Lt. Gen. James F. Jackson testifies during a hearing of the U.S. Senate Committee on Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense April 17, 2013 on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. Reserve Component leaders testified to the committee about the FY14 President's Budget request. The proposed budget has about $5 billion to fund Air Force Reserve requirements. This includes the operation and training of 34 wings, funds 102,212 flying hours, maintains 362 aircraft, and provides for the readiness of 71,400 Citizen Airmen. Jackson is the chief of the Air Force Reserve. (U.S. Air Force photo/Col. Bob Thompson)
Sen. Barbara Mikulski, D-Md., (left) and Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), listen to testimony from Reserve and National Guard leaders April 17, 2013, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. The senators lead the largest committee in the U.S. Senate. They are responsible for reviewing the FY14 President's Budget Request, hearing testimony from government officials and drafting the spending plans for the coming fiscal year. Mikulski is the chairwoman of the full U.S. Senate Committee on Appropriations and Durbin is the chairman of the Subcommittee on Defense. (U.S. Air Force photo/Col. Bob Thompson)
Lt. Gen. James F. Jackson (left) discusses the proposed fiscal 2014 budget of the Air Force Reserve with retired Air Force Maj. Gen. Tom Carter April 17, 2013, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. The top leaders from Army, Navy, Marine and Air Force Reserve and National Guard programs provided statements and answered questions regarding the estimates for next year's funding at the U.S. Senate Committee on Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense. (U.S. Air Force photo/Col. Bob Thompson)
Lt. Gen. James F. Jackson testifies during a hearing of the U.S. Senate Committee on Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense April 17, 2013 on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. Reserve Component leaders testified to the committee about the FY14 President's Budget request. The proposed budget has about $5 billion to fund Air Force Reserve requirements. This includes the operation and training of 34 wings, funds 102,212 flying hours, maintains 362 aircraft, and provides for the readiness of 71,400 Citizen Airmen. Jackson is the chief of the Air Force Reserve. (U.S. Air Force photo/Col. Bob Thompson)
by Col. Bob Thompson
Air Force Reserve Public Affairs
4/18/2013 - WASHINGTON (AFNS) -- The top leaders from Army, Navy, Marine and Air Force Reserve and National Guard were on Capitol Hill here April 17 to provide statements and answer questions regarding their FY14 budget proposals.
Sen. Barbara Mikulski, D-Md., the chairwoman of the full U.S. Senate Committee on Appropriations, Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., the chairman of the Subcommittee on Defense, and Sen. Thad Cochran, R-Miss., the subcommittee's ranking member, led discussions and listened to testimony from Reserve and National Guard leaders.
"In an increasingly limited fiscal environment, reservists remain efficient and cost-effective solutions to our nation's challenges," said Lt. Gen. James F. Jackson, the chief of Air Force Reserve at the Pentagon and the commander of Air Force Reserve Command at Robins AFB, Ga.
In written and verbal testimony, Jackson outlined how the FY14 President's Budget request would fund Air Force Reserve requirements of approximately $5 billion. It provides for the operation and training of 34 wings, funds 102,212 flying hours, maintains 362 aircraft, and provides for the readiness of 70,400 reservists.
The Senate Appropriations Committee is the largest committee in the U.S. Senate. Its role is defined by the U.S. Constitution, which requires "appropriations made by law" prior to the expenditure of any money from the federal treasury. The Defense subcommittee is responsible for reviewing the president's budget request, hearing testimony from government officials, and drafting the spending plans for the coming fiscal year.
The Air Force Reserve budget request is about 5 percent of the total Air Force budget, and includes $3.16 billion for operation and maintenance for air operations, service support and civilian pay; $1.7 billion for military personnel; and $45.6 million for military construction.
"Our highest priority project is the construction of a personnel deployment processing center at March Air Reserve Base, Calif.," Jackson said. "This military construction request also provides for construction of a squadron operations facility for the 513th Air Control Group at Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma and an entry control complex at Homestead Air Reserve Base in Florida."
Air Force reservists have served in every U.S. combat and humanitarian operation throughout the world including Bosnia, Kosovo, Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Japan, Mali and the Horn of Africa.
"Currently, more than 2,000 of America's Citizen Airmen are deployed around the world," Jackson said. "Additionally, there are over 4,000 serving on active-duty status in direct support of combatant commander requirements."
