Transformation of the Army National Guard: Guard 4.0

Abstract

Since its inception in 1636, the Army National Guard (militia) continually responded to change through transformation and adaptation. The Army National Guards transition from a strategic reserve to an operational reserve set in motion the current transformation christened as Guard 4.0. The objective of Guard 4.0 is to place the Army National Guard on a path to meet the nations security challenges as an integral part of the US Army. Early transformation of the militia revolved around equipping and limited utilization by states or the Federal Government but remained localized and fragmented. Following the Efficiency of the Militia Act (Dick Act) of 1902, sweeping changes transformed the Army National Guard through federal equipping, funding, and standardization. These changes improved the readiness the Army National Guard and parity to the Regular Army. Over the next several decades the Army National Guard fulfilled its role as a strategic reserve, providing individual soldiers and entire units in multiple conflicts and two world wars. A pivotal turning point for the National Guard emerged, following the political policy of the Vietnam conflict to limit National Guard involvement. The result of these decisions, following the conflict, spawned Guard 1.0 (1973-1984), the initial total force transformation initiative. In 1984, Guard 2.0, and later Guard 2.5 (1992-1993) continued to refine the Army National Guards role in Cold War planning and through mobilization in support of Operation Desert Storm. Guard 3.0 began on September 11, 2001, following the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center. During this transformative period, the National Guard took on the role of an operational reserve, as designated by the 2006 Quadrennial Defense Review. In this role, the Army National Guard committed thousands of soldiers and hundreds of units on rotational mobilizations alongside the Regular Army.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
May 24, 2018
Accession Number
AD1071194

Entities

People

  • Wallace Iii E. Miller

Organizations

  • School of Advanced Military Studies

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical
  • Human Systems

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Business Administration
  • Civil War
  • Congress
  • Contingency Operations (Military)
  • Doctrine
  • Employment
  • Governments
  • Law
  • Management Personnel
  • Military Education
  • Military History
  • Military Organizations
  • Military Science
  • Personnel Management
  • Students
  • Vietnam War
  • Warfare

Fields of Study

  • History

Readers

  • Maritime Security/Maritime Homeland Security
  • Military Training and Readiness Simulation
  • Strategic Security Studies