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General MARCHBANKS. I don't think we have any major problems. I think that our problems are a group of small problems that come out of the management system that existed in the administration of the Air Force Reserve program over a period of years, from Korea to the moment. I think that with our new proposed reorganization under the intent of this new law that we have, we will eliminate all of these.

Senator SMITH. Based on your experience, is there a need for a pilot training program for direct input into the Air Force Reserve units? General MARCHBANKS. Yes, there is. There is a very strong need for it. Basically you don't have a demand without a resource, and this is the position we find ourselves in in the Air Force Reserve. The fallout from the active establishment is not sufficient to supply us with the combat-ready pilots that we need for a strong and creditable backup force to the active Air Force. We are going to have to realize some day pilot training on the part of the Air Force Reserve. There are pilot training programs in existence, but we in the Air Force Reserve don't participate. I think it is always referred to as Air Reserve Forces and the National Guard does have a very fine pilot training program. But we in the Air Force Reserve must have a similar program.

Senator SMITH. Do you think the aircraft assigned to the Air Force Reserve are adequate to accomplish its training purposes?

General MARCHBANKS. I will refer to a former answer I gave in that I think they are adequate from the standpoint of maintaining skills. When you get to a position of priorities, and obviously our priorities must go to our support of the Vietnam war, and we don't have too many planes in the Air Force anyway, we will be satisfied to maintain our skills with what we have. The moment we can realize and upgrade our equipment we will, because we want it. We do want to keep these people current and efficient on existing weapons systems, not semi-obsolescent.

Senator SMITH. What is the Air Force doing to reduce your overages in grades lieutenant colonel and major?

General MARCHBANKS. We are holding a board, a screening board in June, I think it is June 10, to consider an overage that we have to ceilings in the grades of lieutenant colonel and major. This must be done in very good taste and we intend to do it that way, and give individuals who are not active or who are not participating an opportunity to withdraw or get more active, or respond to the screening process that we set up. We intend to reduce the number of overages in these grades to an acceptable ceiling.

Senator SMITH. How soon do you expect that you will be prepared to respond to the possible future needs of the Air Force Reserve in context with the future requirements of the Air Force?

General MARCHBANKS. You are talking to me personally or to the organization?

Senator SMITH. I am talking to you personally. General MARCHBANKS. I am ready dy to respond right now and am perfectly capable of responding. I think we have been in that business now for a sufficient length of time that all we need is a vehicle, and we are ready to go.

Senator SMITH. And that is what you have in mind?
General MARCHBANKS. Yes, Senator.

Senator SMITH. Have you any thoughts on the future relationship of the Office of Air Force Reserve with the air section of the National Guard Bureau?

I think you answered that in part in response to Senator Stennis' question.

General MARCHBANKS. I did in comparing the two organizations. As far as relationship with the National Guard Bureau, and there has been this in previous years we created sort of a splinter force action in the Air Force, I think, when we considered a merger and things of this nature which are dead issues now. We intend to have a very fine relationship with the National Guard Bureau and similar organizations with like objectives. We intend to capitalize on this, and I think as a team the Air Reserve Force team, that we can do much in areas where both complement each other in our organization and operation.

Senator SMITH. I gather you are optimistic in this.
General MARCHBANKS. I am very optimistic.

Senator SMITH. General, is there any possibility that your office will be considered for location in an area outside the confines of the Pentagon?

General MARCHBANKS. I would certainly hope not. I can't imagine a more effective spot to operate from, let me put it that way. I think we would have to be on the scene to be effective, and responsive. Things like this are important. We would need to be in the building. I would hope we would be. I have no indication that we will not be.

Senator SMITH. That was my next question.

Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman, if the general in reading the transcript has anything he would like to add, I would like him to do so.

Senator STENNIS. Without objection it is certainly agreed to.
I commend you for your good questions, Senator Smith.

May I just say one word. Senator Smith has inserted an article in the record about this new position. And the article refers to the fact that the committee of the Senate has left out the mandatory features of the House bill as to staff, as we thought it was an internal matter. But speaking for the committee on the floor of the Senate, I said that if this should prove inadequate, that we would favor mandatory language. I want to reiterate that sentiment of the committee. We have gotten this far along and we don't propose to let this be crippled now because of lack of staff.

