The Role Of The Army National Guard In The 21st Century

In this thesis I examine the role of the National Guard in supporting current National Security and National Military Strategy. I argue that the global security environment has changed drastically since the end of the Cold War making "Homeland Security" a primary mission for the military, specifically the National Guard. Concurrently, the unprecedented number of overseas deployments to perform peacekeeping missions has severely affected the active Army's combat capability. I argue that the US Army has not embraced the requirements for "Homeland Security," focusing instead on maintaining its 10 active division force structure. To meet the needs of National Military Strategy, the active Army has instead relied on the reserve components to perform overseas peacekeeping missions. I argue that the National Guard has also looked to performing these missions as a method of institutional survival. Together, both components have undermined the Constitutional underpinnings of the Reserve Component as a strategic reserve, to be mobilized in cases of "war or national emergency." I argue that making "Homeland Security" a primary federal mission of the National Guard, along with restructuring current combat, combat support, and combat service support ratios will allow the National Guard to support National Military Strategy and "Homeland Security."

If the United States Army is to maintain land dominance in the future, it must think boldly and act aggressively at the beginning of the twenty-first century. The United States cannot afford to defer research, development, or fielding of new systems capable of leveraging our technological advancements. The active duty force must be the nation global 911 force. It must be capable of rapidly projecting combat power, quickly winning a major theater conflict, and then turn this re-shaped theater over to the Army National Guard for post-conflict stability and support operations (SASO). Upon completing this transition, the active component must immediately be prepared and postured to fight another major theater conflict. The monograph suggests that the Army s National Guard must be organized, trained, and prepared to handle all domestic and international humanitarian and disaster relief operations. It must be capable of augmenting other federal agencies for anti-drug and anti-terrorist efforts. It must be capable of satisfying requirements for long-term international peacekeeping operations. Most importantly, it must execute these missions with little to no active duty support. The monograph concludes that a United States Army with these capabilities will be able to execute peace keeping and other MOOTW operations without degrading its ability to execute two nearly simultaneous (or overlapping) major theater wars as part of the joint service team. Fixing shape, respond, and prepare responsibilities allows each component of the Army to build on their traditional strengths. It allows for a smaller, capable projection force while attempting to reduce the burden of funding on the American taxpayer. The solution is clear.

A comprehensive guide to the lives and experiences of military service members, veterans, and their families in the United States today, with special emphasis given to those of the post-9/11 era. This reference work provides detailed information on the issues U.S. service members face both stateside and during deployments overseas. Issues covered include relations with family; substance use; housing; educational and job training opportunities; post-traumatic stress disorder and other health issues; and experiences of women, sexual minorities, and ethnic/racial minorities in the armed services. This set also examines major issues related to military service for people close to the men and women who serve our country, such as spouses or partners, children, and parents grappling with such issues as single parenthood during deployment and bereavement at the loss of a loved one. Finally, this set is a valuable resource for people seeking a greater understanding of the issues that confront some military service members and veterans, from chronic health problems to economic vulnerability to suicide to incarceration. The two volumes are written in a comprehensive yet succinct and accessible style by experts familiar with the latest trends and findings.

The U.S. Army's Cold War focus on the Soviet Union has shifted to fighting smaller conflicts against less formidable foes. Today's Army is also 30 percent smaller than it was a decade ago. In spite of those changes, the composition of the Army has not shifted markedly: the service remains almost equally divided between active-duty and reserve soldiers. A question under debate is whether that composition is well suited to the Army's current role. The Army hopes to make its force structure better suited to its current mission by converting some of the combat forces in the National Guard to support forces. That change would eliminate some of the excess combat forces; but it would not enable the Army to get to regional conflicts more quickly than it can today, nor would it improve the Army's ability to carry out peacekeeping operations. Finally, because the Army's plan would not reduce the overall size of the service, it would not yield significant savings; therefore, the Army may have difficulty finding the funds to acquire the modem weapons it will need.

Addresses the question of whether the Army's current composition of almost equal numbers of active-duty and reserve soldiers is well suited to the service's current role of fighting regional conflicts and taking part in peacekeeping operations. Examines several alternative approaches for meeting the Army's force requirements, comparing the advantages and disadvantages of each alternative with those of the current Army and the Army's plan to reorganize the National Guard. Charts and tables.

Since Sept. 2001, the Army Nat. Guard (ANG) has experienced the largest activation of its members since WW2. In 2005, over 30% of the Army forces in Iraq were ANG members, and Guard forces have also carried out various homeland security and large-scale disaster response roles. However, continued heavy use of the ANG forces has raised concerns about whether it can perform and sustain both missions over time. In the short term, the ANG is seeking additional funding for emergency equip. This testimony discusses: (1) the changing role of the ANG; (2) whether the ANG has the equip. it needs to sustain fed. and state missions; and (3) the extent to which DoD has strategies and plans to improve the ANG¿s business model for the future.

Executive Summary of the Final Report by the Commission on the National Guard and Reserves, which was chartered by Congress to assess the reserve component of the U.S. military and to recommend changes to ensure that the National Guard and other reserve components are organized, trained, equipped, compensated, and supported to best meet the needs of U.S. national security.