Air National Guard Structure for the Twenty-First Century: The multimission Framework for Total Force Integration (Maxwell Paper, Number 43)

Abstract

Abstract : Since the Vietnam War, much has changed with regard to the Total Force and the structure of the Department of Defense. The Air National Guard, in particular, began many transformational programs designed to better enhance its mission capabilities for both state and federal missions. In fact, the Air National Guard evolved into an operational reserve necessary to successfully fight the nation's wars. Ultimately, the strength of the Air National Guard is built upon its greatest asset: its people. With people at the center of the equation, is there a best organizational construct in which to form an Air National Guard unit? If so, what might that unit look like? If not, might there be certain traits which resonate successfully within all the models? With these research questions in hand, the author began a quest for resolution on the optimum Guard organizational construct. When a researcher pursues new subject matter, there is the possibility that the research results may be significantly different than expected. in this case, through a myriad of senior officer interviews, multiple model case studies, an expansive literature review, and a thorough review of the challenges in new units, the research indicated that there is almost no limit to the number of successful types of Total Force Integration models. However, what the research did demonstrate was the importance of certain core threads necessary for any models to both survive and thrive. Because of these core threads, this study recommends a common framework for the way ahead for future integration efforts, which shall be presented as the Multimission Framework for Total Force Integration.,'