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Air Force Reserve looks to volunteers to fight war

  • Published
WASHINGTON --  Air Force Reserve Command is relying more on volunteers and less on mobilized reservists to fight the war on terror, according to Lt. Gen. John A Bradley, chief of Air Force Reserve and AFRC commander.

The operations tempo to meet the combatant commanders’ requirements since 9/11 remains high said the general in testimony before the U.S. Senate Committee on Appropriations’ Subcommittee on Defense April 26. He does not expect the ops tempo to decrease significantly in the near future.

To make his point, General Bradley cited the number of days Reserve aircrew members are performing military duty.

“Last year each of our aircrew members served an average of 91 days of military duty,” he said. “This is a significant increase compared to an average 43 days of military duty per aircrew member in 2000, the last full calendar year before the start of the Global War on Terrorism, and more than double the minimum number of participation days required.”

To meet continuing Air Force requirements since 9/11 and to make maximum use of the President’s Partial Mobilization Authority, the Air Force Reserve has begun to rely more heavily on volunteerism versus significant additional mobilization.

“There are several critical operational units and military functional areas that must have volunteers to meet ongoing mission requirements because they are near the 24-month mobilization authority,” the general said.

Volunteers are needed in C-130, MC-130, B-52, HH-60, HC-130 and E-3 AWACS aircraft as well as security forces people.

During last year, the Air Force Reserve had 6,453 people mobilized and another 3,296 volunteers who served in lieu of mobilization to support the Global War on Terrorism. By the end of the year, it had 2,770 volunteers serving full-time to meet war requirements and 2,553 reservists mobilized for contingency operations.

“We expect this balance to become increasingly volunteer-based as this ‘Long War’ continues,” he said.

To meet this increased need for volunteers, the Air Force Reserve has several on-going initiatives to match the desires and skills of reservists with the needs of combatant commanders, according to the general.

“For example, the Integration Process Team we chartered to improve our volunteer process recently developed a prototype Web-based tool,” he said. “It gives the reservist the ability to see all the positions validated for the combatant commanders and allows the Air Force Reserve to see all qualified volunteers for placement. We must have the core capability to always match the right person to the right job at the right time.

“We also expect volunteerism will be positively affected as a result of the National Defense Authorization Act of 2005,” he continued. “This act fosters more continuity in volunteerism because it adds flexibility to end-strength accounting rules and provides equal benefits for activated personnel.”

Making it easier for reservists to volunteer not only gives them more control over their lives but also helps their family, employer and commander, he said.

“In turn this predictability allows for more advanced planning, lessens disruption, and, ultimately enables more volunteer opportunities,” said General Bradley. “In the coming year, we will continue to seek ways to facilitate volunteerism as the primary means of providing the unrivaled support on which the Air Force has come to rely.” (AFRC News Service)