The National Guard The Right Force For the Future Fiscal Year 2015 Top Legislative Priorities
The National Guard
Legislative Priorities LEVERAGE THE COST-EFFECTIVE NATIONAL GUARD Maintain missions and capabilities in the National Guard to save money and meet the nation s defense needs Review the appropriate force mix between the Active Component and Guard Ensure fully burdened life cycle costs are included in any accounting of DoD-wide standardized military personnel cost estimates KEEP THE NATIONAL GUARD AS AN OPERATIONAL, DUAL-MISSION FORCE Support the ARNG s force structure, end strength and aviation recommendations Maintain combat capabilities in the ARNG and ANG Preserve, modernize, and recapitalize critical legacy aircraft for the ANG Ensure the concurrent and balanced fielding of future ground equipment and aviation assets Continued funding for the National Guard and Reserve Equipment Account (NGREA) for critical equipment ENHANCE DOMESTIC OPERATIONS Require the Chief of the National Guard to annually report personnel and equipment requirements for non-federalized domestic emergency response operations Support the National Guard Counterdrug State Programs and Training Centers through the creation of dedicated funding lines within the President s Budget Update Title 10 and Title 32 to clarify ADOS, AGR and technician personnel authorities to enhance National Guard emergency response missions Protect and maintain homeland missions performed by the National Guard in support of civil authorities EXPAND CYBER SECURITY OPERATIONS Promote and develop cyber security capacity and capabilities in the National Guard Include the National Guard in cyber force structure in the DoD to include parity in training & equipment FULL REPRESENTATION IN NATIONAL GUARD DECISIONS Assure NGB, Adjutants General and the Council of Governors representation in all defense reviews affecting roles, missions or force structure Allow the Chief of the National Guard Bureau to select ARNG and ANG Directors Streamline the DoD s organization regarding emergency domestic response operations and enhance the role of the Council of Governors PERSONNEL Veterans Status for retirees Ensure military compensation reviews do not unfairly affect pay & benefits of the National Guard Support upgrades to Servicemembers Civil Relief Act The Right Force for the Future
Equipment Needs AIR NATIONAL GUARD A-10: Fully Integrated Communications Suite upgrade F-15: Airborne Electronically Scanned Array Radar F-16 upgrades to include Block 30/32/40/42 Advanced Identification Friend/Foe, Day/Night Compatible Helmet Mounted Integrated Targeting and Additional High Resolution Display Center Display Unit C-17 & KC -135 upgrades to include IRCM defensive systems, tactical date link and situational awareness systems Modernization and recapitalization of MQ-1 to MQ-9s C-130 upgrades to include NP 2000, EPCS, In-Flight balancing, T-56 upgrade to 3.5, CNS/ATM and recapitalization to J models. ARMY NATIONAL GUARD AH-64: Keep the Apaches in the ARNG fleet UH-60: M Black Hawk helicopters, recapitalization under the A-L upgrade program until modernization is completed, and support for the UH-60L Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) improved cockpit initiative Combat Vehicles: Abrams Tank M1A2 SEP and Bradley Fighting Vehicles M2A3 or M2A2 ODS-SA with Commanders Independent Viewer (CIV) Paladin Integrated Management (PIM) HMMWVs, FMTVs, FHTVs Medical Equipment Sets for Ground Ambulance
The Guard is. A dual-mission force that integrates into the Active Components, bolstering its forces with additional combat and support capabilities, and responds in the homeland to domestic emergencies, such as hurricanes, floods, wildfires and civil disturbances. An inexpensive, part-time community based force 1 /3 as expensive as the Active Components Augmentable and interchangeable with the Active Components after 12 years of war fighting side-by-side Ready, trained and accessible, with an average ARNG soldier training 90+ days per year A Better Plan for Affordable National Security The National Guard and Reserve offer opportunities to save money while sustaining defense capacity and capability. Proposed cuts fall below pre-9/11 levels. The ARNG has not been that small since the 1950s. End strength cuts may not be enough if the budget cutting continues and military personnel costs are set to double by 2025 continuing to cut the more affordable Guard is not a long-term solution. The National Guard has developed a separate cost-efficient plan to keep tens of thousands of our soldiers while remaining well inside current cost constraints. Many of our defense allies, including Great Britain, Germany, and Australia are strengthening their reserve forces for greater future utilization The cost savings attributed to the community-based, part-time nature of the National Guard include: Fewer pay days per year Lower medical costs Lower retirement expenditures Significantly lower training costs Virtually no cost to move to new duty stations every 2-3 yrs Fewer entitlements, including housing and food allowances Lower base support costs and services such as runways, base housing, commissaries and child care facilities Serving longer and retiring later than their active duty component counterparts, maintaining expertise and increasing the value of their training.
Contact Our Lobbyists Pete Duffy Legislative Director Personnel, Benefits & Homeland Security 202-454-5307 pete.duffy@ngaus.org Annie Lively Senior Legislative Affairs Manager Army Programs 202-408-5897 annie.lively@ngaus.org Mary Catherine Ott Legislative Affairs Manager Air Programs & Cyber Security 202-408-5884 marycatherine.ott@ngaus.org Grace Washbourne Legislative Affairs Manager Joint and Domestic Operations Programs 202-408-5893 grace.washbourne@ngaus.org The National Guard Association of the United States One Massachusetts Avenue, NW Washington, D.C. 20001 202-789-0031 www.ngaus.org