Air Force chief argues for future cuts in reserve forces

The Air Force's top officer said Tuesday he has asked the leaders of the Air National Guard to consider possible force reductions while the active Air Force is cutting about 40,000 personnel.

Air Force Chief of Staff Michael Moseley also said he expects U.S. air units to be engaged in Iraq for a long time, even after the Iraqi security forces take over the ground combat roles. "I think we'll be there for a long time," Moseley said at a breakfast with defense reporters. "As the Iraqi ground forces become more effective, the need for air combat [support] will still be there."

His request for cuts in Air National Guard personnel comes as governors, National Guard leaders across the country and their congressional allies are fighting an Army decision to seek funding in the fiscal 2007 budget for about 17,000 fewer Guard troops.

Moseley said he made a similar request for cuts to the Air Force Reserve leadership, but that has far fewer political implications because the reserves do not have as powerful a lobby as the Guard and draw less support from the governors. But, Moseley said, "We have not asked them to do anything in [fiscal 2007]."

The Air Force has asked the Guard and reserve leaders to examine the possibility that while the active service is making force cuts, "if there's not a parallel way to streamline their commands," the four-star general said. Moseley suggested the Guard and reserve leaders consider eliminating some layers of command and staffing similar to what the active Air Force is doing.

Those staff cuts could be done while the part-time Air Force units are going through significant reorganizations and mission changes, he noted. "I don't know what the answer will be. But I suspect there are some efficiencies," he said.

The general acknowledged the sensitivity of proposing cuts in the Guard, which have to balance the requirements imposed by their federal duties and their state roles. But he stressed how committed the active Air Force was to involving its Guard and reserve units in its operations and plans.

About U.S. air operations in Iraq, Moseley said he expected American aircraft would be providing intra-theater airlift; intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions, plus the kind of air-dominance and ground-support combat missions that coalition air forces provided for 10 years while enforcing the "no fly" zones over Iraq.

He noted that the Iraqi air force is just getting reorganized with a few C-130 transport planes, but added that it is not likely to have air combat capabilities. The general said he did not know how many air bases would be required in the region for the long term.

"We want the number to come down," he said. But Moseley noted the requirement to maintain military-to-military relations with America's allies and friends in the Persian Gulf region, including the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Qatar.