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National Guard Transforming
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COLUMBUS, Ohio (5/18/2003) — Adjutants general from the 54 states and U.S. territories accepted the chief of the National Guard Bureau’s concepts for transforming the National Guard into a force that is more responsive for the American people here on May 18. The National Guard’s state military leaders reached consensus with the ideas put forward by Lieutenant General H Steven Blum, the National Guard Bureau’s new chief, to consolidate the separate state-level headquarters for the nation’s 460,000 members of the Army and Air National Guard into joint, or single, headquarters. The National Guard generals agreed to support the requirements for the 21st century that Lieutenant General Blum presented during the spring conference of the Adjutants General Association of the United States. Blum has ordered the National Guard Bureau to become a joint headquarters by July 1 of this year. He has asked the states to establish joint headquarters by Oct. 1. The adjutants general also discussed many other ways to make the National Guard more responsive to the needs of the governors and to the active Army and Air Force and how to work more closely with the nation’s five other reserve components to support the global war against terrorism. “Homeland defense is the National Guard’s most important priority. Make no mistake about that. We have been performing that mission since 1636, and the American people expect no less of the National Guard during these trying times,” Blum said. “We will continue to honor that commitment by transforming into a more efficient and accessible force.” Homeland defense, Blum explained, ranges from full-scale combat operations in places like Iraq and Afghanistan to flying combat air patrols and providing security along the Canadian and Mexican borders and safeguarding air bases in this country. Those missions, he pointed out, reflect the National Guard’s dual role as state forces commanded by the nation’s governors and as a federal force when ordered to active duty by the president. They also include support for civil authorities during domestic emergencies, such as floods, wildfires and civil disturbances, and responding to incidents involving weapons of mass destruction. “The adjutants general were in agreement with Lieutenant General Blum,” said Daniel Donohue, spokesman for the National Guard Bureau. “They gave him lot of feedback and several points for him to consider. He received good input all the way around.” Related link: National Guard Bureau Chief Briefing on the Transforming Roles of the National Guard Last 10 Stories
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2004 National Guard Bureau |
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