Reserves

Senior defense leaders are eying a review of the military's ability to mobilize its existing reserves if an immediate infusion of ground forces were needed in light of the Obama administration's new budget plan that could see the Army fall to a force of 420,000 soldiers. A military official told Inside the Pentagon that plans for such an examination have yet to be finalized.

The Air Force's top leaders have strong concerns about a congressionally mandated commission's recommendation that the service dismantle much of Air Force Reserve Command and rely instead on National Guard and active-duty components to provide lower-level leadership structure.

The Army Reserve and the Guard are not following recommendations in a 2012 report issued by the Defense Department inspector general to adhere to protocol and obtain Office of the Secretary of Defense approval when transferring reserve component equipment because Army officials believe the recommendations would create a process that is too cumbersome.

The National Guard Bureau has outlined a counter-proposal to the Army's aviation restructure plan that would retain some AH-64 Apaches in the reserve component, according to an NGB document obtained by Inside the Army.

A congressional commission tasked with studying the Air Force's active-duty and reserve structure recommended this week that the service disband the Reserve Command and that Congress provide the service with greater flexibility and authority to close redundant infrastructure.

The Army would align AH-64 Apache helicopter battalions from the active component with National Guard aviation brigades if the service follows through with its proposed aviation restructure and moves all Apaches out of the reserve component, according to defense officials.

The National Guard Bureau Chief Gen. Frank Grass said that the defense spending agreement reached by Congress in December that provides some relief from sequestration over the next few years has bought the Guard and the active components some time to assess the right balance of force structure and end strength.

In her first public comments since being confirmed by the Senate in December, new Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James revealed today that the service's fiscal year 2015 budget request will increase the role of its reserve components.

A high-level Pentagon debate over cutting the Army and its National Guard is expected to come to a head this month, with Senators putting defense leaders on notice that they don't want to see a repeat of the bitter battle between the Air Force and the Air Guard over intra-service end strength reductions.