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AF leadership talks total force current climate

by Staff Sgt. Kat Justen total force better,” Holmes said. “We’ve add- manpower due to funding. efficient model with which you can get more
459th Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs ed items of our own to that list and continue “Inside the Air Force the Total Force capability. Having two wings and two com-
to work to remove barriers whether policy or ponents working on the same equipment is
WASHINGTON (AFNS) -- Members legislative to help make the most effective and Continuum continues to look at how you something we need to continue.”
of senior leadership from the active-duty efficient organizations we can build.” transfer a mission with the force structure of
Air Force,Air National Guard andAir Force the Guard and Reserve,” he said. “Through- Daniel Sitterly, the principal deputy assis-
Reserve, as well as the principal deputy to This October, leadership is slated to un- out that analysis much is revealed a lot of it tant, also cited a number of areas of interest
the secretary of theAir Force for manpower dergo the arduous task of rewriting policy to is pretty well placed. In almost every single currently being worked.
and reserve affairs, convened for a discus- improve inter-force associations and essen- analysis, however, we don’t have enough
sion panel regarding the status of the total tially enhance communication between the (manpower) to do the mission now.” “Secretary of the Air Force Deborah Lee
force at the Air Force Association’s Air and three components, the general said. James has a total force executive committee
Space Conference and Technology Exposi- The ANG director went on to say the that is now tracking 78 specific initiatives
tion Sept. 16 in Washington D.C. The second line of effort aims to find Air Force has to be careful. If the Air Force and we’ve made progress in areas such as
ways to develop more capabilities at the drawdown is too small they won’t be able to expediting indispensability accessions, rais-
The panel discussed the current cli- same cost of current operations. Accord- access as many separating members leaving ing the Reserve component aviation incen-
mate of the total force and how lead- ing to Holmes, there is a 12 percent lack active duty to go into the Guard and Reserve. tive pays, funding for equipping Airmen,
ership is working to address ways to of ability to provide the number of de- The other reaction the Air Force wants to total force recruiting system, DD214 con-
improve performance, funding, commu- ployments combatant commands have avoid, to save money, is to drawdown pipe- solidation, special salary rates and time-in-
nication and personnel issues. asked for. Therefore, total force leader- line students coming into the Guard and Re- grade waivers for Reserve technician pilots
ship is looking for better ways to inte- serve from training. He strongly advised all and many more,” he said.
In his opening remarks, Lt. Gen. grate assets to make up for the shortfall. things be considered when weighing where
James M. Holmes, the deputy chief of the appropriation of funds comes from in or- Despite the current issues and funding
staff for strategic plans and requirements, “We use high velocity analysis to try to find der to maintain the health of the Guard and limitations, Air Force leadership continues
outlined two initiatives senior Air Force ways to develop more capabilities at the same Reserve and therefore the total force. to find new and innovative ways to help
leadership is pushing to streamline struc- cost by making our components work together streamline processes and improve the effec-
ture and enhance performance across the or can we improve our capability and find the Lt. Gen. James Jackson, theAir Force Re- tiveness of resources.
force. The first being the One Air Force cheapest way to provide additional capability serve chief andAir Force Reserve Command
Line of Effort, which began as a response to address that 12 percent gap,” he said. commander, expressed that part of the fund- “The more educated we’ve become the
to a report from the National Commis- ing solution may be something the Reserves more integrated we’ve become,” Sitterly said.
sion on the Structure of the Air Force. According to Lt. Gen. Stanley E. Clarke has been doing since the 1960s when they be- “We all bring something to the fight. We all
III, the Air National Guard director, al- gan to share assets with the active-duty side. have different policies and processes and
(We) figure out how we can bring those though the Air Force has a pretty effective when we bring everyone together and educate
recommendations in, make them real and our strategy in place for disseminating missions “The Reserves has been doing associated each other on what those skillsets are the bet-
across the force, there is still a shortfall in construct the longest,” he said. “It’s a cost- ter we are able to execute our mission.”

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