Contact: Rob Ostrander or Shana Stribling 202.224.5721
Wednesday, April 26, 2006

WASHINGTON -- U.S. Sens. Kit Bond (R-Mo.) and Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), co-chairs of the Senate National Guard Caucus, today introduced bipartisan legislation to give the National Guard a stronger voice within the Pentagon and to enhance its ability to respond to emergencies at home and abroad.

"The need for the National Guard is greater now than ever before. As that need grows, 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. "Making the head of the Guard a member of the Joint Chiefs will ensure the Guard position will be heard loud and clear."

“The National Guard is a 21st Century fighting force with federal flow charts more suited to the 19th Century,” said Leahy. “The Guard itself is highly adaptable and has done its best to work around these obstacles. The Guard has provided crucial contributions in Iraq and Afghanistan and was one of the few bright lights in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. We are asking the Guard to do more than ever before, and its missions are likely to further expand in the future. This is a good time to clear away some of the cobwebs. It is vital that we ensure that the President and the Secretary of Defense have the best guidance on National Guard matters, and it is important to allow this unique dual-missioned force to have input into key deliberations.”

Bond and Leahy said it is vitally important that as the role of the National Guard continues to grow in importance, the Guard is fully-manned and equipped. The Bond-Leahy bill will ensure that the nation's citizen-soldiers and airmen have access to the highest levels of the Department of Defense and that key policy decisions impacting the Guard and the states are heard and taken into account.

The legislation, the National Defense Enhancement and National Guard Empowerment Act will:

* Give the Guard more muscle within the Pentagon by elevating the Chief of the National Guard to a four-star position and adding the Chief to the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

* Give the National Guard Bureau budgetary power to research, validate and procure equipment essential to its mission so that we are better prepared to respond to emergencies at home.

* Allow the National Guard Bureau to establish more formal relationships with the Office of the Secretary of Defense and the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

* Direct that the Deputy Commander of U.S. Northern Command is a member of the National Guard to ensure that planning at NORCOM better encompasses the interests of the National Guard and the states.

Bond and Leahy noted that despite the critical role the Guard plays in national defense at home and abroad, there are many obstacles that prevent the force for reaching its full potential. Earlier this year the Army proposed significant cuts to Guard troop strength. Bond and Leahy led the Senate opposition and the Pentagon backtracked on their plans to scale back the Guard's force structure after the Senators organized broad opposition -- more than 75 senators -- to the plan.

The National Guard also currently has only 35 percent of its required equipment levels. Last year, Leahy and Bond led successful efforts in the Senate to increase equipment funding for the National Guard by almost $1 billion.

The National Guard has a long history of assisting America's military abroad while providing support and security at home. Since the attacks of 9/11, the National Guard has taken on even greater responsibilities in the realm of homeland security. Also, the Guard has been a tremendous value for the capabilities it provides as one of the nation’s primary military reserves, providing 40 percent of the total military force for around 4.5 percent of the defense budget.

The National Guard Association, the Adjutants General Association, and the Enlisted Association of the National Guard have endorsed the Bond-Leahy legislation.

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 identical legislation in the House of Representatives.