Thursday, June 15, 2006

For Immediate Release: Thursday, June 15, 2006

Bond, Leahy Offer Amendment to Boost National Guard

WASHINGTON - U.S. Sens. Kit Bond (R-Mo.) and Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), co-chairs of the Senate National Guard Caucus, today introduced an amendment to the defense authorization bill to empower the Guard within the Pentagon.

“The Guard was there for Iraq, Afghanistan, Katrina and Rita, but they are continually kept out of the major decisions affecting them. If the Pentagon expects the Guard to be part of the team, it needs to give the Guard a seat at the table,” said Bond. “We need to give the Guard more bureaucratic muscle, so that the force will not be pushed around in policy and budget debates within the Pentagon."

“It is time for the National Guard to have a voice and a formal set of duties in line with its overwhelming contributions to our defense at home and abroad,” said Leahy. “The Guard is a vital part of our homeland security, as recent events along the Gulf Coast and the border underscore. And, the active Army and Air Force simply cannot carry out their missions in Afghanistan, Iraq and around the world without the National Guard. Yet in key budget and policy decisions the Guard is forced to justify its existence rather than being welcomed as a crucial partner in our military. Our Guard empowerment legislation changes that dynamic, giving the National Guard a much-needed elevation in status and, more importantly, giving the country an even more effective National Guard.”

The Bond-Leahy amendment 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 amendment involves four central elements: • Give the Guard more muscle within the Pentagon by elevating the Chief of the National Guard to a four-star position; • Direct that the Deputy Commander of U.S. Northern Command be a member of the National Guard to ensure that planning at NORCOM better encompasses the interests of the National Guard; • Give the National Guard Bureau the ability to identify and validate equipment needs essential to its mission; • Allow the National Guard Bureau to establish more direct lines of communication with the Office of the Secretary of Defense, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, states and federal agencies.

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.

Despite this, the National Guard 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.

Bond and Leahy pointed out that these citizen-soldiers are a tremendous value for the capabilities they provide. The Guard makes up almost half of the Total Force in the War on Terror and is a critical component of civilian defense and emergency response here at home for as little as 4.5 percent of the defense budget.

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 from 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.

A vote on the amendment introduced today will likely occur next week.

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