Our Growing Legislative Agenda

Our people, our families and our employers need the kind help only Congress can provide.

The Army National Guard needs $20 billion in new weapons and equipment over the next three years to meet all of our overseas and homeland commitments.

That startling announcement last month by Lt. Gen. H Steven Blum, National Guard Bureau chief, made such a splash that its impact continues to ripple across the country.

Make no mistake: It's not our equipment requirement that came as a surprise.

Many of our units have returned from Iraq and Afghanistan without their vehicles and other equipment. They are now hardpressed to train and retain soldiers. Just as important, many of these units are engineer, transportation and other outfits critical to their states during local emergencies.

Other units have returned with equipment of little utility either at home or abroad. Much of it was outdated to begin with, and now it has been battered by continued use for months in harsh conditions. Even more units will soon come home under similar constraints.

The eye opener was the cost. But the price of inaction will be even higher, and that cost will be paid in more than dollars.

General Blum is looking for a $7 billion down payment in the supplemental defense appropriation request Congress will soon receive.

We need to get behind this effort; however, Army Guard equipment is not the only item on our legislative agenda. The Air Guard also has growing equipment requirements. And our people, our families and our employers need the kind help only Congress can provide.

As promised in this space in October, I convened a meeting ol a select committee in November to prioritize the legislative resolutions passed at the 126th NGAUS General Conference.

Participation at this gathering included representatives from the NGAUS Board of Directors, the Adjutants General Association, the National Guard Executive Directors Association, the Enlisted Association, industry and the National Guard Bureau.

As you know, each of these organizations has a slightly different orientation, and we are not always going to agree. But our areas of mutual interest are lar greater than our differences. Knowing each is vital to avoid conflicting and divisive messages in our individual lobbying efforts.

Out of this meeting-and earlier input from NGAUS Task Forces-came our priorities for what will be a critical legislative session. They include (in no particular order) health care, full-time manning, reduced-age retirement, protective gear for deploying personnel and the replacement of our legacy equipment.

That many of these items also headed our priorities last year reflects work started but not yet completed.

Health care is a good example. We've made some significant progress. Many in Congress now correctly regard the matter as a readiness issue. But a small group of influential lawmakers-fueled by inflated Pentagon estimates-still sees health care as a pricey benefit.

Perhaps we should ask lawmakers why many part-time federal employees receive health care yet part-time military personnel-those who must be medically ready to defend the nation on short notice-must go without.

Here again the cost of inaction is steep, and it will continue to be paid in lost readiness and retention. This is the message we must deliver to Congress.

This is where you come in. The NGAUS staff will continue to communicate our priorities to lawmakers and their staffs. But success will depend on grassroots support.

Certain times in the coming months your your calls and e-mails can make a real difference. We'll continue to monitor the situation in Washington and let you know through the NGAUS Web site, e-mail and other means when those times arise.

In the interim, I'll continue to use my column to keep you informed of the issues that aflect our profession. You can keep closer tabs on Guard legislative developments by reading the NGALIS Legislative Talk electronic newsletter every week on the Web site.

Robert V. Taylor,

Chairman of the Board,

NGAUS

Copyright National Guard Association of the United States Jan 2005
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