The 'say yes' force

The Bush administration and Congress have been locked in a verbal tug-of-war over whether the United States should go to war against Iraq. Will our allies support us? Are we certain Saddam Hussein has harbored al Qaeda terrorists? But lawmakers and administration officials might be overlooking an equally pressing question about launching an attack on Iraq: are our troops ready for another war?

Pentagon planners have reportedly drawn up plans calling for an unprecedented air barrage to kick off the campaign in Iraq. It would take out much of the Iraqi military infrastructure before sending ground troops in to topple Hussein. But those planners calling for an all-out air assault may also want to listen to some of the concerns recently raised by Air Force and Air National Guard leaders about the strains the war on terrorism and other missions are already placing on pilots and airmen.

"You've heard of 'just say no.' We have become the 'always say yes force," Air Guard Chief Lt. Gen. Daniel James recently told the Defense Writer's Group, echoing a sentiment increasingly shared by senior Air Force and Air Guard officers that the service is shouldering the brunt of post-Cold War deployments.

James said he is concerned that the air reserve component might be nearing its breaking point. With 25,000 Air Guard members called up since Sept. 11, 2001, and with the Air Guard having supplied about 40 percent of the nation's aircraft, from fighters to tankers, for the war on terrorism, that assessment should raise eyebrows at the Pentagon.

James says the Air Guard is not yet focused on, or planning for, an attack on Iraq, but he assumes the Guard will be a player. Currently, James is surveying Guardsmen to see if increased operations since last year's terrorist attacks will cause members to quit the reserve component rather than stay on. "People are in the process right now of making up their minds about whether they will stay or get out," he said.

Air Force Brig. Gen. Al Peck sees daily the strains the various conflicts have on personnel. Peck heads the Aerospace Expeditionary Force Center, which manages the scheduling, configuring and deploying of the service's 10 aerospace expeditionary forces. The service's combat capabilities, including some Air Guard personnel, are now organized into units with 15,000 personnel and 175 aircraft that deploy for no more than 90 days every 15 months. Just under half of Air Force personnel are in one of the AEF units.

"Right now the demands are manageable, but we don't think it's sustainable," said Peck. He added that about 10 percent of AEF forces have been tapped to work beyond their normal 90-day deployments-some working more than 120 days. Prior to the war on terrorism, few, if any personnel, were asked to extend deployments beyond 90 days and many were not deployed at all, Peck said.

Air Force Col. Stuart "Mike" Elhrich, chief of force planning and generation at Air Combat Command, says the operational tempo for AEF units has increased nearly three-fold since the war on terrorism began. "I can't think of any situation where we have not been able to provide a capability," says Elhrich, who is responsible for ensuring AEF units have the capabilities required by combatant commanders. But, he acknowledged, it's too early too tell whether the increased deployment and operations schedule will have an adverse impact on morale and, ultimately, retention.

Elhrich would not discuss the specifics of a possible war in Iraq, but said the AEF would be able to meet the military's overall mission of fighting two major wars at once. "When we have a mission to do, we'll come home when we can," he said. Air Force Chief of Staff John Jumper told Air Force Times in an Oct.7 interview he does not like keeping AEF units deployed more than 90 days. "That's breaking faith with our people. It's breaking faith with our families," he said. On the other hand, Jumper said the Air Force has been combat-hardened and tested by the deployments and will be at "the peak of its game" if called upon to fight a future enemy.

"Are they tired? You bet. Are they committed? Yes. They are more committed than they are tired," Jumper added.

Congress and the Pentagon may want to ask the Air Force the same questions the service is already asking itself.