Thank you, House and Senate

Thanks to a bipartisan effort in Congress, the fiscal year 1999 appropriation for the Army and Air National Guard provides a rescue package that gives us the money and other resources we need to breathe new life into our units. Last year, we struggled with funding shortages for essentials like annual training pay, gasoline and repair parts. This action by the Congress paves the way for a brighter tomorrow.

Fed up with perennial Defense Department budget requests that under fund the National Guard, congressional leaders set out this year to develop measures to significantly improve some of our short-term funding problems. They are also considering measures that will stabilize our budget and force structure for the future.

There are also some positive signals from the Pentagon. For the first time, the Army staff has made room for Guard leaders on the committee that develops recommendations for the composition of Army force structure. Three adjutants general, Maj. Gens. James H. Garner (Mississippi), Raymond F Rees (Oregon) and James F Rueger (Kansas), will represent National Guard interests in Total Army Analysis deliberations. Until now, we never had a voice in restructuring the Army portion of our own organization.

This is a significant development. To appreciate it, consider our experience with the now infamous Quadrennial Defense Review. Without any Guard input, the Army recommended cutting 38,000 Army Guard troops. Events following that announcement are worn-out history. But with most of those reductions now deferred until the outcome of TAA, the rest of the QDR story remains unwritten and, thanks to some congressional involvement, maybe we'll now get a byline.

There is more from Washington. In recent testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee, Army Chief of Staff Gen. Dennis J. Reimer made an interesting statement in response to a question by Sen. James M. Inhofe, R-Okla. The senator wanted the general's assessment of the Army's ability to fight two nearly simultaneous major theater wars.

"The Army," General Reimer said, "would have to have a Total Army effort. Fiftyfour percent of the Army's forces are in the reserve components. So it would require all of the reserve components for that effort."

I again ask you to recall the QDRrecommended troop reductions. A 25,000-soldier cut to Army reserve forces has yet to be taken. If the Army leadership says it needs "all of the reserve components" for the national military strategy, then it should follow that Army Guard end strength should not be cut. It would also seem logical that our Army Guard combat divisions are, indeed, relevant, and should be formally integrated into the war plans, like the Air Force has done with the Air Guard.

Certainly no force structure should be cut until the completion of TAA and two currently underway Defense Department studies. One of the studies is looking at the best way to employ the reserve components while the other is analyzing future airlift capabilities and needs.

Another important matter arose during recent Senate hearings with the Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman and the service chiefs. The issue is restoration of active-duty retirement pay. The active components could use our support in their efforts to stem the tide of experienced people leasing the military The joint chiefs say the recent 20 percent cut in retirement pay has significantly reduced the incentive for active-duty members to stay in the military until retirement. We need a healthy Total Force-active, Guard and Reserveto work with. We can help the whole team by supporting this initiative.

Finally, you should notice a 3.6 percent pay raise in your weekend drill checks. With inflation running about 2 percent, this is one of the best pay boosts we've ever received. We will also have more resources with which to train and we can now shop at the commissary more regularly. And to top things off, we just might have a chance to get past the bickering that has plagued the Army and Army Guard for years. We owe a great deal to Congress and our governors for getting us back on track.

Copyright National Guard Association of the United States Nov 1998
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