Military Officer - August 2008 - (Page 10)

fromtheeditor An Active Reserve Previously operating as a strategic reserve, National Guard and Reserve servicemembers soon might account for more than half the ground forces in Iraq. A s this issue went to press, 114,384 National Guard and Reserve troops were serving on federal active duty. According to the National Guard Bureau (NGB), these servicemembers soon will be close to providing more than half of U.S. ground forces in Iraq. A few years ago, the Guard was, in fact, contributing more than half of these forces. In the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, attack, reserve components have transitioned from strategic reserves to operational forces. Two major developments this year reﬂect that reality. First, on Jan. 31, the independent Commission on the National Guard and Reserves (CNGR) delivered its ﬁnal report. Congress chartered this commission “to recommend changes to ensure that the National Guard and other reserve components are organized, trained, equipped, compensated, and supported to best meet the needs of U.S. national security.” The CNGR made 95 recommendations (full text at www.cngr.gov). “At the core of these changes is the explicit recognition of the evolution of the reserve components from a purely strategic force, with lengthy mobilization times designed to meet Cold War threats from large nation-states, to an operational force,” the commission wrote. And second, President George W. Bush signed the 2008 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) in January, which included provisions that: ■ make the NGB a joint activity of DoD, 10 MILITARY OFFICER AUGUST 2008 ■ name the chief of the NGB a principal advisor to the secretary of defense through the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and ■ increase the grade of the position of chief to a fourstar general. To bring you up-to-speed on these developments, Military Ofﬁcer interviewed Lt. Gen. H. Steven Blum, chief of the NGB (see “A Stronger Voice,” page 50). Regarding NDAA provisions, Blum says, “It recognizes the new reality of what the Guard is required to do in peace and war. It recognizes our joint contribution to all the combatant commanders around the world.” To be prepared for their expanded mission, guardmembers must train well and train efﬁciently. The story “Virtual Combat,” page 56, takes a look at an innovative training tool — the Mobile Close Combat Tactical Trainer — that helps prepare citizen-warriors for battle. “Reserve components bring to a ﬁght a dimension that nobody else can,” says Blum. “When you call out the Guard and Reserves, you call out America. That is immensely powerful.” — Col. Warren S. Lacy, USA-Ret. PHOTO: STEVE BARRETT http://www.cngr.gov/

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Military Officer - August 2008

Military Officer - August 2008 Contents MOAA Online From the Editor From the President Your Views MOAA Directory Rapid Fire Washington Scene Chapters in Action Financial Forum Ask the Doctor MOAA Member Services Cover Story: A Stronger Voice Virtual Combat Mental Floss Steady as She Goes Pages of History Faces of MOAA Member Books Information Exchange Advertising Index MOAA Calendar Sounding Taps MOAA Scholarship Donors Encore

Military Officer - August 2008

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.