Although the FY14 DOD budget request is essentially flat compared to the fiscal 2013 request, it meets the deficit reduction targets required by the Budget Control Act of 2011. This includes a portion of the more than $487 billion required in savings over 10 years. However, the fiscal 2014 budget does not include additional cuts that may be required by sequestration's requirements to save about $600 billion more in the next 10 years.
"Our ability to effectively respond with a capable force is increasingly threatened by sequestration and fiscal uncertainties," Jackson said.
The senators questioned the guard and reserve leaders on the impact of more budget cuts and what the ratio should be between active-duty and reserve component forces.
"Perhaps our greatest strength is we retain 'Airmen for life,' preserving the considerable investments and expertise of our Airmen beyond their active-duty service," Jackson said. "Today's Air Force Reserve is a force of combat-tested warriors."
Also, the senators led discussions of one of the biggest issues for the future of the Air Force -- to develop the right force mix of regular and reserve component Airmen. The "National Commission on the Force Structure of the Air Force" was established by the FY13 National Defense Authorization Act and is tasked to make recommendations on the mix to the president by Feb. 1, 2014.
In the past, the traditional approach to rebalancing during a budget reduction has been to reduce reserve component force structure to preserve active component operational capabilities, or to reduce all components through some proportional or fair-share model to spread the cuts across the force.
"My staff and I look forward to providing input to the National Commission on this important issue," Jackson said.
Comments
6/1/2013 11:12:05 AM ET @SNCO You are correct when you talk about companies making up the difference. The IRS makes up the difference between Civilian pay and the Military pay when the memeber is deployed. So there could be some conciderations made to account for that fact. @MAJ I would have to disagree about the Guard and the Reserve not be effective or efficient when it comes to deploying. I am with a PJ unit and we deploy as a whole unit nearly once a year we have everything we need to be self sufficient and we run an entire squadron with only 30 full time personnel. When you concider the cost effectiveness of a whole squadron running with only 30 personnel and being completely self sufficient its pretty impressive.
USAFR , DM
4/28/2013 11:00:54 PM ET Guard Guy it was pretty obvious that SNCO was suggesting a pay system not saying that it existed. Your immediate jump to defend the merits of the Guard Reserve like your leadership always does shows that you understand what the Active Duty knows to be true that the Guard and Reserve may be cheaper than the Active Duty but the return on investment nonetheless is extremely poor. With some exceptions the Air Guard and Air Force Reserve's ability to deploy effectively and efficiently is extremely limited. There are roles that are suited to the Guard and Reserve such as schoolhouse units however these also are a drain on the Active force because they remove crucial experience building positions for Active Duty personnel.
Maj, Home for a change
4/24/2013 3:47:42 PM ET @SNCO I don't know where you get your information but there is no tax payer money that pays GuardReserve members the deficit between their mil pay and their civilian pay. A very few employers do this but it is completely voluntary and is not paid by the government. Your lack of understanding about the Guard and Reserve only reinforces why we always have to fight ignorance from our AD counterparts on a regular basis.
Guard Guy, USA
4/23/2013 12:39:09 PM ET A cost-effective option The taxpayers pay your military pay and then make up the pay gap between your civilian job and mil pay if there is a deficit. This is a cost-effective option how Don't even get me started on the TFI debacle
A SNCO, An AFB Near You
4/23/2013 10:05:19 AM ET LTC Merle B. Mulder passes here in San Luis Obispo CA he served in WW II as a bomber pilot at Tinian Is. later in Korea and them Viet Nam as first base commander at Cam Rang Bay. He was 95 and will be laid to rest tomorrow at Old Mission Cemetery here in San Luis Obispo CA at 10 AM with full Military honors he served his nation in three wars and was the last survivor of his WW II squadron. A true American Hero and Patriot.
Scott, San Luis Obispo
4/22/2013 11:45:12 AM ET Kind of a misleading title - I was expecting to see something in the article from the National Guard Leadership regarding the FY14 budget. Or at least a link to the Guard Leadership's written statement.
Guard SMSgt, UTANG Salt Lake City
4/19/2013 9:02:15 AM ET Nice job Lt.Gen Jackson To the readers Did you know the Air Force Reserves operates the ONLY B-52 training unit that every B-52 flyer has to go through
