The House Armed Services Committee (HASC) version of the fiscal year 2008 defense authorization bill addresses many of NGAUS' strategic issues and represents several positive steps toward legislation important to the National Guard but with a few drawbacks.

Overall, the bill authorizes $503.8 billion for the Defense Department and an additional $142 billion to support continuing military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.

On the heels of the Defense Department's support of 20 recommendations by the Commission on the National Guard and Reserves regarding Guard empowerment, the House bill incorporated several empowerment recommendations.

Among them, the House would supb port a fourth star and enhanced duties for the National Guard Bureau chief.

The bill also supports the NGB as a DoD joint activity. While the bill does not endorse making the Guard chief a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff OCS), the bill recommends that the JCS chairman review and determine how best to incorporate more Guard personnel into positions at U.S. Northern Command.

The bill also would expand the NGB charter to include official coordination with federal agencies, states, Joint Forces Command and Northern Command on homeland and civil support activities

A big setback for the Guard is the delay of funds to support the Joint Cargo Aircraft program until DoD completes studies relating to intra-theater airlift requirements.

The committee was concerned that moving forward could lead to an "unnecessary duplication of effort and expenditure of resources," said the bill report. This delay could virtually kill the program.

Back on the positive side, the committee approved an amendment that would eliminate a provision in last year's defense authorization act that took authority over the Guard from the governors and gave it to me president in times of a national emergency. The provision last year set off a firestorm of condemnation from NGAUS as well as all 50 governors.

Offered by Rep. Mark Udall, D-Colo., the ammendment would eliminate any doubt in a governor's ability to lead Guard troops in stateside disasters.

In the personnel arena, the bill authorizes a 3.5 percent pay increase for all service members and prohibits any increase in Tricare and pharmacy user fees.

And even though Army officials doubted the Army Guard's ability to reach end strength goals last year, the bill actually increases Army Guard end strength by 1,300 individuals in fiscal year 2008.

"The polestar of this year's defense authorization is readiness," said HASC chairman Ike Skelton, D-Mo., during debate on the bill. "Continued reports on the state of readiness for our ground forces, particularly our non-deployed and next-to-deploy forces, are of deep concern."

He also noted the importance of empowerment provisions within the bill.

"[T] he bill gives the National Guard enhanced authorities to fulfill its expanded role in the nation's defense," he said in a statement May 9.

One notable disappointment, however, was the lack of any provision relating to reduced age retirement pa provision.

NGAUS will continue to encourage House members to submit an amendment on the floor to reduce the age Guardsmen can receive retirement pay.

In the Senate, the retirement bill with the most traction is sponsored by Sen. Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga., which could reduce retirement receipt age as low as 50. But the provision would not include all Guardsmen. It would lower the retirement age by three months for every 90-day deployment to a contingency operation.

The process, however, has just begun. As the bills move toward conference committee debate, NGAUS will continue to promote the important issues that are not addressed in the House bill.

Mikulski Not Short on Guard Equipment

Sen. Barbara Mikulski, D-Md., challenging Defense secretary Robert Gates on National Guard equipment shortfalls at a hearing May 9, didn't like the answer she got when asking about the five-year cost estimate for Guard equipment.

She inquired about her state only possessing 14 percent of its helicopter requirement, 36 percent of its Humvees and 58 percent of its communication equipmentnot enough to address the threats to the Capitol region, in her mind.

Mr. Gates explained that $21.9 billion spent between fiscal years 2008 and 2013 would "take the national average of equipment on hand from about 56 percent today to about 76 percent," with 70 percent being the "norm."

Ms. Mikulski didn't appreciate the explanation.

"If you look at national averages, you put me next to Jay Rockefeller ... the average height of the Senate would be 5 foot 10, and I would be worth several million dollars," said the 4-foot, 11-inch senator. "And I won't even talk about if you compare Senator Feinstein and myself. "

She said such comparisons don't cut it.

"The Guard is essentially a state operation," she said. "I would very strongly recommend an additional $5 billion for this year and that we consider supplementing that."

Reintegration Program Part of House Mark

With realities for Guardsmen and Reservists much different from active-component personnel, who have instituted programs to address difficulty when they return from a lengthy mobilization, the House Armed Services Committee (HASC) included a requirement in the authorization bill that says the Defense Department, in conjunction with the National Guard Bureau, should create the Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program.

The program would establish "reintegration activities" through the four deployment phases: pre-deployment, deployment, demobilization and post-deployment.

The programs would focus on service members and their families and provide community information for employers, educators, medical professionals and others who interact with military personnel when they return from deployment.

Bill Ups ROTC Scholarships, GED Help

The House defense authorization bill includes an increase in the number of Reserve Officer Training Corps scholarships under the Army Reserve and Army Guard to increase from 416 to 424. The bill also addresses those who haven't earned their high school diploma.

The HASC reported that it "understands that the chief of the National Guard Bureau has begun efforts to assist National Guard recruits who have enlisted without either a high school degree or general equivalency diploma (GED). "

But the committee recommends that the chief consider "advanced computer assisted instruction and learning management systems" to improve the chances of Guard recruits receiving their GED.

© 2007 National Guard Association of the United States Provided by ProQuest LLC. All Rights Reserved.