U.S. Representative Candice Miller, Harrison Township, MI-10
National Guard Associated, September Issue
The National Guard has a long and storied 375-year history of fighting our nation’s wars, supporting their fellow citizens in national disasters, and defending the homeland. As we approach the anniversary of the September 11th attacks, I am constantly reminded of the service and sacrifice that our citizen-soldiers have made over the last ten years – many of whom lost their lives in defense of our country in Iraq and Afghanistan.
More than ever, the National Guard has been an integral part of our nation’s forward deployed combat power. Without these citizen-soldiers serving alongside their active duty counterparts it is very unlikely we would have been able to sustain a robust troop presence in both Iraq and Afghanistan for so long. The bottom line is that the United States can no longer maintain extensive and lengthy military engagements overseas without the contributions of the National Guard.
Our nation has asked much from the men and women of the National Guard and we owe them our gratitude, but more than gratitude, we owe them the very best training and equipment we can provide when we send them into harm’s way. We owe them an equal voice in the halls of the Pentagon, and we owe their leaders a position of equality in order to advocate effectively on their behalf.
In recent years, we have made some progress in placing National Guard on equal footing with its active duty counterparts – first by making the National Guard Chief a four-star officer and designating them as the principal advisor on Guard issues to the Secretary of Defense. While this was a welcomed development that I was proud to support, I believe that it does not go far enough to recognize the unique challenges of the National Guard, nor gives the Guard Bureau Chief what I believe they need: a full parity of a sitting and voting member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Each of the four armed services represented on the Joint Chiefs of Staff represent the needs of their respective services, but the needs of the Army and Air Guard are substantially unique and only the Chief of the Guard Bureau can speak to those needs effectively and accurately. Today, more than 1,200 National Guardsmen and women serve on the Southwest border, assisting the U.S Border Patrol as we work to secure the nation’s border. This vital mission is just one of the many roles the National Guard plays in securing the homeland, distinct from Department of Defense missions.
Earlier this year I, along with my colleague, Representative Nick Rahall (WV-03), offered an amendment to the FY 2012 National Defense Authorization Act that for the first time would grant the National Guard a full seat at the Joint Chiefs of Staff, so that they can bring the much needed perspective of the Army and Air Guard to the table. I am pleased to report that the amendment passed on voice vote, but still requires action by the U.S. Senate before it becomes law.
A companion bill in the Senate, the National Guard Empowerment and State-National Defense Integration Act, has been introduced and is gaining momentum with 45 senators now signed on as cosponsors. The U.S. Congress has a golden opportunity to finally do the right thing for the 470,000 National Guardsmen and women who serve our nation with skill and honor.
It is well past time to give the National Guard an independent advocate on the Joint Chiefs of Staff that can fully address the unique challenges that face the men and women of the Guard. I hope my Senate colleagues would heed the commonsense call for parity and fairness and give the National Guard Bureau Chief a place on the Joint Chiefs.