Fiscal Year 2013 is the year of 'Force Rebalance'

Published Feb. 27, 2012
By Col. Bob Thompson
Air Force Reserve Public Affairs

Orlando, Fla. -- Building the Fiscal Year 2013 budget and planning future force structure and manning reductions is a path of tough choices said Air Force senior leaders at the Air Force Association Air Warfare Symposium in Orlando, Fla., on Feb. 23.

The new defense strategy and the nation's need to cut the deficit are priorities for the future of the military; however, 'Force Rebalance' - readjusting the mix of Active, Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve - is the key to understanding future force structure, manning and budget plans, said Air Force officials.

"Fiscal Year 2013 is going to be the year we rebalance the Total Force," said Lt. Gen. Charles E. Stenner Jr., chief of Air Force Reserve at the Pentagon. "After more than 20 years of combat operations - starting in 1991 with Operation Desert Storm to the present day - we've gained many lessons-learned about leveraging the strengths of all three components and how to balance costs and operational effectiveness."

Faced with austere budget times, the Air Force is refocusing, reducing and rebalancing the size of its forces to comply with the President's new defense strategy and the Budget Control Act's requirements to cut $487 billion from the defense budget over the next 10 years.

The Air Force's share is about $54 billion and Air Force leaders plan to save $8.7 billion and reduce the Total Force by 9,900 people in FY13. According to the President's FY13 budget, this will decrease the Air Force by 3,900 Active Duty Airmen, 5,100 Air National Guardsmen and 900 Air Force Reservists.

The right force mix is a "smart and essential investment" said Air Force chief of staff Gen. Norton A. Schwartz. Air Reserve Component forces are "invaluable for surge and rotational requirements," he added.

Total Force structure reductions will affect all 54 states and territories. In FY13, the Air Force is going to retire 227 of its oldest aircraft to focus on new capabilities and make room for more modern models. Eighty-two of the retiring aircraft will be from the Air Force Reserve.

Although there are advocates for maintaining more forces in the cost-effective Reserve Component, Active Duty infrastructure continues to be critical for Total Force balance. Air Force planners say the data they use suggests that the Active Component must be big enough to sustain a recruiting base for both Active and Reserve Components. Also, only the Regular Air Force hosts and conducts new weapons systems acquisition, testing and development.

"The Air Force doesn't deliver what it delivers without the Total Force," said Maj. Gen. Brett T. Williams, director of Operations, Headquarters Air Force at the Pentagon. As the Air Force structure gets smaller it "needs to get better at associations," in which Active, Guard and Reserve units work in partnerships and share equipment, he said.

Schwartz said that all three components worked together as an Air Force family to develop the Total Force plan. Led by the Secretary of the Air Force - Regular Air Force, Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve senior leaders were at the table to build the mix, balance and consensus for the future composition.

"The Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard are better equipped, faster to respond and quicker with more combat capability than any of the other services," said the director of the Air National Guard, Lt. Gen. Harry M. Wyatt III. He said that the Air Force has resourced its Reserve Component better than any other service.

According to the new DOD Strategic Guidance, U.S. forces will no longer be sized to conduct large-scale, prolonged stability operations. The future force will be smaller, but flexible, agile and ready - continuing to be a credible deterrent to adversaries - with a strong emphasis on global power projection.

"The Reserve Components have proven accessibility and performance that can be measured and used to shape the Total Force of the future," said Stenner. "As Congress reviews our national defense plans and the FY13 budget proposal, they'll see that our deliberate and collaborative efforts made this the year of Force Rebalance."

To read more about the Air Force's FY13 budget and future changes, go to: www.af.mil.