total force

The Regular Air Force, the Air National Guard, the Air Force Reserve, the civilian workforce, and the Civil Air Patrol when it flies Air Force missions as the official Auxiliary. AFPD 90-10 defines the Total Force as exactly those five parts.

The deliberate combination of personnel, processes or equipment from two or more Total Force components to gain efficiency and effectiveness for the Air Force mission. AFPD 90-10 adds that integrating the Total Force is imperative.

The Air National Guard and the Air Force Reserve. AFPD 90-10 states the ARC consists of those two components.

DoDD 1200.17, Managing the Reserve Components as an Operational Force. AFPD 90-10 implements it together with AFPD 10-3, Operational Utilization of the Air Reserve Component Forces.

Only when it is performing Air Force-assigned missions as the official Air Force Auxiliary. In that Title 10 status the volunteer Civil Air Patrol supports federal agencies, including the Air Force.

Unique civilian experience, giving a balance between operational readiness and experience plus strategic depth. AFPD 90-10 says each component offers unique capabilities and strengths.

Through education, training, and assignment opportunities. The Air Force educates personnel on Total Force concepts throughout their careers and offers assignments in Total Force organizations.

The means by which commanders and leaders communicate and coordinate TFI initiatives, concerns, proposals or options. AFPD 90-10 defines it that way.

At any echelon of the Air Force, or from a Congressional inquiry, legislation, or the President's Budget. AFPD 90-10 lists all of those origins.

The HAF Director of Staff (HAF/DS). It provides operational oversight and direction for TFI and receives, validates and tracks TFI Proposals.

SAF/MR (Manpower and Reserve Affairs). It gives guidance, direction and oversight of the Air Force's Total Force.

AF/A1. AFPD 90-10 assigns Total Force personnel policy issues to AF/A1.

AF/A3. AFPD 90-10 gives AF/A3 that role.

The Major Commands, and their proposals must include measures of merit. AFPD 90-10 says MAJCOMs manage TFI for their commands and develop TFIPs with measures of merit.

31 U.S.C. 1301, the Purpose Statute: money may be used only for the purposes it was appropriated for. AFPD 90-10 requires each component to comply with it.

The Air Force Council, the Air Force Board, the Air Force Group, and the thirteen Mission and Mission Support Panels. AFPD 90-10 requires Total Force options to be part of that structure.

Strategy, Planning, Programming, Budgeting, and Execution. AFPD 90-10 describes them as five distinct but overlapping phases.

The militia clause: the sixteenth clause of section 8, article I. AFPD 90-10 adds that the ANG is armed and equipped wholly or partly at federal expense and is federally recognized.

The component constituted to provide a reserve for active duty. It includes every Air Reserve Component member who is not in the Air National Guard of the United States.

Two or more Air Force components formally agreeing to share resources to perform a common mission, codified in an Association Plan (A-Plan). DAFI 90-1001 (October 2026) defines it that way.

The sponsor has primary responsibility for the mission; the associate shares the mission. The sponsor is normally assigned most of the primary physical resources.

A Total Force Association in which a Regular Air Force organization is the sponsor and shares the mission with one or more ARC associate organizations. It is one of the two association types DAFI 90-1001 recognizes.

An ARC sponsor organization sharing a mission with one or more Regular Air Force associate organizations. It is the reverse of a Classic Association.

Neither of the two recognized types. DAFI 90-1001 (October 2026) recognizes only Classic Associations (Regular Air Force sponsor) and Active Associations (ARC sponsor with Regular Air Force associates), and says other resource-sharing relationships are not governed by it. The superseded 2020 AFI 90-1001 put an association between two ARC organizations in an "other" category.

DAFI 90-1001 (October 2026) dropped the additive and embedded manpower constructs: an association is now defined by its shared mission and required force mix. Under the superseded 2020 AFI 90-1001, an additive construct added manpower above the normal unit type code (UTC) level.

DAFI 90-1001 (October 2026) dropped the additive and embedded manpower constructs: an association is now defined by its shared mission and required force mix. Under the superseded 2020 AFI 90-1001, an embedded construct combined Regular Air Force and ARC manpower to equal the customary UTC.

Each organization keeps ADCON of its own forces (for the Air National Guard, Administrative Authority). Operational Direction (OPDIR) gives unity of effort between the associated units.

The Air Force Director of Staff (AF/DS), by delegation from the CSAF. The CSAF keeps ultimate oversight of Total Force Integration. Before the October 2026 rewrite of DAFI 90-1001, the approval authority was the Vice Chief of Staff of the Air Force.

No. DAFI 90-1001 states sponsor status does not imply ownership of an installation.

No. Missions go to the component organizations, not the association: DAFI 90-1001 (October 2026) defines each association type by which component's organization is assigned to the mission, and says associations are not formal units. The superseded 2020 AFI 90-1001 said it outright: HAF assigns missions to the individual component organizations, not to the TFA.

