NGAUS Legislative Alert #11-9

The Issue: The National Guard Empowerment and State-National Defense Integration Act of 2011
 
Immediate Action Required: Contact your Senators and urge them to co-sponsor S. 1025, The National Guard Empowerment and State-National Defense Integration Act of 2011, sponsored by Senator Leahy (D-VT) and Senator Graham (R-SC).

Senators Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC), co-chairs of the Senate Guard Caucus, introduced S. 1025, The National Guard Empowerment and State-National Defense Integration Act of 2011, on May 19, 2011, to elevate the Chief of the National Guard Bureau to a position on the Joint Chiefs of Staff, re-establish the three-star position of Vice Chief of the National Guard Bureau, and authorize funding for the State Partnership Program.

Since 2001, the National Guard has served as both the domestic, state-level security force and as a major federal component in U.S. combat power for overseas operation. The last ten years of war as well as disasters such as Hurricane Katrina have demonstrated to our country that the National Guard is an indispensable member of our national defense and disaster response forces.

Like other military forces, the Guard has been challenged by long-term and multiple deployments to front lines in Iraq and Afghanistan, yet they are not currently represented in the Joint Chiefs of Staff, a group of key military leaders that advise U.S. civilian government leaders, including the President.

The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008 (Public Law 110-181), brought about historic Empowerment changes for the National Guard, elevating the Chief of the National Guard to the rank of four-star general and providing the Chief a stronger voice inside the Pentagon.

Becoming a permanent member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff will further enhance the ability of the National Guard to perform both its state and federal missions by ensuring that the Chief of the National Guard Bureau is at the table when important homeland defense and disaster response issues are being dealt with at the Joint Chiefs of Staff level.

Please write your Senators and urge them to co-sponsor S. 1025.

TAKE THE FOLLOWING ACTION:
By using the “Write to Congress” feature on the NGAUS Web site at www.ngaus.org/writetocongress, you can IMMEDIATELY e-mail your elected representatives. A sample letter is included in our “Write to Congress” feature. You can e-mail the pre-written message or edit the sample letter as you desire. This is the quickest and most effective method of expressing your views to Congress. Also, contact your friends and family and urge them to "Write to Congress" as well. For more in-depth information and background visit our web site at www.ngaus.org. Please direct any questions concerning this issue to Pete Duffy, NGAUS Deputy Legislative Director via email at pete.duffy@ngaus.org