Completing Empowerment

National Guard, Apr 2008 by Umbarger, R Martin

We have some great friends on Capitol Hill who more than just support the National Guard-they also share our values, our vision and our determination to keep fighting until the objective is secured.

I'm talking about people like Sens. Patrick Leahy and Christopher Bond and Reps. Gene Taylor and Tom Davis among others.

No doubt you recognize the names as the congressional fuel behind the landmark Guard empowerment legislation, much of which ended up in the fiscal 2008 defense authorization act the president signed in January.

Their efforts-coupled with your grassroots support-have us on the brink of some historic progress in raising the Guard's status in the Pentagon, including a four-star National Guard Bureau chief.

Our great friends on the Hill could now just proclaim victory and let the Pentagon execute at its own pace what is now in law.

But Senators Leahy and Bond and Pvepresentatives Taylor and Davis are like us. They don't stop until the mission is complete.

Only days after the president signed the authorization act, the four penned a letter to Pentagon leaders, urging them to follow congressional intent when implementing the Guard empowerment provisions.

They've since expressed dismay over the lack of progress. This concern has been echoed by the National Governors' Association. Their collective message is clear: move this matter along quickly, especially the promotion of the NGB chief.

I echo those sentiments. The Guard deserves a four-star chief. The homeland security of this nation needs a four-star chief. The law requires a four-star chief. And we at NGAUS say the time is now to have a fourstar chief.

Our friends on the Hill also see Guard empowerment as an incomplete mission legislatively. Progress has been made, but the full objective has not yet been secured.

As a result, they introduced a bill last month that includes those empowerment provisions from the original legislation left out of the authorization act. It's called the National Guard Empowerment and StateNational Defense Integration Act of 2008.

The legislation includes a seat on the Joint Chiefs of Staff, formalizes NGB's relationships with the states and the U.S Northern and Pacific commands and enables the governors to have tactical control over all military forces in their state during emergencies.

We're calling the bill "Empowerment II" and we are throwing the full weight of our association behind it.

Senators Leahy and Bond and Representatives Taylor and Davis are now looking for added co-sponsors. This is where you can help again.

Please contact your representative in Washington. Thank them for the progress on Guard empowerment, but let them know the mission is not yet complete. Then ask them to sign on to co-sponsor either H.R. 5603 in the House or S.2760 in the Senate.

Another priority this legislative session is reduced-age retirement. Last year we won the first significant change to the reserve retirement program since it was established in 1947. Some Guardsmen are now eligible to receive their retirement pay earlier.

The intent here was to recognize Guard and Reserve contributions to the war on terror; however, the language applies only to service performed after the authorization act became law, Jan. 28, 2008.

That's unacceptable.

Thousands of Guardsmen have left fami lies and employers in recent years to serve overseas. We've asked them to stay in our ranks upon their return, and many have. We've asked them to deploy again, and many have. They're the ones who earned the change. Yet, they don't benefit from it.

Again, that's unacceptable.

This issue is among our top priorities. And with a little help from our great friends on the Hill, this program will be made retroactive to Sept. 11, 2001.

Until then, rest assured we will leave no stone unturned until the mission is complete and you have the retirement program you've earned.

Proud to serve.

Maj. Gen. R. Martin Umbarger

Chairman of the Board

NGAUS

marty.umbarger@ngaus.org