The National Guard And The War On Terror

"The National Guard and the War on Terror : the attacks of 9/11 and homeland security is the first volume in a series that records the National Guard's participation in America's first war of the twenty-first century. Subsequent volumes will cover National Guard transformation and Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom. This first installment recounts the heroic deeds and dedicated performance of Guard men and women in defending the American homeland from the tragic events of September 11, 2001, through the historic response to Hurricane Katrina. A final, third volume will provide a battle history of the National Guard's role in Operation Iraqi Freedom. In recognition of the dramatic shift toward joint operations in modern warfare, The National Guard and the War on Terror is a joint series that covers bothe the Army and the Air National Guard"--V. 2. p. iii.

The Global War on Terror (GWOT) since September 2001 has caused an unprecedented use of reserve forces (since the 1950's), in particular the Army National Guard. With GWOT being fought at home and abroad, the military and federal agencies are acting and fighting in union to accomplish a variety of mission from counter-terrorism to nation building. Transformation is the process of changing the armed forces of the United States to becoming a more capable, less costly military force. Transformation of the Army National Guard (ARNG) concerns more than merely weapons systems and technology. It comprises more than whether or not equipment "cascades" to the Army National Guard from the Active Component (AC). Transformation of the Army National Guard is about creating unique values to the community , the state and the nation in crises. Transformation will result in the change of the types of units the ARNG puts into the field.

"Dr. Conrad Crane analyzes the impact of the war on terrorism and the requirements of the 2001 Quadrennial Defense Review on the many essential missions conducted by the U.S. Armed Forces. Focusing primarily on the Army, he highlights the requirements associated with combat operations against terrorists, accelerating transformation and the new emphasis on homeland security and force protection. At the same time, he points out that the Army and the other Services must remain involved worldwide in day-to-day assurance, dissuasion, and deterrence activities; execution of peace operations and other smaller-scale contingencies; and remaining ready for other major combat operations. Dr. Crane asserts that these obligations require the Army to reshape and expand its force structure. Failure to do so places critical missions at risk around the world could lead to replacement of operational "victory" in the war on terrorism with strategic failure, as regional instability increases around the world."--SSI.

The growth of the terrorism threat to the nation's security has created significant strategic challenges for U.S. armed forces in fighting this global war on terrorism (GWOT). For the Navy, the challenges have centered on developing maritime capabilities to prosecute the GWOT as far forward as possible. To assist the Navy's planning in this area, the former Chief of Naval Operations requested the NRC to conduct an assessment of the adequacy of and prospects for improving the role of Naval Forces in the GWOT. The study developed a defense-in-depth framework as the organizing principle for the report. The report contains information as described in 5 U.S.C. 552(b) and therefore could not be released to the public in its entirety. The public version consists of an executive summary that presents an assessment of the transformation of naval forces for addressing the GWOT; a brief description of the defense-in-depth framework; and a list of findings and major recommendations.