The Great Falls Tribune May 11, 2006
Bill would boost Guard's clout
The mass re-enlistment of 640 GIs of the 3rd Armored Calvary Regiment is considered invaluable to the Army's future.
By Diana Marrero
WASHINGTON — Despite growing demands on the National Guard, leaders of the nation's civilian soldiers say the Pentagon continues to relegate the Guard to "stepchild" status.
Some members of Congress are listening.
A few dozen lawmakers in the House and Senate have signed on to recently introduced legislation that would give the Guard a seat at the table with the Joint Chiefs of Staff and make a Guardsman the deputy commander of the U.S. Northern Command, whose primary mission is homeland security.
"Since they fully participate in the front lines, it only makes sense they fully participate in decision making," said Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., a co-sponsor of the Senate bill.
The bills were introduced as a Commission on the National Guard and Reserves considers recommending to Congress a number of changes to the Guard, including giving the Guard representation in the Joint Chiefs of Staff and giving the Guard its own budget.
The legislation comes as the Pentagon's Base Realignment and Closure Commission's decisions underscore Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld's vision for the Guard. Rumsfeld would more closely align the Guard with the active-duty military by consolidating Guard installations with active-duty bases.
The vision has elicited a backlash among political leaders and others who want more control over their local Guardsmen.
National Guard units are state militias organized under the U.S. Constitution. In peacetime, governors control them. They come under Pentagon command when called into federal service.
Guard leaders say they want more of a say on decisions that affect their soldiers. The Guard has played a big role in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and responds to natural disasters in the U.S.
"It's essential for the people of Montana that the Montana Guard is adequately represented with personnel and equipment and that the priority for the Guard (is) to not only support our nation's wars but to also support our nation at home," said Maj. Gen. Randall Mosley, Montana's top Guard official.
"When it comes to priorities and shuffling, because DOD doesn't have the same state mission responsibility, sometimes we get a lesser priority and we need to correct that," Mosley said.
There are about 450,000 National Guard troops, which make up a quarter of the nation's uniformed military, said analyst John Pike.
© Copyright 2006, The Great Falls Tribune
