Newsflash to the New Congress: Tiered Readiness Is Here Now | RealClearDefense: The modern day version of “tiered readiness” has arrived for the U.S. military. While the news has yet to sink in the minds of Washington leaders, the state of affairs across the force speaks for itself.
During the defense drawdown in the 1990s, this concept was instituted with units preparing to deploy at peak readiness while the majority of the remaining forces stateside, especially those in the Reserve Component, were not. This was sanctioned by Pentagon leaders as a way to produce savings while (supposedly) preserving force structure and modernization where possible. While the idea was eventually rejected, budget cuts combined with a relentless pace of operations have resurrected “tiered readiness” for those in uniform.
What does today’s tiered readiness look like? For many Navy F/A-18 fighter pilots currently not flying given aircraft equipment shortages, it is a situation described as one of “haves” and “have nots.” Pilots in a conflict zone or high-tension area are getting the staff and parts needed to keep jets in the sky. But those not deploying anytime soon are forced to sit idle alongside their parked aircraft and wait.
