Fixing the Active Duty and Air Reserve Components

The Total Force Task Force, ordered by Air Force Secretary Michael Donley and Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Welsh “about two months ago,” should finish its work in August, said Lt. Gen. Michael Moeller, who oversees strategic planning and programming issues on the Air Staff. Speaking at an AFA-sponsored address in Arlington, Va., on March 12, Moeller said the task force is taking “a 10-year look—and beyond—at what is the right balance between the Active Duty force and the Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve.” The group of three two-star generals—one from each component—has a staff of about 25 to 30 personnel with expertise that “cuts across the entire Air Force,” he said. The task force will examine the proper composition, mix of capabilities, force structure, and specific missions of the Total Force, said Moeller. Air Force officials will then apply its insights to another 10-year “strategic initiative” examining what the Air Force needs to be able to do in 2023, he said. (See also New Task Force Mulls Total Force Makeup.)