NGAUS Salutes House Approval of National Guard Seat on the Joint Chiefs
WASHINGTON, May 26, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Nearly 500,000 National Guardsmen today hailed House approval of a Guard voice and vote in final resource decisions at the Pentagon.
The House version of the fiscal 2012 National Defense Authorization Act, H.R. 1540, passed this afternoon, includes an amendment that would designate the chief of the National Guard Bureau as a full member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
The amendment was co-sponsored by Reps. Candice S. Miller, R-Mich., and Nick J. Rahall II, D-W. Va.
"Putting the chief of the National Guard Bureau at the table will finally give nearly a half-million citizen-soldiers and airmen a voice in final decisions at the Pentagon," said Maj. Gen. Frank Vavala, the NGAUS chairman of the board. "It's something we've earned and, more importantly, it's something we desperately need to continue to serve our states and territories.
"This is a big victory for the National Guard," he said. "It's also a big victory for all those who believe the nation needs more advocacy within the Pentagon for the capabilities and cost effectiveness of the Guard.
"We thank the members of the U.S. House of Representatives, especially Representatives Candace Miller and Nick Rahall, for bringing the Guard one big step closer to real representation in the Pentagon," Vavala said.
Both Miller and Rahall said the amendment gives nearly 500,000 Guardsmen representation they need and deserve.
"The members of the National Guard and their families make significant sacrifices as they put careers on hold and leave their families when called to duty and they deserve a seat at the table to independently provide their voice and fully represent their challenges, training, manpower and equipment needs," said Miller.
"They are among the first to be mobilized in a domestic disaster, and often the last to leave a battlefield," Rahall said. "Maintaining their force structure comes with much sacrifice. The training, equipping, and deployment of the Guard, as well as their budget, ought to be matters decided with input from the National Guard Bureau chief at the highest levels of the military echelon."
The issue moves on to the Senate, where Sens. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., and Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., the co-chairs of the Senate National Guard Caucus, introduced legislation last week that includes an identical provision.
The National Guard Empowerment and State-National Defense Integration Act of 2011, S. 1025, also would stabilize funding for Guard domestic missions, provide more transparency in equipment procurement and require the Pentagon to assess the cost savings and feasibility of shifting more responsibility for the nation's defense to the Guard and Reserve.
About NGAUS: The association includes nearly 45,000 current or former Guard officers. It was created in 1878 to provide unified National Guard representation in Washington. In their first productive meeting after Reconstruction, militia officers from the North and South formed the association with the goal of obtaining better equipment and training by petitioning Congress for more resources. Today, 133 years later, NGAUS has the same mission.
Internet Availability: This document and other Guard and NGAUS news and information are available at www.ngaus.org.
SOURCE National Guard Association of the U.S.
WANT YOUR COMPANY'S NEWS FEATURED ON PRNEWSWIRE.COM?
Newsrooms &
Influencers
Digital Media
Outlets
Journalists
Opted In
Share this article