The alternative plan that Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve officials have been working with USAF would temporarily rather than permanently transfer some reserve component C-130s to the active force, Lt. Gen. Harry Wyatt, ANG director, told the House Armed Services readiness panel Tuesday. Numerous lawmakers and state officials had complained when the original plan came to light last month. Wyatt said the new arrangement “complies with the President’s budget as far as the savings generated.” He added that there would be no transfer of reserve personnel. Under the new plan, when legacy C-130—E and H model—training needs drop as the service acquires more new J models, “those tails that have been loaned by the states will be returned back to those states,” explained Wyatt, adding that the return would occur over time, “about a four- to five-year period at the longest.”
The Pentagon announced new long-term agreements with four defense companies May 13 to develop and produce large numbers of low-cost cruise missiles. And while the effort will focus mostly on the Army to start, it pairs with Air Force efforts to find more affordable munitions.