Amazing Shrinking ANG Squadrons

Why does the Air Force want to consolidate Air National Guard squadrons? One answer: to gain efficiency. USAF believes the most effective size for a C-130 squadron is 16 aircraft. Because of the ANG’s stability and experience, Guard C-130 squadrons can make do with 12. The problem is that, as the graph shows, a typical ANG unit today has eight C-130s, and, without intervention, the number will fall to 6.7 per squadron by 2011. That, Maj. Gen. Gary Heckman told BRAC commissioners, makes the enterprise very inefficient. USAF wants to fix the problem by cutting ANG squadrons and consolidating aircraft into fewer, bigger units. This, of course, has caused a political explosion in the states.