Air National Guard Fighters the Total Force (Maxwell Paper, Number 1)

Abstract

Over the last few years, the United States Air Force has found itself involved in an unparalleled number of peacetime contingency operations. At one time, Air Force personnel were supporting five different contingency operations including Provide Comfort, Deny Flight, Uphold Democracy, Provide Promise, and Support Hope. How much longer the USAF can continue to support this level of activity without negatively impacting readiness and morale is unknown. With the Air Force downsizing from a 38 fighter wing equivalent (FWE) force to a 20 FWE force, there is little doubt of problems ahead if the current pace of operations continues. Already there are signs of trouble. One United States Air Force Europe (USAFE) fighter wing commander blames an increased operations tempo for his wing's 20 percent rise in child abuse cases, 9 percent rise in spousal abuse reports, and an 11 percent rise in alcohol abuse. While these figures represent only one fighter wing, they highlight some of the potential problems that may be encountered by other active duty units as they too struggle under an ever increasing workload. These problems and a growing belief that long-term readiness may soon suffer if the workload is not reduced, convinced Defense Secretary William Perry to direct a greater role for the Air National Guard in peacetime contingency operations. The Air National Guard is no stranger to peacetime contingency and wartime operations. Guard tanker and airlift aircraft, along with hundreds of other guard personnel, are already heavily engaged around the world supporting contingency taskings. In fact, it would be difficult for the USAF to support these operations without the active involvement of Guard tanker and airlift assets. The contributions of these Guard aircraft and people, in many ways, substantiate the importance the Air Force has long placed in the total force concept.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
May 01, 1996
Accession Number
ADA314052

Entities

People

  • Joseph E. Lucas
  • Stuart C. Johnson

Organizations

  • Air War College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Ground and Sea Platforms
  • Human Systems

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Active Duty
  • Air Defense
  • Air Force
  • Air National Guard
  • Cold War
  • Commerce
  • Contingency Operations (Military)
  • Department Of Defense
  • Deployment
  • Law
  • Militia
  • National Guard
  • National Security
  • Tanker Aircraft
  • United States
  • War Colleges
  • Warfare

Readers

  • Aerospace logistics and air mobility.
  • Educational Psychology
  • Military Mobilization and Reserve Forces Studies.