Force Structure: Air Force Needs a Periodic Total Force Assessment.

摘要

In May 2000, the Air Force initiated an assessment to test whether the force requirements derived from its manpower requirementsdetermination process were sufficient to support the spectrum of military operations envisioned in the defense strategy: from simultaneously fighting two major theater wars to conducting multiple contingency operations in peacetime. This assessment, called the Total Force Assessment, was the Air Forces first evaluation of manpower adequacy in these contexts since 1995.A sound process for determining the military services ability to support Department of Defenses (DODs) strategy for military operations that occurs on a regular basis is critical. Without it, the services cannot assess war-fighting risk and effectively allocate personnel to meet both wartime and peacetime requirements. In setting its corporate-level performance goals, DOD has recognized the need for an appropriately sized force to respond to the full spectrum of crises, and the Congress, too, has demonstrated interest in knowing whether service force size and structure are consistent with strategy demands. Accordingly, in this report we address the following questions: (1) Did the Total Force Assessment demonstrate that the Air Force has the forces needed to carry out the full spectrum of military operations envisioned in the defense strategy; and (2) To what extent did the Air Force use results from the Total Force Assessment to improve force-management and decisionmaking processes. We are providing this report to you because of your oversight responsibilities and past interest in the Air Force process.