Hello. I'm Ron Helmly, Chief, Army Reserve; and Commanding General of the United States Army Reserve Command. Thank you for allowing me a few minutes to speak to you, the Army Reserve family - Soldiers, your families and employees, as directly as I can, about the role of our Army Reserve and the nation's Global War on Terrorism.

In April of this year, the world cheered when statues of Saddam Hussein came tumbling down, symbolizing the end to a dictator's reign of terror. Similarly, the world cheered as the Taliban fell and Al-Qaeda fled Afghanistan. These victories occurred because of the sacrifices of the brave men and women of the United States Army, the Army Reserve and the Army National Guard. I'm extremely proud to serve with all the men and women who are our warriors and Soldiers.

Never before, have we, Army Reserve Soldiers been asked to do as much as we do today. Once thought of as a "Force in Reserve," a force that drilled one weekend a month, two weeks in the summer, that force has now become a critical and vital element, a full partner, in today's Army. Army Reserve Soldiers are increasingly called upon to help carry the weight of fighting and winning our nation's wars.

The purpose of the Army Reserve is to provide Soldiers and units to assist the United States Army when we are called. And yet, over the years, the expectation was that service in the Army Reserve would be one weekend a month and two weeks in the summer. For many, many years, indeed, many decades, that was true enough. Those expectations have now proven false, and the purpose of our talk today is to set the record straight about our Army Reserve's place in this changed and dangerous world.

Let me say that I appreciate and respect the fact that our Army Reserve is comprised of citizen-Soldiers. A major attribute of our Army Reserve is that it is made up of Soldiers who use their civilian based skills to perform their military missions. Historically, it was clear that our mission wasn't to be on the line every day and available to provide an immediate response. Our fellow Soldiers who serve on Active duty had that mission. And at the time, the very stability of the Cold-War world encouraged many Army Reserve Soldiers to believe that they'd never be called, or if they were, it wouldn't be to a place that was all that bad. I am sure there were even a few who thought, "I only have to train for a weekend a month and two weeks every summer and I'll never get called." Well, we won the Cold War, and the world changed forever, and with it a lot of expectations.

Today, the nation is asking Army Reserve Soldiers to be prepared to serve on Active duty when called. The United States is the preeminent world power today because of the sacrifice of American Soldiers. Sacrifice is the bread and expectation of Soldiers. Just as the generation of WWII answered the call to service, we are being called upon today to sacrifice in defense of our nation in the Global War on Terrorism.

As our President has said, the Global War on Terrorism is going to last a very long time. Sometimes, there will be fights like we've seen in Afghanistan and Iraq. And at other times, the fights will be in places that don't make the news. Right now we have American forces serving around the world in places that many of us might have a hard time finding on the world map; yet, these brave Soldiers are going about their business with great distinction and courage, rooting out terrorists and the evil they represent.

I believe the news has accurately reported that planning for post-war operations in Iraq didn't recognize the full potential for the violence, instability and insecurity that have occurred. So now we are engaged in something that we didn't expect. The optimists thought all would be well, that we'd be welcomed as liberators by the Iraqi people, and be home in six months time. That just hasn't been the case. Last fall, we were directed to mobilize Soldiers for one year.... despite our arguments that it might need to be longer. Because the orders said one year, the natural tendency was to assume just that. The very unstable dynamic, dangerous situation in Iraq has shown us that it is going to take a much larger force than had been previously anticipated or planned for.

Recently, the Department of the Army announced that our Soldiers will be on the ground, in the theater of operations for 12 months. Some leaders assumed our Soldiers already understood that. I don't think we were very clear at all. I am also very disappointed in the way that the decision was announced and the stress that it caused for Army Reserve Soldiers and their families. Many of you read it in the papers or heard it on TV first. We owe our Soldiers and you, their families, better. So, we need to adjust to ensure we provide our best support to our nation, our Soldiers and, importantly, our families.

Currently, our structure, that is our units and our organizations, is out of balance with the reality of the Global War on Terrorism. For years, the Cold-War Army was structured to fight in a way that isn't relevant today. September 11th, 2001, dramatically changed America forever. And so, we in the United States Army Reserve, once again find ourselves out in front, defending our very way of life.

The numbers tell the story: In the years between 1996 and 2001, we had about 9,300 Army Reserve Soldiers mobilized each year. Since September 11, 2001, we've had many, many more mobilized. At our peak, just after September 11th, we had over 82,000 Army Reserve Soldiers on Active duty; and today, we have about 62,000 mobilized. This trend is likely to continue.

In order to relieve the pressure on our Soldiers, I am restructuring our force to take the type units that are no longer needed and reorganize them into units that are needed and required for the Global War on Terrorism. Having more of the right kinds of units, means we don't have to keep going back to the same Soldiers, their units and their families over and over. This is a very big challenge, and it will work, but it takes time and it takes patience. And, candidly, both of these are very precious commodities.

It will take time to get our force restructured and set ourselves on a path where we have a rotational base that we're able to sustain, one that will provide the predictability that is essential to Army families. While we are making these changes, there may still be some Soldiers with critical skills who unfortunately will have to be extended for a second year of mobilization. However, we will always avoid this wherever possible. Our ultimate goal is to balance our force in the Army Reserve so that a Soldier will not have to mobilize for more than a 9 to 12-month period in a five-year window. I am working very, very hard to make that a reality.

I understand that there is confusion and I apologize for it. I can't control what you hear in the news and I can't control what you hear from each other. I can only tell you what I know. Together, we are going to change this Army Reserve of ours. It will be an institution that is sensitive to the needs of its people as it trains for war. My responsibility is to train each and every Soldier to survive, regardless of his or her military job. The best gift that we can give a family is a trained Soldier who is able to take care of himself or herself and come home safely!

Finally, I just want you to know how proud I am to be among you and how proud I am to be serving with you at this moment in time. Thank you for sharing your time with me today. I appreciate and respect the tremendous sacrifices by everyone -- our Soldiers, their families and their employers.

Together, we're going to get there and I ask for your patience, your understanding and your help. May God bless you all, may God bless your families and may God bless this great and wonderful land we're privileged to call our home - the United States of America. Thank you.