DAFI 90-1001 (October 2026) no longer has a Legacy Association category. Under the superseded 2020 AFI 90-1001, it was a Total Force Association approved before 29 May 2007.

An MOU records a mutual understanding with no expectation of payment, and the parties do not rely on each other to deliver anything; an MOA records an agreement to execute or deliver support, with or without reimbursement. Both definitions are in DAFI 90-1001.

Guard and Reserve members on voluntary active duty giving full-time support to the reserve components. Their job is organizing, administering, recruiting, instructing, or training the reserve components.

Air Reserve Technicians (ARTs). As a condition of employment they must be Ready Reservists, training with the units that employ them.

Dual Status Military Technician (DSMT). By law they are federal civil service employees who must be military members of the unit that employs them.

An Air National Guard member who does Regularly Scheduled Drill, traditionally one weekend a month plus a two-week annual training period. DAFI 90-1001 defines the term.

At least 48 scheduled drills or training periods plus at least 14 days of active duty for training each year. DAFI 90-1001 defines a TR as a drilling unit member of the Selected Reserve.

The duty that takes 51 percent or more of the member's time. DAFI 90-1001 uses that test in its full-time support definition.

To set principles and policies for managing the Reserve Components as an operational force. AFPD 90-10 implements it for the Air Force.

Operational capabilities and strategic depth across the full spectrum of conflict. The RCs also connect the military to the American public.

The attributes of each component and individual competencies. DoDD 1200.17 states this as a core policy.

Total force missions. DoDD 1200.17 states that both are total force missions.

10 U.S.C. 12301(d) and 32 U.S.C. 502(f)(2). Voluntary duty under them is encouraged to meet mission requirements.

As career enhancing, not harmful to career progression. The Military Departments are to integrate Active and Reserve organizations as far as practicable, including through such assignments.

A model that trains and certifies individual skills and limited unit collective training before mobilization. The goal is to limit post-mobilization training and maximize operational deployment time.

Policies and agreements that let people move as smoothly as possible between active military, reserve military, and civilian service. They are backed by statute, benefit and compensation options.

From pre-activation through reintegration. DoDD 1200.17 requires those outreach services to be set up and available.

Course answer: section 8013. Current law: 10 U.S.C. 9013, because the section was renumbered from 8013 by Pub. L. 115-232 (2018). Older materials that say 8013 mean today's 9013.

Workload. Requirements are set at the minimum levels needed to accomplish mission and performance objectives, because manpower is a resource.

The least costly mix of military, civilian and contract personnel that still meets military requirements. Inherently governmental functions may not be contracted.

Only when military incumbency is needed for law, command and control of crisis situations, combat readiness, or esprit de corps. Otherwise manpower is designated civilian.

No. DoDD 1100.4 forbids designating support manpower as military solely to exercise military authority.

It should be avoided. Each position is designated military (Active or Reserve) or civilian, but not both.

"Emergency-Essential" positions. DoDD 1100.4 requires that designation under 10 U.S.C. 1580.

Solely on workload and fiscal year funding. DoDD 1100.4 states it in those terms.

All of them: active military, DoD civilian, Reserve component, contract, and host-nation support. DoDD 1100.4 names all five.

Keeping or replacing civilian employees and contractor personnel who perform critical support activities. The Secretaries of the Military Departments must plan for it.

The Air National Guard of the United States and the Air Force Reserve. They are items (5) and (6) of the statute's list.

To provide trained units and qualified people for active duty in war, national emergency, or when national security requires. They fill the gap when more are needed than the regular components have.

The Ready Reserve, the Standby Reserve, and the Retired Reserve. Members of the Retired Reserve are in a retired status.

The Ready Reserve. 10 U.S.C. 10143 places a Selected Reserve within the Ready Reserve of each reserve component.

Ready Reserve members who are not in the Selected Reserve or the inactive National Guard. 10 U.S.C. 10144 defines it that way.

The President, with Senate consent, from civilian life. A former regular officer must be seven years off active duty to be appointed.

The Regular Air Force, the Air National Guard of the United States, the Air National Guard while in federal service, and the Air Force Reserve. The Air Force is organized, trained and equipped primarily for prompt and sustained offensive and defensive air operations.

The governor of their state or territory (for D.C., the commanding general of the D.C. National Guard). Each of the 54 National Guard organizations is supervised by its adjutant general.

A joint bureau of the Departments of the Army and Air Force that administers the Guard's federal functions. It is the channel of communication between the Army, the Air Force and the 54 states and territories.

A federal mission and a state mission. Each guardsman belongs both to the National Guard of their state and to the National Guard of the United States.

To keep well-trained, well-equipped units ready for prompt mobilization in war and to help in national emergencies. The fact sheet gives natural disasters and civil disturbances as examples.