A proposal to reorganize and shrink the U.S. military's helicopter fleet has touched off a fight between the Army and the National Guard, in a new outbreak of tensions brought on by budget cuts.
Facing austerity measures that would drastically reduce the size of its force, the active-duty Army developed a proposal to reorganize its helicopter fleet, which officials say would save more than $1 billion a year.
But the National Guard argues that such stark changes would make the reserve force less capable of stepping in to fulfill the duties of the active-duty force.
The Army proposed that the National Guard be given 111 upgraded UH-60L Black Hawk helicopters in return for its fleet of 72 Apaches, according to Army officials. The Army also would take 48 Apaches from the Army Reserve, a separate force.
In all, the swap would be part of a broader plan to eliminate 900 older aircraft.
In a cost-saving move, the Army wants to give the National Guard Black Hawk helicopters, like these, in exchange for its fleet of Apache helicopters. Associated Press
To the active-duty Army, the move makes sense. Apache helicopters, which are heavily armed but can only carry two pilots, are less useful to state governors than Black Hawks, transport and utility helicopters.
"This is a bold initiative that will help us be a viable aviation force," Gen. Campbell said. "That is the path we want to take."
But the National Guard's chief and its state units have said they want to keep their Apaches.
In a speech earlier this month, Gen. Frank Grass, head of the National Guard, said his force needs the same capabilities as the Army and Air Force. "However the Army looks or however the Air Force looks, we've got to be interchangeable," he said.
Army officials said they have included National Guard aviation experts throughout their planning process, yet the emerging fight shows the uphill battle the military faces balancing belt-tightening with sharp budget controls imposed by Congress.
In an earlier flap, Air Force plans in 2012 to cut Air National Guard and reserve positions and consolidate planes was blocked by Congress after lawmakers became convinced the changes would hurt home-state units.
The congressional spending bill passed this month blunted across-the-board spending cuts, but the half-trillion-dollar Pentagon budget still faces $31 billion in reductions this year and larger cutbacks in future years. As a result, the Army will reduce its ranks to 490,000 soldiers next year from 529,000 today. Defense officials say further cuts—to 450,000 or fewer—are likely.
Army officials said this means the service must cut in other areas, including its helicopter fleet.
"We cannot keep the aviation force we have," said Gen. John Campbell, the vice chief of staff of the Army. "We cannot afford it."
The Army plan would retire its scout class of helicopters, the OH-58D Kiowa Warrior and replace them with AH-64 Apache attack helicopters. The Kiowa Warrior is an overhauled Vietnam-era aircraft.
Previous efforts to develop new scout helicopters were shelved, and now the military has no money for a new airframe.
The plan would pair upgraded Apaches with unmanned drone aircraft, including the MQ-1C Gray Eagle, an updated version of the Predator drone, providing Army units with surveillance aircraft that can linger for long periods over the battlefield.
Active-duty Army officials said that in an age of sharp cutbacks, the military's basic organization must be reworked. But some defense analysts question whether the Army is too focused on protecting the size of the active-duty ground force.
Todd Harrison, a defense expert at the nonpartisan Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments, said the Army should move assets to the Guard and reserve to save money.
"Instead of taking things out of the reserve component and putting it in the active, you might do the opposite," he said. "If your future strategy isn't hinged on large ground wars, you don't need as large a ground force."
The budget for new Army equipment is being cut by $15 billion over the next five years, and maintenance funds are falling.
Without aviation-fleet cuts, Army officials said they would be left with lots of helicopters but not enough funds to maintain them or train pilots.
Army officials originally considered an across-the-board cut to both active-duty and National Guard aviation units/.../