Our Reservists in Action
Employers play major role in Reservist Deployment
By Lieutenant Commander Ron Daniels
By Lieutenant Commander Ron Daniels
A very proud contingent of Army reservists from 25/49 Royal Queensland Regiment (RQR) and 9 RQR recently returned from a three-month deployment to the Solomon Islands after participating in Operation Anode, Australia’s contribution to the Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands (RAMSI).
This deployment was not only highly successful in the accomplishment of its mission, but was also an historic occasion for Australia’s Reserve forces. The deployment of reservists from 25/49 RQR and 9 RQR represents the first time since World War Two that a Reserve sub–unit has deployed overseas on an operational mission.
Commanding Officer (CO) of 25/49 RQR, Lieutenant Colonel Rowan Martin attributes the success of the mission to a very deliberate strategy to nurture his unit’s centre of gravity – ‘the individual soldier’s willingness to serve’.
Being the CO of a Reserve Unit has many complexities, especially as many of his soldiers have obligations to employers and to families who are used to having their mum or dad around for most of the time. So what does the CO of one of Australia’s largest Reserve units do to preserve his centre of gravity? In speaking with LTCOL Martin one could almost be speaking to the CEO of a large organisation describing his strategy to build customer loyalty and support.
“From the outset the experience of the soldier and his employer has to be positive. Training has to be organised and worthwhile so that the reservist and his or her employer know well in advance what their time commitments will be. Training has to be of the highest quality so that the individual soldier returns when next required to do so,” LTCOL Martin explains.
And so it was with this deployment. Planning and communication were essential to the development of positive relationships between the Army, Reservists and their employers. Early advice of the deployment enabled Reservists and their employers to plan ahead with a call for an expression of interest in deploying being made in May 2006 - well in advance of the planned departure in late December.
LTCOL Martin wrote to all employers and reservists explaining the process for selection and how the Employer Support Payment Scheme could help businesses during the Reservist’s absence. This direct contact with employers was maintained throughout the preparations for the deployment and during the mission itself. A breakfast in the Officers’ Mess at the commencement of the pre-deployment training program enabled LTCOL Martin to express his gratitude to employers for their support of the individual soldiers. Representatives from the Defence Reserves Support Council and the Employer Support Payment Scheme were also on hand to answer questions. The CO regularly wrote to families and employers once the deployed commenced, each receiving a DVD showing diggers working in the Solomon Islands.
“We engaged personnel whose sole responsibility was to produce the DVDs of individual soldiers so that their families and employers could see what their loved ones and employees were doing. Along with the letters, it was a great way to keep in touch with everyone,” said LTCOL Martin.
A very wet ‘Exercise Boss Lift’, which involved 21 employers traveling to the Solomon Islands to see their Reservists in military environment, was an outstanding success, allowing Defence to show employers the skills and leadership their Reservist employees possess. Perhaps Exercise Boss Lift participant Cheryl Burns, District Director of Nursing of the Northside Health Service District in Brisbane, can best express the employer view. In a letter to LTCOL Martin, Cheryl writes: “I found it to be a very humbling experience; however recognising the great value our Defence Forces provide and also the new skills and knowledge, Paul will bring back to The Prince Charles Hospital. We are indeed fortunate to have such outstanding citizens who put country and needy communities ahead of themselves.”
The successful three-month deployment was celebrated with a special breakfast for employers, with each receiving a high quality framed Certificate of Appreciation.
LTCOL Martin concludes with a caution about success: “The success will be seen when next we ask reservists to deploy. Early notification, an efficient Employer Support Program, quality planning, training and communication with employers and Reservists will provide the sustainability that will help us to see how successful we have been”.
