When he put the Rotary Club of Jacksonville on his speaking calendar six months ago, U.S. Air Force Gen. Craig McKinley had no idea that Jan. 9, 2012, would be the week following the announcement of a major restructuring of the U.S. military forces or that by that date, he would be a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the top military advisers to President Barack Obama.
As it turned out, both of those events were in full force Monday when McKinley spoke to the Rotary Club of Jacksonville at its lunch meeting at the Omni Hotel.
Before being appointed a member of the Joint Chiefs on Dec. 31 when Obama signed the 2012 National Defense Authorization Act, McKinley was chief of the National Guard Bureau, the senior uniformed National Guard officer responsible for developing and coordinating all policies and programs that affect more than 460,000 Army and Air National Guard personnel.
McKinley said that the decision to restructure and downsize the country’s military was made following a great deal of consultation between the president and his top military advisers.
He described the proposed restructuring as “a bold and courageous step,” but one that is not unusual in view of recent developments in the Middle East in terms of reducing U.S. military involvement by bringing soldiers home from Iraq.
“Following the end of any campaign, we always reduce the military,” said McKinley.
He said the decisions incorporated in the plan were “not made lightly” and described the new vision for U.S. armed forces as “the military that will lead us into the next decade and beyond.”
Fiscally, he said, the changes will give the country the ability to reduce military spending, which has become an issue beyond defending the country.
“The national debt could be the biggest threat to national security,” McKinley said.
The process of developing the reorganization plan was a long one and brought the administration and the military to the table. McKinley said Obama considered the opinions of all members of the joint chiefs and those of Defense Secretary Leon Panetta.
Obama “certainly gave every service chief the opportunity to argue their case” and “we all slapped the table and said we agreed,” McKinley said.
Asked if the new version of the military would rely more heavily on the National Guard, McKinley said America’s uniformed reserve forces have served the country for 375 years. “The National Guard was built to help in this new, emerging strategy,” he said.
One of the major challenges facing the country in the transition will be assisting veterans returning from the war in Iraq, which at 10 years is the longest armed conflict in U.S. history, McKinley said.
With thousands of personnel returning home, most without jobs and many with health issues caused by their service, much help will be needed in view of an expected 15-25 percent unemployment rate among discharged veterans. Post-traumatic stress disorder also is a factor, he said.
“We are very concerned about re-integrating veterans into society. These young men and women have experienced a lot of things. The work will take decades. We owe that to these young men and women,” McKinley said.
Questioned about the future of the Florida Air National Guard’s 125th Fighter Wing stationed at Jacksonville International Airport, McKinley said a lot will depend on future federal budgets, but the squadron might be a candidate for a new generation of aircraft.
McKinley said the 125th could be in line for conversion to the newer F-35 fighter jets.
“They are well-positioned to accomplish that mission,” he said.
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