A Vision for the National Guard
Abstract
Despite assaults on U.S. citizens and facilities abroad and the bombing of the World Trade Center in 1993, the warnings of many within the intelligence and defense communities that the Nation was vulnerable to terrorist attack were insufficient to force major institutional change or significantly increase preparedness before the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Tentative steps had been taken at Federal, state, and local levels. The Department of Defense (DoD) had funded the formation of joint weapons of mass destruction (WMD) civil support teams within the National Guard beginning in fiscal year 1998. These units were designed to provide direct assistance to civilian emergency responders in the event of a chemical, biological, nuclear, or radiological attack on the homeland. While they are few in number and were still in their operational infancy in 2001, it was one of these units, the New York National Guard 2d Civil Support Team (WMD), that became the first organized unit of any military service or component to arrive at Ground Zero on the morning of September 11. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and President George W. Bush saw the need to transform the Guard for maximum utility in the war against terrorism and ensure that it remains ready, reliable, essential, and accessible. While many of the transformational tasks facing the military are service specific, the most critical changes in the National Guard will be in the joint arena. In a memo sent July 30, 2003, Secretary Rumsfeld tasked the Chief of the National Guard Bureau (CNGB) to instill a greater joint focus in the Guard and improve DoD access to its capabilities. This article summarizes the course the bureau will follow. It is the joint vision for the future of the National Guard.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 2005
- Accession Number
- ADA479865
Entities
People
- H. S. Blum