National Guard Amendment Included in Defense Authorization Which Passed the House, Now Moves to the Senate

WASHINGTON – U.S. Congresswoman Candice Miller (MI-10) today praised the passage of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2012 (H.R. 1540). The Miller Amendment was cosponsored by Rep. Nick Rahall (WV-03) and was approved by the House and added to the bill which will allow for the Chief of the National Guard to be included as a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The NDAA measure now moves to the U.S. Senate for consideration.

“In the current military conflicts, the citizen soldiers of the National Guard have played a critical role and carried a heavy load serving on the front lines in defense of freedom as they have throughout our nation’s history,” Miller said. “There have been over 600,000 National Guardsmen and women who have been called up to active duty service over the past decade; the largest since World War II. Quite frankly, each and every member of the National Guard serves this nation with distinction, whether that is in theater abroad or working to secure our nation’s borders and keeping our communities safe and secure. And a bullet fired by an enemy of this nation does not know whether you are in the regular military or a Guardsman.

“The members of the National Guard and their families make significant sacrifices as they put careers on hold and leave their families when called to duty and they deserve a seat at the table to independently provide their voice and fully represent their challenges, training, manpower and equipment needs,” said Miller. “I am glad that my colleagues in the House agreed and included this amendment in the bill we passed today that makes the Chief of the National Guard Bureau a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.”

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