Leahy, Bond Re-Launch National Guard
Empowerment Legislation
Bill (S. 430) Gives Guard Stronger Voice At
Pentagon
WASHINGTON (Tuesday, Jan. 30) – U.S. Sens. Patrick
Leahy (D-Vt.) and Kit Bond (R-Mo.) Tuesday reintroduced bipartisan
legislation (S. 430) to empower the National Guard within the Pentagon and to
strengthen the Guard’s ability to respond to emergencies both at home
and abroad. Introduction of the bill comes the day before a hearing
focusing on the bill, by the Commission on the National Guard and
Reserve. Leahy and Bond, who co-chair the Senate’s National Guard
Caucus, first offered the legislation last year.
The National Guard in recent years has endured
depletions to its equipment stocks as it has struggled to fulfill its
dual mission of responding to domestic emergencies, including the
aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and wildfires in the West, as well as
serving alongside active duty troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. The
Leahy-Bond bill would improve the quality of advice on the National
Guard given to the senior Pentagon leadership, while enhancing the
military’s ability to support the governors and locally elected
officials in emergencies. The Act would specifically give the Guard
more muscle within the Pentagon by elevating the Chief of the National
Guard to a four-star position with a seat at the table with the Joint
Chiefs of Staff, and it would give the National Guard Bureau budgetary
power to research, validate and procure essential equipment for the
Guard.
“This drive to empower the Guard is gaining
momentum in Congress,” said Leahy. “Since 9/11 we have been asking the
Guard to do more and more, and they have superbly handled their dual
role at home and abroad. But strains are showing in the system. The
Guard is a 21st Century military organization that has to
operate under a 20th Century bureaucracy. The Guard’s
ability to help the nation is limited only by the resources,
authorities, and responsibility we give it. Let us put the trust in the
men and women of the Guard that they have deserved and earned, by giving
them the seat at the table that they need.”
"The need to empower the National Guard is not only
still there, but grows each day. We need to give the Guard more
bureaucratic muscle, so that the force will not be continually pushed
around in policy and budget debates within the Pentagon," said Bond.
"We will put the National Guard on an equal footing with other decision
makers responsible for national security and the transformation of the
military forces."
With backlogs and equipment shortfalls becoming a
chronic problem for the Guard, Leahy and Bond have led efforts in recent
years to increase equipment funding for the National Guard by almost $1
billion. They have also led bipartisan efforts to beat back attempts by
the Army to weaken the end strength of the National Guard.
“The National Guard has undergone a tremendous
transformation since September 11. The Pentagon has relied on Guard
personnel and resources to execute military operations in Iraq,
Afghanistan and around the world,” said Nebraska’s Sen. Ben Nelson,
Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Personnel Subcommittee. “The Guard
is no longer a strategic reserve force, it’s now an operational force
elevating the Guard leader to the Joint Chiefs level is long overdue.”
"Increasingly members our National Guard are being
asked to serve their country overseas, more often, and for longer
periods of time," said Maine’s Sen. Olympia Snowe, a member of the
Senate National Guard Caucus. "The mission of the Guard has changed in
the wake of September 11th, and so to must their influence. The Guard
deserves to have the same ability as the heads of the Army, Navy, Air
Force and Marines to make its voice heard directly at the highest level
of government. By elevating the Chief of the National Guard to level of
the Joint Chiefs of Staff, this legislation ensures the Guard's
influence reflects its importance."
The Guard empowerment
bill has been endorsed by The National Guard Association, the Adjutants
General Association and the Enlisted Association of the National Guard.
U.S. House of
Representatives Government Reform Committee Chairman Tom Davis (R-Va.)
and Representative Gene Taylor (D-Miss.) – who co-chair the House Guard
and Reserve Components Caucus -- will introduce the counterpart bill in
the House of Representatives.
# # # # #
Remarks Of U.S. Sen. Patrick Leahy, Introduction
Of The National Guard Empowerment Act
Text of Legislation
Summary Of Legislation
Letter Of Support From The Adjutants General Associated Of The United
States
Letter Of
Support From The National Governors Association
Letter Of Support From The
National Guard Associated Of the United States
Letter Of Support
From The Enlisted Association Of The National Guard
