Remarks Of Sen. Patrick Leahy,
Co-Chair, Senate National Guard Caucus,
National Guard Caucus Breakfast
March 27, 2007

I want to thank all the Senators and staff who are here, General Blum, General Vaughn, General McKinley, and everyone from the National Guard Bureau.  A special thank you goes to the Adjutants General who are such an important part of the National Guard.

The National Guard Caucus here in the Senate is one of the most active and largest caucuses in the U.S. Senate.  We have 86 members at this point — 86.  That’s getting close to the entire Senate, which is our membership goal. 

I think this high membership level underscores the awareness here in the U.S. Senate just how critical the National Guard Caucus is to our security, at home and abroad.  And as the Generals know, we don’t just rest on the laurels of having a big membership.  We also invest a lot of energy in helping to meet the needs of the Guard, of today and tomorrow.

The National Guard has reached a pivotal moment in its history.  The Guard has done some amazing things for the country.  But if we are going to keep the Guard strong, and, in turn, if we are going to keep the entire military strong, we are going to have to address some crucial issues facing the force.  For some reason, the Department of Defense has simply not dealt with some critical matters, and it is going to be the Caucus’ responsibility to step into that vacuum. 

Above all, the National Guard does not have enough input into key policy and budget debates, despite its ample contributions to the nation’s defense.  It is this lack of input that led to the horrible attempt last year to try to slash the personnel end-strength of the National Guard. 

With your help, we blocked that unwise move, but it underscored how the National Guard lacks the seat at the table that it needs and deserves.  

And it is that lack of input from the Guard that has led the Pentagon to take its eye off the whole military support to civilian authorities mission, which involves responding to emergencies at home.  The bottom line is that the National Guard — serving under the control of the nation’s governors — is the nation’s homeland security force.  We have to resource the Guard for that mission. 

The Army Guard faces a $24 billion equipment shortfall, and, while the Air Guard issues are not as severe, the shortfalls are only going to grow if we don’t deal with them.  Unfortunately, the Army and the Air Force have no plans — no plans -- to address these shortfalls.  That only hurts our communities and leaves us weaker. 

Last year, we actually went in the wrong direction in dealing with the Guard’s ability to respond to emergencies at home.

A small but significant change was made to the Insurrection Act, making it easier to federalize the Guard and use the entire military for law enforcement.  That goes against the basic tenets of our society.

We have a busy year ahead.  We have the Guard Empowerment Bill, which will ensure there is better advice on Guard matters at the highest levels.  We have a repeal of the recent changes to the Insurrection Act, and we have this equipment funding issue. 

Lots of other Senators have important measures, such as reforming the Montgomery GI Bill and lowering the age when Guard members and reservists can access their retirement benefits.  The Guard Caucus is going to come behind those measures as well.

So, get ready for fun and exciting year on Guard matters, and, if you are not already a member of the Caucus, it is definitely time to join.

Thank you very much. 

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