Army National Guard recruiting will come to a halt unless $700 million is received by April 15, Lt. Gen. H Steven Blum told a House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee hearing Feb. 28.

The Army Guard is relying on supplemental appropriations to pay for recruiting and retention due to shortfalls in the base budget. But with just $70 billion approved in supplemental funding so far for Fiscal Year 2008, those accounts soon will be empty.

Blum said unless Congress either approves the remaining $102.5 billion the president requested or the Army shifts money from other accounts, "The National Guard recruiting machine will stop."

The National Guard Bureau chief said he has assurances from Army Secretary Pete Geren and Army Chief of Staff Gen. George Casey Jr. that he will receive the funding.

But he expressed his displeasure at having to rely on unpredictable supplemental dollars to pay for operations he believes should be covered by annual appropriations.

"I would much prefer that that [funding] is in the base budget," Blum said.

Without another supplemental by April 15, Blum said continuing recruiting and retention efforts will "require some extremely painful reprogramming. "

For Fiscal Year 2009, the Guard already has sent Congress a wish list indicating that the Army Guard has a so-called unfunded requirement of $425.2 million for recruiting and retention and $300 million for bonuses and incentives.

The extra money is aimed at strengthening recruiting efforts.

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