John Truesdell, USAF’s deputy assistant secretary for reserve affairs, told the Commission on the National Guard and Reserves that the Air Force’s Total Force Integration is “unprecedented” and “critical to meeting the challenges of competing resource demands, an aging aircraft inventory, and emerging missions with unique capabilities.” Truesdell also testified, “There is nothing conventional about TFI.” The Air Force believes, he continued, that TFI “decision-making is an inclusive process” where “all stakeholders have a voice.” Despite this new dawn for the Total Force, some lawmakers and governors still believe their concerns about the Air National Guard are getting short shrift. Still, there may be hope that the National Guard Bureau and USAF have forged a better relationship.
As commander of Air Forces Central, Lt. Gen. Alexus G. Grynkewich has been at the heart of almost all U.S. military action in the Middle East, from overseeing airstrikes against Iranian proxy groups to protecting troops as America’s air defense commander for the region. Just before handing over his command to…