On Guard

Retired Air Force Maj. Gen. Gus Hargett, president of the National Guard Association of the United States, has weighed in on the debate over fiscal year 2013 funding for the Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve.

In a statement released this afternoon, Hargett says:

"Fueled by misinformation from some Air Force officers, it appears a handful of House Armed Services Committee members are willing to circumvent the legislative process to force a budget on the Air National Guard that the governors, the adjutants general and most in Congress oppose.

"This is the kind of mischief that can occur during conference, when a handful from the House and Senate can go behind closed doors and literally change legislation in the name of forging compromise between the two chambers.

"The House and Senate both rejected the Air Force's fiscal 2013 budget request, which would take disproportionate cuts from the Air National Guard. Both chambers told Air Force officials to go back and work with the governors and the adjutants general on a new proposal that addressed state concerns.

"Unfortunately, Air Force officials have since ignored the governors and the adjutants general. Neither group has been able to provide meaningful input to a new budget plan. Nevertheless, Air Force officers have told members of Congress that they have a compromise plan in hand.

"For the record, the nation's governors and adjutants general favor a freeze on Air Guard manpower and force structure and the establishment of a National Commission on the Structure of the Air Force. Neither organization has agreed to any Air Force proposal. Both remain concerned that the cuts to the Air Guard would adversely affect domestic response.

"In addition, to our knowledge, the chief of the National Guard Bureau has not endorsed any compromise plan for the Air National Guard in the fiscal 2013 Air Force budget.

"Commissions are certainly not the ideal way to craft budget decisions. They are a last resort. But at this point, a commission independent from the Air Force is our only remaining hope for a transparent process that includes real input from the governors and Guard leaders."

Earlier this week, the Council of Governors sent a letter to senior House and Senate lawmakers asking that during the upcoming defense authorization conference negotiations they continue to support a freeze of Air National Guard manpower and aircraft throughout FY-13. As InsideDefense.com reported on Tuesday:

"In the absence of an agreement on the Air Force's budget proposal for FY2013, and without an agreement between governors and [the Defense Department] on a consultative process for future years, we request your continued support in conference for the freeze in ANG manpower and aircraft and for the Senate's proposed National Commission on the Structure of the Air Force," the council's Dec. 10 letter states. Inside the Air Force obtained a copy of the letter.

Council members sent the letter yesterday to Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin (D-MI) and Ranking Member John McCain (R-AZ), as well as their House counterparts Rep. Buck McKeon (R-CA) and Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA). In the letter, council co-Chairs Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad (R) and Washington State Gov. Christine Gregoire (D) write that the council has "diligently" tried to work with DOD to address concerns surrounding the Air Force's FY-13 force-structure strategy and "avoid future budget disputes," but to no avail. National Governors Association Chairman Delaware Gov. Jack Markell (D) and NGA Vice Chair Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin (R) also signed the letter.

The council, created by executive order to ensure that the relationship between state and federal governments runs smoothly, has requested that Congress maintain a freeze on manpower and aircraft just days after the Air Force sent lawmakers a compromise deal on its FY-13 force-structure strategy. The service submitted a revised force-structure strategy at the end of November in response to the criticism it received after its original plan, sent along with the FY-13 budget request, was met with sharp criticism by Congress and the Council of Governors. The revised strategy restores dozens of aircraft to the Air Force's inventory and re-missions a handful of Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard squadrons.

"As you know, through the Council of Governors . . . we have worked diligently with the Air Force this year to try to rectify the surprising and disproportionate cuts facing the ANG as part of the Air Force's FY2013 budget request," the letter states. "While we recognize the Air Force's recent attempt to revise its earlier proposal, there has not been sufficient time for all interested parties to fully review the details, assess impact and discuss modifications. We look forward to continuing to work with the Air Force on a proposal that could be implemented in FY2014."

View more of InsideDefense.com's coverage of Guard and Reserve issues.