USACAPOC General Emphasizes Readiness at Ohio Town Hall
By Pfc. James Grove
U.S. Army Reserve
TWINSBURG, Ohio — Maj. Gen. Jeff M. Farris, commanding general of U.S. Army Civil Affairs and Psychological Operations Command (Airborne), spoke with Army Reserve Soldiers during a town hall Sept. 12 at the Twinsburg Army Reserve Center, emphasizing readiness, professional development and preparing for change across the force.
Soldiers from the 2nd Psychological Operations Group and 350th Psychological Operations Company attended the discussion, where Farris shared experiences from his 38-year military career and answered questions about training, career development and organizational transformation.
“I care about you as a Soldier,” Farris said. “I care about you as a civilian, and I care about your family.”
Farris described beginning his Army career as an enlisted combat engineer before commissioning and later serving in military intelligence and Civil Affairs. He said his passion for service developed early in his career when he was given the opportunity to lead Soldiers.
That experience helped shape a message he returned to throughout the town hall: readiness begins with the individual Soldier.
“Always be ready,” Farris said. “If you invest in yourself and stay ready, we will invest in you.”
Farris challenged Soldiers to maintain their individual readiness and become experts in their respective career fields. He said building a culture of excellence requires units to recruit, train and retain capable Soldiers while ensuring they are prepared to accomplish their missions.
Farris also discussed organizational changes affecting USACAPOC(A) and how the command is examining its force structure to meet future requirements. He encouraged Soldiers not to become distracted by uncertainty surrounding those changes and instead focus on the aspects of readiness within their control.
“Be great at what you do,” Farris said. “Be a great mechanic. Be ready as a Soldier. Ignore the noise.”
During the question-and-answer portion of the town hall, Soldiers raised concerns about organizational restructuring, training opportunities and funding for professional development.
In response to a question about opportunities for junior enlisted Soldiers to attend courses and gain experience needed for career progression, Farris emphasized the importance of investing in Soldiers who maintain their readiness.
“Are you ready? Can you move, shoot and communicate?” Farris asked. “Then guess what? I’m going to invest.”
Farris emphasized that professional development extends beyond Civil Affairs and psychological operations specialties. He highlighted the importance of support personnel, including human resources, logistics, signal, medical, intelligence and visual information Soldiers, to accomplishing the command’s mission.
He encouraged leaders to identify Soldiers’ professional-development goals and incorporate required schools and courses into training plans early enough to secure resources.
Farris also acknowledged the demands Army Reserve Soldiers face while balancing military service with responsibilities outside the uniform, describing Reserve Soldiers as “twice-a-citizen.”
He encouraged Soldiers to prioritize family readiness, followed by their civilian employment or education and their responsibilities to the unit. Drawing from his own experience as a Troop Program Unit Soldier, Farris said his civilian and military careers have complemented one another throughout his service.
“I think iron sharpens iron,” Farris said. “I think my civilian job made me a better Army officer, and I think doing this makes me better at my civilian job.”
The town hall concluded with the recognition of several Soldiers for their contributions to the organization. Farris used the opportunity to reinforce that mission success depends not only on the command’s primary specialties but also on Soldiers serving throughout its supporting career fields.
Before concluding, Farris reflected on the significance of military service and reminded those in attendance that less than 1% of the nation’s population volunteers to serve in the armed forces.
“You are all one percenters,” Farris said. “The day you did that, you became elite.”
After nearly four decades of service, Farris said meeting the next generation of Soldiers gives him confidence in those who will continue the mission after his generation leaves uniform.
“At some point, I will not be in uniform, and you will,” Farris said. “I know my little girls are in good hands because of Soldiers like you.”
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