Shortly after Lt. Gen. Jody Daniels assumed the roles of Chief of the Army Reserve and Commanding General of U.S. Army Reserve Command, and retired Army Col. John McCarthy, her husband, became the senior spouse in 2020, they each talked to Reserve + National Guard about what they hoped to achieve in their new positions.
As she prepared to retire after 42 years of service and they ponder their post-Army life, they spoke to R+NG about their accomplishments.
In the 2021 profile, Daniels said she hoped to get soldiers “around the bend” into mid-level ranks, which were under strength. She succeeded, especially on the enlisted side thanks to the “E-5 in 5” challenge she launched last year.
“We had been under strength at sergeant since 2019. We have now gone over strength, at one point all the way up to 118%,” she said.
Other major accomplishments include: Getting company-level leaders to shift their focus from tracking metrics and doing paperwork to training and maintenance; and better leveraging reservists’ civilian experience by growing the 75th Innovation Command and expanding the number of career fields in the Army Reserve’s Army Civilian Acquired Skills Program from seven to 44.
Daniels ascribed recruiting and retention benefits to each. A soldier Daniels met who left the service after getting stuck at corporal after nine years might have stayed in had he seen a pathway to promotion. Getting soldiers out to the field for training gives them moments “to talk about Monday morning,” she said. If they have stories to tell they’ll want to continue what they’re doing, and those hearing the stories may want in. And reducing the time someone has to spend in training and away from their civilian employer can draw people to service.
McCarthy did not get to visit as many Soldier and Family Readiness Groups as he said he hoped to in 2021. But families across the Army still will likely benefit from his time as the reserve’s senior spouse.
He was invited to speak to a variety of audiences about the importance of SFRGs: a monthly course for company commanders and first sergeants at Fort Knox; future battalion and brigade commanders and command sergeants major attending the pre-command course at Fort Leavenworth, the spouses of new brigade commanders at general officer seminars, and several events organized by the Chief of Staff of the Army.
McCarthy credits Maria McConville, an Army veteran and wife of former CSA Gen. James McConville, for including him in GO seminars and CSA events.
He also used that time to promote the Army Reserve Family Programs page, which he describes as rich in resources, and to encourage commanders across components to link their SFRGs before deployments. Active-duty leaders typically know a year before a deployment if reserve or National Guard units will augment them, and the active-duty SFRG leaders will likely know more about the benefits available than those of units that are more spread out, noted McCarthy, who spent a total of 28 years in the Army between the National Guard and active service.
“You know, I enlisted at 17, and this is kind of a good way for me to ease out of the Army,” he said of the 11 years since his retirement.
McCarthy said he prepared continuity binders for the next senior spouse. Daniels relinquished command July 30. Her only immediate plans are house-hunting with McCarthy.