Numerous interesting comments and thoughts here"

1. RC should not be focused on COIN specifically and neither should the Army. The COIN mission is one measure in decades, not years. While recruting and retention for the ARNG is still high and growing, multiple tours guarantee the slow degradation of the force (something the AC is living with right now).

2. Most importantly, stop creating and changing force structure. It's my biggest pet peeve. Being in the military is hard enough, and creating new organizations just adds to the complexity of the job. Just deploy off the MTOE, attach some medium/heavy truck companies, or create fleets of MRAP's/HMWVV's in theater to fall in on (we've done that already). Commanders and personnel should not have to worry about inactivating and activating when they are back in CONUS or home station. The wars are hard enough - stop adding unneeded complexity into the situation. Like Ken said - wait until a lull, and then change it if needs to be changed.

3. As Field Marshall Nigel Bagnell stated, "over the centuries identifying a nation's future strategic priorities has proved to be a very imprecise art, and as a result peacetime force structures have seldom proved relevant when put to the test of war."

4. The cultural differences between the AC and RC MUST be overcome and at the Major and below level, I truly believe this is the case. The old men and dinosaurs with institutional biases and grudges must pass into oblivion in order to reach the full potential of the entire Army.

5. Shifting combat structure from the USAR to the ARNG to the USAR continues to focus on the wrong problem. Just keep the structure stabilized for a while. Using combat structure out of any reserve component has significant political pressure and risks.

6. The ARNG will never get the HIC mission or the bulk of the heavy forces because the Army uses tank miles to formulate it's OPTEMPO budget. Too much money comes into the AC from this account for them to give it up outright. I think the concept has a lot of merit - I'd use III Corps as the HIC operational reserve, create an ARNG Heavy Corps (2 Divisions+ of HBCT's left) for a strategtic reserve, and use the ARNG IBCT's as an operational force to be used in the Middle East for COIN/SECFOR missions. But again, follow the money...HQDA will never let the bulk of Heavy Forces move into the RC...

Just a few thoughts from an admittedly addled mind...