Retired Generals Push Guard-Reserve Merger

Five retired Air Force general officers urged the congressionally mandated commission mulling the Air Force’s future structure to consider merging the Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve. The retired two stars—Tommy Dyches, Bugs Forsythe, Andy Love, Dick Platt, and Frank Scoggins—presented their proposal, which dates back to 2011, during the commission’s Aug. 27 public hearing in Arlington, Va. “Some people say this is Air National Guard-centric because it has the dual-status piece, but just as many people in the Guard community think it’s Reserve-centric because it uses the Air Force Reserve Command structure,” said Scoggins. “We think it’s Total Air Force-centric,” he said. In contrast, Retired Marine Corps Maj. Gen. Andrew Davis, Reserve Officers Association executive director, said the proposal was based on outdated information. He also highlighted other challenges with it, such as command and control issues, management, and legal authorities. Maj. Gen. James Stewart, military executive officer of the Pentagon’s Reserve Forces Policy Board, speaking on behalf of himself, said the proposal fails to acknowledge “distinct differences in state and federal missions.” He called the merger “unwise.”