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Photo by Sgt. 1st Class Marisol Hernandez, 416th Engineer Command
command sgt. maj. michael schultz’s new role
the RC’s Joint Force Sergeant Major By Melissa Russell, Army Reserve Communications
ABOVE: Command Sgt. Maj. Michael Schultz looks on as Soldiers compete during the Army Physical Fitness Test portion of the 2011 Best Warrior Competition at Fort Lee, Va. 14
WARRIOR–CITIZEN
O
ur U.S. military is preparing for change, and some of the biggest changes will likely occur among Guard and Reserve units across the country. Over the past 11-plus years, “hometown heroes” have answered the call of the nation and left their civilian employers and Families behind to perform their duties. For the American public, this previously might have gone unnoticed, but in a climate of fiscal austerity, it has caught the attention of many. The reserve components across the Department of Defense comprise approximately 43 percent of the Total Force, but are maintained at only 9 percent of the total annual DoD budget. These “Seven Seals” complement the U.S. military strategy by adding cost
effective flexibility that represent a good value to the U.S. taxpayer. Additionally, the men and women who serve in the reserve components are America’s connection to hometowns across the Nation. The responsibility of advising the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs on behalf of these 1.1 million reserve component enlisted service members and their Families falls on the shoulders of Sergeant Major Michael Schultz. In his role as the tenth Senior Enlisted Advisor, Schultz also keeps the DoD’s enlisted corps informed about issues that affect all services, including the challenges of budget cuts and the necessity of maintaining operational
“Noncommissioned officers need to show their respective services what right looks like. Leaders… must know programs, policies and resources available…” — command sgt. maj. michael schultz
capabilities with limited resources. While performing this mission, he does so with the knowledge that his boss, Mr. Richard O. Wightman, Jr., is responsible for policy, oversight and supervision of the seven reserve components. Schultz’s responsibility for advising the Assistant Secretary and staff on enlisted affairs is not a far cry from his previous role as Command Sergeant Major of the Army Reserve. From 2009 until late last year, he represented the interests of more than 150,000 enlisted Army Reserve Soldiers at all levels within the Army, and he routinely provided information about these Citizen-Soldiers to Army and DoD leadership while testifying before Congress. “Sgt. Maj. Schultz worked tirelessly to ensure Army Reserve Soldiers had the resources they needed to