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SECAF, CSAF: War requires team effort

by Master Sgt. Rick Burnham
Air Force Print News

02/25/03 - WASHINGTON -- Despite dramatic successes in recent armed conflicts, the Air Force would only present a portion of the forces brought to bear against Iraq, if indeed war is needed to disarm the forces of Saddam Hussein.

Winning such a conflict will require a team effort, said Secretary of the Air Force Dr. James G. Roche, bringing together the combined efforts of not only each of the nation's armed services, but reserve forces and their civilian employers as well.

The secretary's comments came Feb. 19 during an interview with correspondents from Washington-based radio station WTOP. Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. John P. Jumper joined him during the broadcast, which included questions from call-in listeners around the national capital region.

"Although we'll use airpower right off the bat," Roche said, "our armed services fight as a team."

Jumper agreed, adding that recent advancements in technology will produce some very significant results.

"We never fight alone," the general said. "It's a coordinated effort among all the services, and we certainly do our part. But we never pretend that it's all about airpower. We're going to go in there, if the President asks us to do this, with much more striking power than we've had in the past, certainly more than we saw in Desert Storm. I think you're going to be very surprised and pleased with what you see."

That improved striking power will require a powerful blend of airpower from a variety of different sources, Roche said.

"It's a combat air force, not just the Air Force," the secretary said. "It will also be naval air and Marine Corps aviation, so it's the combat air force of the United States. We will certainly do our best to fulfill what (U.S. Central Command Commander Gen. Tommy R. Franks) wants us to do as part of combat air force as an airpower."

Also, Jumper said, there are many requirements on the ground that an aircrew simply cannot accommodate.

"Nobody in an airplane is going to be able to dig somebody out of a foxhole," the general said. "You need the balance ... you need to be prepared to take whatever measures are required to obtain that objective."

And that includes measures by civilian employers, whose sacrifices in support of Guard and Reserve call-ups have become commonplace in recent years, particularly since Sept. 11, 2001. Jumper called those sacrifices an absolute key to the success of America's armed forces.

"We can't tell you how thankful we are for all the employers out there who let go of some of their best people to put on the uniform and come on active duty," he said. "You can't tell the difference (between active duty and Reserve) when you are out there."

It is all about the "total force concept," Roche said, a prescription for success when it comes to armed conflict.

"We have had a total force concept for some time that works very, very well," he said. "We can do things with our active force immediately and not have to rely on the Reserves or Guard, but if we start to do a lot then we very much do rely on the Guard and Reserves. But instead of them having unique, niche roles, they do everything that the rest of the Air Force does, and so therefore they add to it."