Military Officer - August 2006 - (Page 54)

E VENTS AFTER SEPT. 11, 2001, thrust the National Guard into the forefront of the overseas ﬁght against terrorism while simultaneously providing the primary military forces for protecting our homeland. Before Sept. 11, 2001, when called by a state’s governor to support civil authorities, the Guard was always ready, but its equipment was often obsolete and units were only funded to 75 percent of their mission authorization — shortages no longer tolerable. But DoD persists in recommending reductions to the National Guard. A strong, knowledgeable advocate for both the state and federal National Guard missions is urgently needed. The National Guard Empowerment Act (S. 2658/H.R. 5200) was introduced in April to ensure the National Guard is no longer neglected. Not since the Goldwater-Nichols Act of 1987 has such a sweeping change to a DoD military organization been proposed. Of course, Goldwater-Nichols did not envision the end of the Cold War and the emergence of terrorism as the nation’s main enemy. Nor did it anticipate ﬁghting a war within our borders. It also did not anticipate the sudden emergence of catastrophic natural disasters in densely populated areas that quickly overwhelmed local authorities. ★★★★★★ Most important, it did not anticipate the pivotal role the National Guard is playing in this new era. The National Guard Empowerment Act positions National Guard senior leadership at the highest levels in DoD and provides special procurement authority for homeland security-related equipment. The legislation proposes to: ■ elevate the chief of the National Guard Bureau (CNGB) to a four-star general. The National Guard makes up more than 40 percent of the total force for the Army and Air Force and is the only component speciﬁcally tasked with state and federal missions, yet it possesses only three of the 106 [Army and Air Force] three- and fourstar general positions; ■ place the CNGB on the Joint Chiefs of Staff; ■ codify the vital role of the CNGB to work with state adjutants general to validate requirements for homeland security, and in some instances procure special equipment for homeland security missions; and ■ make the deputy commander of U.S. Northern Command (NORTHCOM) a National Guard servicemember. NORTHCOM is a combatant command created in 2002 to direct the defense of the homeland and support homeland security needs. Its primary force provider is the National Guard. A constitutionally precious — but sometimes troublesome — seam exists between civil and military resources when dealing with protecting the U.S. The military protects the nation from invasion and takes the ﬁght overseas. The National Guard is the largest military reserve for this mission. Civil authorities respond to disasters that threaten citizen safety and rely heavily on National Guard forces in state capacity when overwhelmed. Calling up active duty forces is always a step taken cautiously. So both DoD and the governors have a stake in sustaining a strong and ready National Guard. Until Sept. 11, 2001, and the “wake up call” by Hurricane Katrina, the National Guard had never been called upon to simultaneously support both its federal and state missions in strength. Despite a clear need for strengthening the National Guard, DoD has been slow to change its planning and programming processes to include National Guard leadership in tough decision making. For example, in early 2006 — to the surprise of National Guard leadership, governors, and Congress — the Army proposed a dramatic 26,000soldier reduction to the National Guard aimed speciﬁcally at combat capability. This happened just as the National Guard was providing approximately 50 percent of the forces in Iraq and had sent more than 50,000 servicemembers to support hurricane recovery. Only massive intervention by the nation’s governors and senators killed this initiative. Hardly W E WA N T TO H E A R YO U R O P I N I O N Do you think the National Guard should have four-star representation? Now that you’ve read arguments for and against the idea, share your opinion. Go to www.moaa.org/fourstar and participate in MOAA’s online survey. 54 MILITARY OFFICER MONTH 005 A U G U S T 22 0 0 6 http://www.moaa.org/fourstar

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Military Officer - August 2006

Military Officer - August 2006 Contents From the Editor President’s Page Your Views MOAA Directory Rapid Fire Washington Scene Chapter Activities Financial Forum Ask the Doctor Changing of the Guard Four-Star Rating Long Term Care Kryptogram Pages of History Information Exchange MOAA Scholarship Donors Member Books Advertising Index MOAA Calendar Sounding Taps MOAA Member Services Encore

Military Officer - August 2006

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