thedrifter
08-06-07, 11:20 AM
Lawmakers: Fill-in missions may weaken naval, air forces
By Erik Holmes - eholmes@militarytimes.com
Posted : December ,
The growing use of airmen and sailors to fill jobs normally handled by ground forces in Iraq and Afghanistan could hurt the Air Force and Navy’s retention and readiness, members of a House panel warned service leaders during a July 31 hearing.
“The committee ... is concerned about the strain on readiness and the increased risk to national security created by taking soldiers, sailors and airmen out of their core service roles,” said Rep. Solomon Ortiz, D-Texas, chairman of the House Armed Services Readiness Subcommittee. “Recruiting and retention could be hindered because potential recruits or experienced personnel may not want to retrain for missions and skills other than those they originally planned to perform.”
A senior Air Force officer agreed with that assessment, but a senior Navy officer told the panel that sailors could continue subbing for soldiers and Marines for as long as they’re needed — without hurting readiness or retention.
More than 10,000 sailors and 6,000 airmen are filling jobs in Iraq and Afghanistan “in lieu of” soldiers and Marines, the Air Force and Navy reported in testimony to the committee.
The taskings — referred to as ILO — include civil affairs, medical, construction, logistics, communications and security forces, among other duties.
Rear Adm. Timothy Giardina, director of information, plans and security for the chief of naval operations, assured panel members that the Navy’s share of ILO deployments is not an undue burden.
“The chief of naval operations has offered his continued support as long as the conflict [continues],” Giardina said. “Right now, as a percentage of the total force, the ILO augmentees are between 2 and 3 percent of our force. It’s a very small contribution when you take the whole force into account.”
But Air Force Brig. Gen. Marke Gibson, director of current operations and training at Headquarters Air Force, said the taskings are taking their toll.
“These ... affect our readiness and our ability to respond to unforeseen circumstances such as providing humanitarian assistance or supporting other operations,” he said. “We’re proud to be part of this joint fight, but over time, we would like to continue to get back into those functions that are matched to our core competencies.”
In the next year, the Air Force plans to draw back from the 13 percent of ILO taskings that are outside of airmen’s core skills areas, he said.
Gibson also said Air Force leaders are beginning to worry that ILO deployments will hurt retention.
“There are ... concerns among leadership that the ILO task ... will begin to have a negative retention affect,” he said. “To date, we have not seen it, but the Air Force leadership is very focused on that.”
Giardina said the Navy has seen no evidence that ILO taskings are hurting retention or recruiting.
Subcommittee members expressed concern that airmen and sailors on ILO deployments might not receive proper training and equipment before deploying.
But both Gibson and Giardina said they are confident that is not the case. ILO airmen and sailors receive several weeks of combat skills training before deploying, the leaders said, and they have the same body armor, weapons and other equipment used by soldiers and Marines.
Still, some panel members were skeptical that such limited training is adequate to prepare someone with no ground combat background to fill in for a soldier or Marine.
“If I was selected to be an augmentee with that type of training ... I would be very, very uncomfortable,” Ortiz said. “This just shows that we have a tremendous shortage of troops. We’re shortchanging the troops.”
Since the Air Force and Navy began providing ILO forces in 2004, 13 ILO airmen and three ILO sailors have been killed in action.
Ellie
By Erik Holmes - eholmes@militarytimes.com
Posted : December ,
The growing use of airmen and sailors to fill jobs normally handled by ground forces in Iraq and Afghanistan could hurt the Air Force and Navy’s retention and readiness, members of a House panel warned service leaders during a July 31 hearing.
“The committee ... is concerned about the strain on readiness and the increased risk to national security created by taking soldiers, sailors and airmen out of their core service roles,” said Rep. Solomon Ortiz, D-Texas, chairman of the House Armed Services Readiness Subcommittee. “Recruiting and retention could be hindered because potential recruits or experienced personnel may not want to retrain for missions and skills other than those they originally planned to perform.”
A senior Air Force officer agreed with that assessment, but a senior Navy officer told the panel that sailors could continue subbing for soldiers and Marines for as long as they’re needed — without hurting readiness or retention.
More than 10,000 sailors and 6,000 airmen are filling jobs in Iraq and Afghanistan “in lieu of” soldiers and Marines, the Air Force and Navy reported in testimony to the committee.
The taskings — referred to as ILO — include civil affairs, medical, construction, logistics, communications and security forces, among other duties.
Rear Adm. Timothy Giardina, director of information, plans and security for the chief of naval operations, assured panel members that the Navy’s share of ILO deployments is not an undue burden.
“The chief of naval operations has offered his continued support as long as the conflict [continues],” Giardina said. “Right now, as a percentage of the total force, the ILO augmentees are between 2 and 3 percent of our force. It’s a very small contribution when you take the whole force into account.”
But Air Force Brig. Gen. Marke Gibson, director of current operations and training at Headquarters Air Force, said the taskings are taking their toll.
“These ... affect our readiness and our ability to respond to unforeseen circumstances such as providing humanitarian assistance or supporting other operations,” he said. “We’re proud to be part of this joint fight, but over time, we would like to continue to get back into those functions that are matched to our core competencies.”
In the next year, the Air Force plans to draw back from the 13 percent of ILO taskings that are outside of airmen’s core skills areas, he said.
Gibson also said Air Force leaders are beginning to worry that ILO deployments will hurt retention.
“There are ... concerns among leadership that the ILO task ... will begin to have a negative retention affect,” he said. “To date, we have not seen it, but the Air Force leadership is very focused on that.”
Giardina said the Navy has seen no evidence that ILO taskings are hurting retention or recruiting.
Subcommittee members expressed concern that airmen and sailors on ILO deployments might not receive proper training and equipment before deploying.
But both Gibson and Giardina said they are confident that is not the case. ILO airmen and sailors receive several weeks of combat skills training before deploying, the leaders said, and they have the same body armor, weapons and other equipment used by soldiers and Marines.
Still, some panel members were skeptical that such limited training is adequate to prepare someone with no ground combat background to fill in for a soldier or Marine.
“If I was selected to be an augmentee with that type of training ... I would be very, very uncomfortable,” Ortiz said. “This just shows that we have a tremendous shortage of troops. We’re shortchanging the troops.”
Since the Air Force and Navy began providing ILO forces in 2004, 13 ILO airmen and three ILO sailors have been killed in action.
Ellie