Risking the Guard: Risking America

Abstract

For over 372 years the citizen soldier has performed his or her duties as a member of a strong and independent National Guard, an organization dedicated to serving its citizens at home and abroad. While the Guard is a vital component of the national security strategy, its current role as a significant provider of personnel to traditional active component missions compromises the institution's ability to continue to serve its local citizens as a ready and relevant reserve component. The Department of Defense's no-notice transformation of the National Guard from a strategic reserve to an operational reserve has endangered America's oldest military institution. The current use of the National Guard as an expeditionary force, and the persistent underfunding of this valuable resource, continue to jeopardize its ability to man, train and equip America's largest homeland defense force. An operational National Guard under resourced and over utilized is a National Guard at risk; and when you risk the Guard, you risk America.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Mar 01, 2009
Accession Number
ADA497541

Entities

People

  • Mark Eshelman
  • Michael J. Johnson

Organizations

  • United States Army War College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical
  • Human Systems
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Force
  • Base Closures
  • Business Administration
  • Congress
  • Homeland Defense
  • Homeland Security
  • Military Organizations
  • Military Personnel
  • Military Reserves
  • Military Science
  • Militia
  • National Guard
  • National Security
  • Shortages (Logistics)
  • Students
  • War Colleges
  • Warfare

Readers

  • Emergency Management and Homeland Security.
  • Strategic Security Studies