Gen. Mark Milley, the Obama Administration’s pick to become the Army’s top general, said implementing the service’s controversial Aviation Restructure Initiative (ARI)—which would transfer all AH-64 Apache helicopters owned by the National Guard to the active component, among other measures—is critical to maintain readiness and save money.
If confirmed as the Army’s next chief of staff, Milley said he would be in favor of putting ARI into action, he told the Senate Armed Services Committee Tuesday. However, he also said he would be open to waiting for the National Commission on the Future of the Army to release its findings on the appropriate mix of active, reserve and Guard forces.
“I’m going to pay attention to their recommendations very closely, and I’ll remain continually engaged with the Guard and try to do the right thing for the total Army,” said Milley, who is currently the commanding general of U.S. Army Forces Command.
The primary reason Milley is in favor of ARI is to preserve readiness, he said. The service needs additional AH-64s to take over some of the missions conducted by OH-58 Kiowa Warriors, which are being retired. Should the active Army not get the Guard’s Apache helicopters, three divisions—the 1st Infantry Division, the 10th Mountain Division and the 25th Infantry Division—will not have an armed reconnaissance capability, he said.
“We’re going to blind three out of the 10 active duty division commanders with the inability to be able to see the battlefield” unless the ARI is implemented, he said.
Under the current plan, the Army would receive 192 Apaches and provide 111 UH-60 Black Hawks to the Guard in return. The active component would also cut three of its 13 combat aviation brigades.
In this fiscal climate, the service greatly needs the cost savings the ARI would garner— $1 billion a year and $12 billion total, Milley said. “I think that’s not insignificant given the current crunch with sequester.”
Milley added that he understood the Guard’s concerns that, with their combat aviation capability gone, they would no longer be able to fill their role as a strategic and operational reserve.
Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) said it would take a decade for the Mississippi Army National Guard to build up its capabilities if it loses its Apaches.
“I think it would do great harm to what we’ve had over the past,” he said. “The active Army and the National Guard units have operated seamlessly as one team since 9/11.”
At one point, Wicker asked if the relationship between the active Army and Guard had “deteriorated to the point where … it’s unseemly.”
However, Milley said that he had seen no such friction between the components in an operational environment during his time commanding forces in Iraq and Afghanistan.
“I deal with the National Guard and the United States Army Reserve on a frequent basis. … I don’t see that [friction] in the field,” he said, adding that he would work with Army Gen. Frank Grass, Chief of the National Guard Bureau, to “patch up” any issues.
The fiscal year 2015 National Defense Authorization Act permits the movement of up to 48 AH-64s to the active component beginning in October, when fiscal 2016 starts. However, some lawmakers in the House and Senate are pushing for all transfers to be halted until after the commission has the chance to present its findings to Congress.