STATEMENT BY THE CHIEF, NATIONAL GUARD BUREAU
LIEUTENANT GENERAL RUSSELL DAVIS, USAF
JULY 18, 2001
Mr. Chairman, distinguished members of the committee:
Thank you for the honor of speaking to you this morning today on this very important matter. We recognize and appreciate the committee's active interest in the National Guard's 458,000 military personnel and the personnel policies that support the many ongoing programs that the National Guard provides our nation.
The citizen-soldiers who make up the National Guard have fought in every major American war since 1636. War has changed a great deal since 1636, and today's National Guard must be prepared to fight in a high-technology environment, using complex weapons and equipment. The men and women of today's National Guard are trained and ready to serve as full-time professional soldiers when called, whether for Federal or State missions just as they did in 1636.
The National Guard has two roles -- one as part of the nation's defense, and the other as state defense including emergency response and domestic support missions. This dual Federal/State role for the National Guard is based on a Constitutional mandate. The relationship is unique and sets the National Guard apart from other military reserve forces.
In fulfilling the role as a military force provider, the National Guard has transformed from an organization in reserve designed for mass mobilization, to acting daily as a flexibly deployable member of the Total Force. We are actively engaged in peacekeeping and combat operations worldwide. When the Texas National Guard's 49th Armored Division was sent to Bosnia last year, it marked the first time since the Korean War that a National Guard unit had headquarters command over active component soldiers. Virginia's historic 29th Infantry Division will do the same in Bosnia later this year. The Air National Guard also works side by side as part of the Air Expeditionary Force in patrolling the "no-fly" zone in the dangerous skies over Northern and Southern Iraq.
Also unique is the multitude of skills that our traditional National Guard members bring to the work that they do. In this world of rapidly expanding technical achievement, our Guardmembers bring the latest in high-tech skills from the work they do everyday to the work they do for the National Guard and the Nation. We need to recognize and encourage this civilian skill access which the National Guard provides to the nation and to take advantage of this resource where possible.
We are very thankful for the work of the House Armed Services Committee in the past to ensure that our military personnel and resources are available to support our missions. Such programs for increased compensation, special recruiting incentives, selective retention bonuses, increased housing allowances, and many other incentives, have been of great assistance in meeting our end strength. That also results in providing a better quality of life for our soldiers and airmen.
I also thank this committee for the multitude of efforts on our behalf concerning benefits, such as the increases to the Montgomery GI Bill, recruiting and retention bonuses, and funding for Funeral Honors Details in 2,700 communities nationwide. This legislation is likewise responsible for categorical improvements for our Guardsmen and their Quality of Life.
As we approach the coming fiscal year, the National Guard must prepare to meet the future. That means having the forces to meet our missions. Today, we are competing for the same skills and abilities as private industry among a smaller pool of high school age people from which to recruit. We also need to be concerned with many dual career families, which make it increasingly difficult to retain members. It is critical that we continue the programs of bonuses and incentives in order to meet our manpower requirements. We are continuously looking for other methods and incentives to recruit and retain our forces. To retain our trained and experienced personnel, we need to focus our attention on health and well-being of our National Guardsmen
Part of our strength today lies in our citizen involvement in national defense. This involvement is critical to the longevity and vitality of our republic. Each day, we provide the reinforcing thread in the fabric of democracy at home and overseas. Our rich heritage of National Guardsmen involved in national defense is rapidly taking on new dimensions. As we transform our organization, we must ensure that we recognize, respect, and protect our citizens "commitment to serve". Only by preserving this commitment can we attract the needed personnel to our ranks and retain them in service throughout a productive career.
Since Desert Shield-Desert Storm in the early 1990s, we have seen an increase in the operations and personnel tempo of the Army National Guard and the Air National Guard. In fact, the National Guard is on pace to provide more than half again as many workdays this year as we did last year. Yet our National Guardsmen are eagerly volunteering for more workdays in support of the Commanders in Chief, worldwide.
As we see this trend continuing, the National Guard remains a cost-effective and capable force multiplier. We provide over half of the Army's combat assets and about 37% of the Air Force aircraft for less than 5% of the overall defense budget. Additionally, almost half the Army and the Air Force personnel are retained in the reserve components.
With respect to our military technician program, we are working to set up a program of incentives, including repayment of student loans. Now that the Military Technician Program has reached its authorized ceiling, we must continue to provide incentives for recruiting and retaining those National Guard Technicians.
We are also working on improved bonus programs for Air National Guard pilots and selected Air Traffic Controllers.
Other benefits for our technician workforce would include greater use of telecommuting for those jobs that fit the mission.
As we move into the 21st Century, we do so with the support of a multitude of employers throughout the country for whom our traditional National Guardmembers work. We have had a long and productive relationship with our civilian employers. We are continuing to recognize our employers through such local unit programs as " Boss-Lift", as well as recognition at the National level.
As part of our Quality of Life, our families continue to be one of the most important elements of retaining our National Guardsmen. This is a critical component of readiness and retention. If we take care of our National Guard Families through our extensive volunteer network, we help to relieve to some degree the strain placed on military families when the member must deploy. The National Guard Family Program provides an extensive voluntary infrastructure with a national network of volunteers linking over 2,700 communities across the nation. Thanks to this committee, we now have 54 full-time state family Program Coordinators promoting family member volunteering, family readiness support groups, and networks, as well as a way of identifying important quality of life issues that affect our Nation Guardsmen.
The bottom line for the National Guard is that we must take care of our people if we want a trained and ready force. To do so means we must ensure that we train our National Guard members to the highest standard, assuring our friends and allies that we are ready and capable to meet our missions worldwide.
We must likewise prepare for the future if we are to deter and dissuade our adversaries.
We must also train and transform the National Guard if we are to decisively defeat our adversary on the battlefield.
Thank you for the opportunity to speak with you this morning. If there is further information you need, we would look forward to visiting with the committee again at a later date.
