U.S. Senator Ken Salazar Member: Agriculture, Energy, Veterans' Affairs, Ethics and Aging Committees 2300 15^th Street, Suite 450 Denver, CO 80202 | 702 Hart Senate Building, Washington, D.C. 20510
For Immediate Release June 9, 2006		CONTACT: Cody Wertz – Comm. Director 303-455-7600 Andrew Nannis – Press Secretary 202-224-5852
Sen. Salazar Supports National Guard Bill WASHINGTON, D.C. – United States Senator Ken Salazar signed on as a co-sponsor of S. 2658, the National Defense Enhancement and National Guard Empowerment Act of 2006. This legislation seeks to provide the National Guard with a stronger voice in the decision making process of the Department of Defense. Specifically, it would create a position for the Chief of the National Guard Bureau on the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Furthermore, the bill requires the National Guard Bureau to coordinate with the States in order to identify gaps between Federal and State emergency response capabilities which might best be filled through military assistance to civil authorities. In a letter to the Co-Chairs of the Senate National Guard Caucus, Sens. Kit Bond (R-MO) and Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Senator Salazar underscored the need for the legislation, “The National Guard continues to answer the nation’s call across the globe. As of today, more than 50,000 members of the Guard are mobilized in support of Operations Noble Eagle, Enduring Freedom, and Iraqi Freedom….These citizen soldiers deserve to have their voices heard at the highest decision making levels in the Pentagon.” Recent actions that demonstrate the need for the National Guard to have an increased role in the decision making process : QDR: During the Quadrennial Defense Review, the National Guard was not allowed to participate in the most senior level decision making processes. Emergency Response: Katrina exposed the gaps in capabilities between civilian response to emergencies and those of the military. The National Guard is best positioned to fill that gap. The legislation includes giving the Guard its own budget over equipment for Military Support to Civilian Authorities, and giving the Guard the authority to develop doctrine and training requirements for that mission. BRAC: During the latest Base Realignment And Closure cycle, the Air Guard was affected by decisions to reduce the B-1 bomber fleet, but the National Guard leadership was not consulted. End-strength: The Army and Air Force decided to reduce the size of the National Guard in 2005 without substantive input from the National Guard. Senator Salazar joined approximately 75 Senators in signing a letter of protest to the Secretary of Defense. Senator Salazar’s support of the legislation was not absolute, however. In the same letter to the National Guard Caucus Co-Chairs, Senator Salazar took issue with a proposal in the bill to require that the NORTHCOM deputy be a member of the National Guard. He wrote, “I agree that NORTHCOM must work closely with the National Guard, but I am not certain that Congress should be involved in regulating command structure at that level of detail in this case.” The complete letter can be accessed by clicking here. # # #