Introduction

The New Jersey Department of Military and Veterans Affairs began formal Long Range Planning in 1988 and published its first plan in 1989. The New Jersey Army National Guard (NJARNG) and the New Jersey Air National Guard (NJANG) issued separate plans designed to guide their futures. Plans were reviewed and updated in subsequent years. In 1994, the Department initiated an effort by the NJARNG and NJANG to produce the first nationwide joint service State National Guard Long Range Plan. The synergistic effect of this combined work is the genesis of today’s Future Reach Plan. It is noteworthy that the Department’s planning process has been endorsed, improved upon, and enthusiastically encouraged by four successive Adjutants General. Their support validates the value of the program.

New Jersey is positioned along the country’s most strategic land, air and water routes, and the most prominent and visible symbol of the New Jersey National Guard (NJNG) are the armories and air installations located across the state. New Jersey National Guard infrastructure physically links the military to the communities we serve.

The New Jersey National Guard is poised to accept new mission and force structure. The readiness and relevancy of equipment and personnel will determine whether or not the NJNG retains its missions and force structure, remains competitive for emerging mission, and receives upgrades to its infrastructure. Tomorrow’s forces will incorporate technology to a much greater degree while projected equipment acquisitions show a significant decline. Organizations who possess outdated legacy weapon systems face the perils of irrelevancy.

During 2002 the senior leadership of the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs (NJDMAVA) decided that a review should be accomplished of the Department’s published Strategic Plan - Fiscal Year (FY) 98-03 as well as its Future Plan - FY 96-16.

The New Jersey Department of Military and Veterans Affairs Future Reach Plan is a comprehensive, unified plan identifying the direction we want to go in a future marked by ambiguity and uncertainty. In looking out ten years, the Future Reach Plan sets organizational objectives and strategies. By providing a macro blueprint for the entire Department, all components work from the same “script” to fulfill The Adjutant General’s vision and NJDMAVA’s mission.

The Future Reach Plan, part of a continuous long-range planning process, provides a framework designed to facilitate dialogue and thoughtful deliberation while guiding planning activities toward desired endstates. To be successful, all members throughout NJDMAVA must be active participants to achieve the plan’s articulated objectives.

In the pages that follow, the Department showcases its vision and mission. You are introduced to its planning assumptions, that were derived from study and thought provoking discussion. Subsequently, NJDMAVA’s core components describe their assessment of the future and what they believe is necessary to achieve in order to maintain relevancy in that future environment. Developed by Component Committees, the key planning areas are missions, force structure, human resources, training, and infrastructure. As with all planning documents, efficacy is measured by the extent to which plans are utilized and results obtained. Since 1994, the use of Long Range Plans has gained an increasingly prominent role causing it to be the focus of NJDMAVA’s decision making. Adhering to the Future Reach Plan, the Department’s personnel, time and budget resources are allocated to move the Department towards its planning future.