Defense Secretary Robert Gates told the House Armed Services Committee Feb. 7 that he “has a problem” with elevating the National Guard Bureau chief to a seat on the Joint Chiefs of Staff because of “unity of command issues.” He is, however, “very open to the possibility” of giving the NGB chief a fourth star. The Commission on the National Guard and Reserves expects to make its report to Congress on this issue by March 1.
The Air Force became the latest service to roll out a new operating concept for the future when Chief of Staff Gen. David W. Allvin unveiled the service's Force Design last fall. But the Air Force is hardly the only service with a Force Design, and a pressing question for the…