An official website of the United States government
A .mil website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States.
A lock (lock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Home : News : Article View
NEWS | Sept. 28, 2006

Reserve, Guard leaders speak at AFA convention

By Staff Sgt. Julie Weckerlein Air Force Print News

WASHINGTON (AFPN) - Both the Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard's top leaders spoke to attendees of the Air Force Association's Air and Space Conference and Technology Exposition here Sept. 26.

Lt. Gen. John A. Bradley, Air Force Reserve Command commander, and Lt. Gen. Craig R. McKinley, Air National Guard director, spoke highly of the Airmen within their commands, as well as the challenges of a high-operations tempo, base closure and realignment changes and integration with the Total Force.

"We are the unrivaled wingmen," said General Bradley during his workshop. "We are always, without fail, there to support the force."

He emphasized that the Reserve is no different than the active-duty force. 

"We want to make sure everyone knows that there is no separate culture," he said. "We are all involved in the same missions."

The Reserve depends on volunteerism in lieu of mobilization when it comes to deployments. He said having set Air Expeditionary Force deployment standards helps.

"People are able and ready before they go on a deployment," he said. "They are able to plan for it, and that employing the (AEF) system was a brilliant idea."

He talked about the closing of the Reserve base and wing in Milwaukee and about it's move to Pope Air Force Base, N.C.

"It's going to make a big impact in that area," he said. "The Reserve doesn't PCS folks, and so we're looking for ways to help these folks find jobs, maybe join the Guard if they still want to serve. We want to give them options to continue their careers."

The Reserve also will be losing Airmen due to force shaping. More than 7,000 Airmen will leave their ranks.

"We're not happy about the cuts," said General Bradley. "It's painful. But it has to be done."

As for the Air National Guard, General McKinley said that while they won't need to cut Airmen from the Guard, the force was adversely affected by the base realignment and closure process. 

"We have (air) fields that are closing," he said. "It's a challenging time." 

He said many of the Airmen in the Air Guard were raised within those hometown organizations.

"We have Airmen whose father's father served in their (Guard) unit," said General McKinley. "There's a lot of heritage, blood, sweat and tears there, and so when it comes time to close a field, people do get emotional about it."

But despite the hardship, the Guard will carry on, as it has "a heritage of change," he said. "We have an interesting culture and it's always busy."

He spoke of the force's two missions: one abroad and the other on the home front. The integration between the Air Guard and active-duty Airmen has been seamless.

"What finer example is there than of the bombing of (terrorist) Abu Musab al-Zarqawi?" he asked. "Those were Guard pilots up there, but they were up there because of support from active-duty and Reserve Airmen, not to mention alongside other services. It was truly a joint effort, and a successful one."

 

 

Related Articles
U.S. Soldiers with the Army National Guard speak with D.C. locals while patrolling Metro Center Aug 26, 2025. About 2,000 National Guard members are supporting the D.C. Safe and Beautiful mission providing critical support to the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department in ensuring the safety of all who live, work, and visit the District.
Guard Members From Six States, D.C. on Duty in Washington in Support of Local, Fed Authorities
By Sgt. 1st Class Jon Soucy, | Aug. 29, 2025
WASHINGTON – More than 2,000 National Guard Soldiers and Airmen from six states and the District of Columbia are on duty in Washington as part of Joint Task Force – District of Columbia in support of local and federal...

Lt. Gen. H. Steven Blum, chief of the National Guard Bureau, Maj. Gen. Russel Honore, Task Force Katrina commander, and Brig. Gen. John Basilica, 256th Infantry Brigade Combat Team commander, talk to news media during the aftermath of Hurricane Rita on Sep. 29, 2005. Basilica was appointed commander of Task Force Pelican, responsible for coordinating National Guard hurricane response efforts across the State. The task force included tens of thousands of National Guard Soldiers from Louisiana and other states.
Louisiana Guard’s Tiger Brigade Marks 20th Anniversary of Redeployment and Hurricane Response
By Rhett Breerwood, | Aug. 29, 2025
NEW ORLEANS – This fall, the Louisiana National Guard’s 256th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, known as the Tiger Brigade, commemorates the 20th anniversary of its redeployment from Iraq in September 2005, coinciding with the...

Alaska Air National Guard HH-60G Pave Hawk aviators and Guardian Angels, assigned to the 210th and 212th Rescue Squadrons, respectively, conduct a hoist rescue demonstration while participating in a multi-agency hoist symposium at Bryant Army Airfield on Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, July 22, 2025. The symposium, hosted by Alaska Army National Guard aviators assigned to Golf Company, 2-211th General Support Aviation Battalion, included U.S. Coast Guard crews assigned to Sector Western Alaska and U.S. Arctic out of Air Stations Kodiak and Sitka, Alaska Air National Guardsmen with the 176th Wing rescue squadrons, U.S. Army aviators from Fort Wainwright’s 1-52nd General Support Aviation Battalion, Alaska State Troopers, and civilian search and rescue professional volunteers from the Alaska Mountain Rescue Group. The collaborative training drew on the participants’ varied backgrounds, experiences, and practices, to enhance hoist proficiency and collective readiness when conducting life-saving search and rescue missions in Alaska’s vast and austere terrain. (Alaska Army National Guard photo by Alejandro Peña)
Alaska Air Guard Conducts Multiple Hoist Rescues of Stranded Rafters on Kichatna River
By Staff Sgt. Seth LaCount, | Aug. 29, 2025
JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska — Alaska Air National Guard members with the 176th Wing rescued three rafters Aug. 28 after their raft flipped over on the Kichatna River.The Alaska Rescue Coordination Center opened...