Senator SMITH. Thank you for that addition.
Senator STENNIS. Senator Symington.

Senator SYMINGTON. How many Reserve units to the best of your knowledge are combat ready?

General MARCHBANKS. Well, rather than give you a number, I would say they all are at this moment. There is not one that we couldn't deploy with a high degree of effectiveness.

Senator SYMINGTON. All over the United States?

General MARCHBANKS. Yes, sir.

Senator SYMINGTON. Your testimony is that all of the Reserve

Wings in the Air Force Reserve today are combat ready.
General MARCHBANKS. Yes, sir; they are all combat ready.
Senator SYMINGTON. Thank you, General.

No further questions.
Senator STENNIS. Senator Miller.
Senator MILLER. I have no questions.

I would just like to make this comment. I would be hopeful that you personally would see fit to take time out of a very busy schedule which I am sure you will have, to get out into the field to some of the small Air Reserve units, so that you can hear personally from the men in those units regarding their needs for more meaningful Reserve duty.

General MARCHBANKS. I would like to respond to that in this form, in that not only will we do that, we have called people in from these small units, consulting them as to the present organization regarding proposals. Everything that we do is going to be a major change, and I would like to reiterate that. We can't have the business that we have been having. Everything is going to be a major change.

Senator MILLER. I think it is all right to call in some senior officer from one of these Reserve units, but in my judgment there is nothing that can take the place of you personally getting down to the small unit and talking to some of the more junior members of that unit, and finding out what their thoughts are.

General MARCHBANKS. I couldn't agree with you more.

Senator MILLER. I am afraid that we have not had that transmitted to higher headquarters adequately in previous years. General MARCHBANKS. I am afraid you are right.

Senator MILLER. And I think that you have offered the potential for that to be done, but it is going to necessitate, as I say, your taking time out of what would be a very busy schedule to do this. I think in the long pull it would pay dividends.

Senator STENNIS. Senator Cannon.

Senator CANNON. I have no questions, Mr. Chairman. I am very happy to see this job being created and the position being filled, and I want to wish General Marchbanks the best of luck in his new assignment.

I don't have any questions this morning.
Senator STENNIS. Thank you, Senator.

Senator Young.

Senator YOUNG. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I have no questions but I am going to be very happy to vote in favor of this nomination. General MARCHBANKS. Thank you, Senator.

Senator STENNIS. You have finished. Senator?

Senator YOUNG. Yes; I think this is a step forward and I am glad

it is being taken.

Senator STENNIS. Senator Brewster.

Senator BREWSTER. General, would you address yourself in a general fashion to the status of the equipment of the Air Force Reserve? Do you have your full complement of equipment and is it up to date?

General MARCHBANKS. I am not hedging here. I would like to address this. Up to date is a relative term. When you need an airplane. any airplane you have is up to date. Right now I think we do need airplanes. I would like to restate that we would like to train in more modern equipment, but this is certainly a problem that the active forces themselves have. Specifically, no; we are not in the most modern equipment. We certainly do need more modern equipment. I certainly realize the limitations placed on it. Historically we get our equipment as a result of fallout from the active establishment, either through excess in numbers or change in use of the equipment, but the important think for us is that we always have a vehicle which is less than obsolescent that we can train and maintain skills in as a potential for the active establishment.

Senator BREWSTER. Thank you, sir. No further questions.
Senator STENNIS. Thank you, Senator.

Are there any other questions?

Senator STENNIS. General, is there anything else you wish to say? General MARCHBANKS. No, sir; except that it has been very pleasant

being here.

Senator STENNIS. It has been very pleasant for us. We certainly wish you well in your undertakings. We want to hear from you from time to time and to know how things are working out.

General MARCHBANKS. Yes, sir.

Senator STENNIS. We will now go into executive session. (Whereupon, at 10:35 a.m. the committee went into executive session.)

(The nomination of General Marchbanks to be chief of Air Force Reserve, and major general in the Air Force Reserve, was subsequently approved by the committee in executive session, and confirmed by the Senate on February 16, 1968.)

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