determined to include an air force national guard in the postwar u.s. military establishment during world war ii, the national guard association of the united states flexed its considerable political muscle. it compelled the u.s. army air forces (usaaf) to plan for a significant air force national guard once the overseas fighting ended. general of the army george c. marshall, the army chief of staff, also pressured the usaaf to revise its ambitious plans for a large postwar active duty force. when president harry s. truman instituted dramatic postwar military budget cuts, he split defense dollars evenly among the army, navy, and air force. that move also required the air force to plan for a far smaller active duty service than it had envisaged. as a result, the air force needed both reserve components, the air national guard and the air force reserve, to help fill the gap.