Total Reach: Balancing Active and Reserve Air Mobility Forces
Abstract
By 1995, over half of the nation's capability to deploy combat force by air will reside in the Air National Guard and the Air Force Reserve. The absence of an overriding Soviet threat and mounting budgetary pressures could result in an even further shift of forces toward the reserve components. Although the air reserve components have proven themselves to be a ready, credible force, a dramatic shift in the delicate balance between active and reserve forces raises questions of cost-effectiveness. Such a shift could also have a harmful impact on the ability of the active component to support the reserve components with technical assistance and to sustain the reserve's requirement for experienced, prior service personnel. Due to the historical roots of the reserves in U.S. society and the role they play in the balance of power between the President, the Congress, and the states, any decision to radically alter the share of the Total Force borne by the reserve components will have significant military and political implications.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Apr 01, 1993
- Accession Number
- ADA283246
Entities
People
- Kenneth Mills
Organizations
- Air War College