ALCOA, Tenn. — Maj. Gen. Duke Pirak, acting director, Air National Guard, and Chief Master Sgt. Josh Moore, command chief, ANG, hosted ANG wing commanders and senior enlisted leaders from across the nation to discuss readiness and how to bring the future faster during the annual Wing Leader Fly-In at McGhee Tyson Air National Guard Base, Tennessee, April 29-30.
Pirak thanked the leaders, who hail from each of the 90 wings from across the nation’s 54 states, three territories, and the District of Columbia, for carrying out the ANG’s priorities— including protecting the homeland and supporting several named operations and conflicts around the globe.
“Through your efforts, we’ve made profound progress in ANG wartime readiness by developing our people, modernizing and recapitalizing the force, and unleashing the innovative power of our Airmen,” Pirak said. “But the work is not done.”
This year’s theme focused on “bringing the future faster” and emphasized Pirak’s new lines of effort: Recalibrate for Wartime Footing; Retool for Combat with the Air Expeditionary Wing 2.0; Reengineer the ANG Capability Portfolio; and Recruit and Retain.
Recalibrate for Wartime Footing
“We cannot afford to wait to bring the future faster,” Pirak said. “Very often in conflict, we don’t get to choose when or how. So this is our challenge: as leaders we need to support our Airmen in today’s fight while recognizing that our biggest challenges may be lurking in the not-too-distant future.”
He emphasized the need for the ANG to be a lethal, modernized and fully combat-ready force driven by multi-capable Airmen defending the nation at home and abroad.
To illustrate recalibrating for wartime footing, Pirak introduced Col. Michael J. Blair, commander of the Vermont Air Guard’s 158th Fighter Wing.
“Our Airmen cannot afford peacetime processes and timelines,” said Blair, whose fifth-generation F-35A Lightning II fighter jets and Airmen have recently supported multiple contingency deployments.
Retool for Combat with the Air Expeditionary Wing 2.0
As the combat-ready and combat-proven reserve of the Air Force, the ANG will organize, train, and equip in line with the Air Expeditionary Wing 2.0 concept, which the Department of the Air Force released earlier this year as an improved version of its legacy deployment construct. This modified approach to generating and deploying combat airpower directs units to maintain an elevated state of readiness to deter adversaries and win in high-end conflict.
“We are an indispensable part of the Total Force,” Brig. Gen. Jeremy Ford, director, ANG Operations, National Guard Bureau, said. “We need to make sure we all understand what it means to be ‘fight tonight’ ready. To me, it’s a culture.”
Reengineer the ANG Capability Portfolio
The National Guard Reserve Equipment Account was also a topic of interest during the summit. The ANG has lost nearly 60% of its purchasing power since 2013, when accounting for decreasing appropriations and the effects of inflation. The ANG uses NGREA to help achieve its modernization imperatives as well as to address emerging concerns or shortfalls.
“My biggest concern is our Airmen are ready, but we’re not properly equipped,” said Brig. Gen. Matt McDonough, director of Strategy, Design, and Requirements, NGB. “If we get the strategy right, we’re building the force we need five to 10 years from now. The biggest thing I could use from [wing leaders] is advocacy. We need more purchasing power.”
“The urgency of the now must not blind us to both the opportunity and threats in the programmatic landscape,” Pirak said. “We must secure our strategic future by investing in missions more optimally postured for the National Defense Strategy.”
Col. Daniel Wittmer, commander, Air National Guard Air Force Reserve Test Center, provided his perspective on the need for rapid modernization.
“What we can’t wait for is guidance on how to modernize,” Wittmer said. “At this point, the Air National Guard needs to take ownership of the modernization process for ANG platforms.”
Lt. Col. Tyler Johnson, director, Air National Guard Readiness Center Innovation Office, or ARCWERX, provided an update on how the ANG is innovating and supporting the Department of War’s priority of Supercharging the Defense Industrial Base, including recruiting companies to help solve growing threats and enabling field-level innovation.
“We’re not just doing tech push, but also problem pull,” Johnson said. “We need to provide access and advocacy to your Airmen, so we can do more unconventional things in unconventional ways.”
Recruit and Retain
Pirak discussed his final LOE, Recruit and Retain, by emphasizing the importance of balancing end-strength numbers with accessioning the right people while also increasing retention.
“Retention is not about money, it’s about culture,” Pirak said. “We achieved record accessions last year, but when retention rates fall below 92%, our ability to grow is challenged. 92% is achievable. We can do this.”
Col. Mark Williams, director, Recruiting and Retention, NGB, provided a sneak peek at the ANG’s new recruiting campaign: “Guard What Matters,” which is hitting the market this Spring/Summer timeframe. He also informed Wing leaders about several recruiting and retention initiatives that reinforce his aim to “Grow the Force (Recruit), Keep the Talent, (Retain), in order to Sustain Combat Power (Readiness),” including three-year contracts and bonuses, an increase in marketing budget, a social media influencer collaboration program and a new creative toolkit that will provide Wings with more than 100 templates for customizable recruiting campaigns targeting local, state and wing levels.
Pirak emphasized, “We will win the next war because of you and what you do today. Just at the moment we think we can’t do much more, that’s when we’ll have to step up and do it again.”