Air Force Reserve Command plans to halve its 7,744 position cut between individual mobilization augmentees and unit Reservists, Lt. Gen. John A. Bradley, chief of the Air Force Reserve, told a Capitol Hill seminar Tuesday. The cut is AFRC’s share of USAF’s overall 40,000-position drawdown. An AFRC news release explains some of the dynamics of this 50-50 plan and how IMAs might shift to a different category, while the unit Reservists may end up changing units or missions under BRAC 2005 and the Air Force’s evolving Total Force Initiative.
The new defense reconciliation bill includes $7.2 billion for Air Force and Navy aviation accounts, almost half of which will buy more F-15EXs. While electronic warfare, drones, connectivity and airlift all get attention, the F-35 was conspicuously absent from the package, with no explanation given.