Panel issues recommendations to help strained Guard

The National Guard and Reserves Commission on Thursday released a 151-page report containing what it hailed as a sweeping proposal to correct serious problems plaguing the heavily deployed Guard.

The report, according to Commission Chairman Arnold Punaro, provides 23 multifaceted and wide-ranging recommendations affecting the Defense and Homeland Security departments, U.S. Northern Command and governors.

The report also paints a picture of a strained and under-resourced Guard force that cannot sustain its frequent deployments overseas indefinitely, validating many concerns expressed by congressional sponsors of the bipartisan National Guard Empowerment bill.

Congress asked the commission to review that legislation, which would give the Guard more control over its organization, operations and budgets.

But the commission's report drew immediate fire from Capitol Hill, where the legislation's sponsors assailed it for offering only modest changes.

The commission rejected several key provisions of the legislation -- including making the National Guard Bureau chief a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and giving the Guard its own budgetary authority. The Guard is now funded through the Army and Air Force.

"The commission report reflects a growing understanding of the profound organizational, operational and cultural challenges facing reserve component forces today," House Oversight and Government Reform ranking member Tom Davis, R-Va., said in a statement. "But 'admiring the problem' isn't enough."

Meanwhile, the Senate National Guard Caucus chairmen, Sens. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., and Christopher (Kit) Bond, R-Mo., said they plan to move forward with the empowerment bill. "The Guard deserves a place at the table when decisions ... are made that affect its readiness, its missions and its effectiveness," Leahy said in a statement.

For his part, House Armed Services Chairman Ike Skelton, D-Mo., withheld judgment, calling instead for a hearing to allow the commission to present its case to his committee.

"I look forward to this opportunity to discuss the Commission's findings and to call attention to the needs of the National Guard and Reserves," Skelton said.

Punaro defended his commission's report, saying it provides a more comprehensive approach than that offered by lawmakers. He said the commission looked beyond the National Guard's own organization and reviewed how it fits into the broader national and homeland security framework.

Congress "can't just fix the Guard piece alone and solve these problems," Punaro said. He said only eight of the commission's 23 recommendations would require legislative changes. The rest, he said, could be instituted by the executive branch.

While the commission objected to what would be a dramatic -- some say radical -- step by making the Guard a member of the Joint Chiefs, the report recommends promoting the National Guard Bureau chief to a four-star general and a senior advisor to the Joint Chiefs on issues affecting the Guard's nonfederal role.

Additionally, the commission wants to create an advisory council of 10 governors appointed by the president that would report directly to the Defense and Homeland Security secretaries and the White House Homeland Security Council. And the commission recommends improving communications between the Defense and Homeland Security departments on Guard requirements and other matters.

They also recommend making the commander or deputy commander of Northern Command a Guard or Reserve officer. Lawmakers want to reserve Northcom's deputy commander slot for the National Guard.