U.S. SENATOR PATRICK LEAHY

[WASHINGTON (Friday, Jan. 7) – U.S. Senate National Guard Caucus Co-Chairs Sens. Kit Bond (R-Mo.) and Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) are calling on the Army to withdraw newly announced plans to lift a statutory rule that limits Guard and Reserve deployments to two years. On Thursday, an internal anonymous source indicated the Army is planning on asking the Secretary of Defense to ask Congress to change the so-called "two-year rule."  If the changes were implemented, Bond and Leahy noted, Guard members and Reservists could face an unlimited number of deployments, unexpectedly separating them from their families, their jobs and their communities. The two lawmakers head the bipartisan Senate National Guard Caucus, a coalition of more than 90 senators who work with military officials to maintain the Guard’s readiness.]

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Statement Of Sens. Kit Bond And Patrick Leahy,
Co-Chairs, Senate National Guard Caucus,
On The Proposed Termination Of The Guard And Reserve Two-Year Rule

"As a matter of national policy and as a matter of keeping faith with the men and women of our National Guard and Reserves, we find it unacceptable for the Army to revoke the limitation on the length of Guard and Reserve mobilizations. This requirement was designed to protect our Guard and Reserve soldiers from being used as career soldiers on a permanent basis. Altering the two-year rule changes the very definition of our Reserve and Guard forces.

"While our citizen-soldiers would dutifully answer such a call, the unexpected added risk, strain and imposition that this would force upon them, their families and their communities would break faith with all concerned.  They have honored their obligations, and it is wrong for their government now to abruptly change the rules.

"If the Army follows through with any such proposal, we will lead the fight in Congress to retain the two-year rule to ensure that the Pentagon honors its contracts with the thousands of citizen-soldiers serving at home and abroad."

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