMBER 2006 changes we have to make today for what’s going to happen in ﬁve years.’ ” Likewise, it strengthens the Army Reserve to have the civilian workforce in its ranks with capabilities the Army doesn’t have on an ongoing basis — civil affairs guys, for example, who are city planners, waterworks directors, power plant operators, ﬁre chiefs, and police chiefs. A reserve doctor comes in who is double board-certiﬁed and now he’s in Iraq operating at a very high skill level we wouldn’t normally have. Military police drawn from civilian police forces teach skills about remaining calm under pressure. Flip the switch and that same policeman is coming back having walked the streets of Fallujah, [bringing] a different maturity and conﬁdence. P&G can easily absorb the absence of an employee for a year’s service in Iraq, but for a small employer it’s pretty tough. That’s one of the biggest challenges for reserve components. The term “warrior citizen” says two things: I’ve got to have a soldier who’s trained, ready, and equipped when the nation calls, but I’ve [also] got an obligation to allow that soldier to be a citizen. That’s what pays the mortgage. With a large corporation, there is somebody waiting to take my job. It’s a different situation for a smaller company or the self-employed — you’re taking a key employee out of the mix. How do you absorb that? The key, from my perspective, is this Army Force Generation or ARFORGEN model, which sets a onein-ﬁve year deployment rotation. The soldier, the family, [and] the employer need that predictability. That’s what we have to get to in the Army Reserve. Is there predictability now? Once a soldier is mobilized and comes back, we cannot involuntarily new Army Force Generation model] that says, “If you’ll give me your employee [for deployment] once every ﬁve years, I’ll give you back a valueadded employee.” I’ve seen that in my own case. One thing P&G valued with me was the strategic thinking the Army taught. Quite often P&G would put me into sessions where we’re developing visions, strategies, and long-range plans. They said, “We value what you bring from the military, that strategicthinking capability to put yourself at the 40,000-foot level and look over the horizon and say, ‘These are the

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From the Editor From the President Your Views MOAA Directory Rapid Fire Washington Scene Financial Forum Ask the Doctor Chapter Activities Cover Story: Financial Guidebook Got (the right) Insurance? A Penny Saved, a Degree Earned The “Y” MOAA Scholarship Recipients Pages of History Information Exchange Member Books MOAA Scholarship Donors MOAA Member Services Advertising Index MOAA Calendar Sounding Taps Encore

Military Officer - November 2006

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