Contact: Rob Ostrander or Shana Stribling 202.224.5721
Wednesday, May 10, 2006

WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. Sens. Kit Bond (R-Mo.) and Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), co-chairs of the Senate National Guard Caucus, were joined today by National Guard Adjutant Generals from across the country to rally behind their legislation designed to empower the Guard within the Pentagon.

“The Guard was there in Iraq and Afghanistan and in the aftermath of Katrina and Rita. But they aren’t there when critical decisions affecting them are being made at the Pentagon,” said Bond. “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."

"Today's National Guard is a 21st Century force hobbled by 19th Century links to the Pentagon's decision making structure," said Leahy. "This stepchild status lets the Guard down in key decisions on staffing, budgeting, and mission readiness. It's time to clear away some of those bureaucratic cobwebs."

“It's time to recognize the Guard's role as an operational reserve and as a major force-provider in probably any conflict that we're going to have in the foreseeable future, in addition to our homeland defense and homeland security role. That's what that legislation is intended to do,” said Maj. Gen. Roger Lempke, AGAUS President and TAG Nebraska.

At today’s rally, Bond and Leahy were joined by leaders from the National Guard Association of the United States, the Enlisted Association of the National Guard of the United States, and 27 Adjutant Generals representing states from Oregon to Massachusetts -- more than half the nation’s Adjutant Generals -- in support of their legislation.

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 (S. 2658) 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 the ability to research, validate and procure equipment essential to its mission.

* 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 be 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 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.

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. At today’s rally senior Guard leaders represented the nation’s 430,000 citizen-soldiers and airmen. 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.

U.S. House of Representatives Government Reform Committee Chairman Tom Davis (R-Va.) and Representative Gene Taylor (D-Miss.), the co-chairs the House Guard and Reserve Components Caucus, introduced identical legislation (HR 5200) in the House of Representatives. Chairman Davis joined the Senators and Guard at today’s rally.

"At no time in America's history has the National Guard played so critical a role in the security of our homeland and in our nation's military objectives abroad," Davis said. "This legislation gives the Guard a seat at the table at the Pentagon in all important decisions, a role that is commensurate with the responsibilities we ask of it. The brave men and women of the National Guard have earned the right to be represented at the highest levels of the Department of Defense."