After months of waiting, the Senate Defense Appropriations Subcommittee (SAC-D) finally approved by voice vote their Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) as well as... Read full story
Blog Archives
July 31, 2012
July 30, 2012
The House has no plans to move forward this week on a catch-all spending bill to avert the government shutdown, sources confirmed today.
Congress will instead leave town for a five-... Read full story
July 27, 2012
National Guard Bureau press release:
Last night, the U.S. Senate confirmed Army Lt. Gen. Frank Grass to be the next chief of the National Guard Bureau and Air Force Maj. Gen. Joseph Lengyel to be vice chief. Grass, who also will be a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, will... Read full story
July 26, 2012
Yesterday the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Capabilities held a hearing on the “Digital Warrior: Improving Military Capabilities for Cyber Operations." Chairman Mac Thornberry (R-Tex.) and Ranking Member Jim Langevin (D-RI) questioned at length on the recruiting, training, development and retention of “Cyber Warriors” within each service. The witnesses included the... Read full story
July 25, 2012
For the past few years, there's been a lot of talk about merging the National Guard and the Reserves--in military circles, in the Pentagon, and even on Capitol Hill. In the wake of shrinking budgets, it should come as no surprise to anyone that... Read full story
July 24, 2012
General Norton A. Schwartz
General Norton A. Schwartz, Chief of Staff of the Air Force, has sure had a lot to say these days. For the past few... Read full story
July 23, 2012
July 20, 2012
Air Force Backpedals on Air National Guard Cuts
Should we get our ears checked!? Are we hearing that correctly?\
Well, it appears it's not all just a dream after all. In his confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee yesterday, Air Force Chief of Staff nominee, Gen. Mark Welsh III, admitted to Congress that the service screwed up not including National... Read full story
July 19, 2012
Today the Senate Armed Services Committee met to consider the following nominations:
- General Mark A. Welsh III, USAF for reappointment to the... Read full story
July 18, 2012
The National Guard Association of the United States (NGAUS) and National Guard officers across the country appreciate the trust and confidence members of Congress showed today in the ability of the Guard to recruit and retain the soldiers and airmen that fill its ranks. By striking down an amendment that would have ended professional sports sponsorships as a recruiting tool, lawmakers in the... Read full story
July 17, 2012
MSNBC reports today that the Air National Guard plans to phase out six of its eleven regional concert bands.
One particular rock band, Sidewinder, became an internet and media phenomenon almost overnight, making it all the way to "... Read full story
July 16, 2012
House lawmakers this week are set to move two of the largest annual appropriations bills, the Defense and Labor-HHS-Education spending bills, and will also take a step toward finding a way to halt automatic spending cuts due early next year.
By week’s end, the House is expected to pass the annual defense measure (... Read full story
July 12, 2012
Today, the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Readiness met to hold a hearing on the Department of the Air Force aircraft force structure reductions proposed in the 2013 President's budget request. The witnesses included Governor Terry Branstad of Iowa, Major General Timothy Lowenberg – TAG of the... Read full story
July 10, 2012
Tying into last weeks post, and in response to a growing interest from our member, NGAUS has further analyzed further flaws in the Quadrennial Review of Military Compensation (QRMC).
Issue in Focus: Pay
- Current drill pay structure already... Read full story
July 9, 2012
The final piece to be revealed in the defense legislative puzzle is the Defense Appropriations bill. Thus far, the Senate Appropriations Committee has yet to approve their version of the defense spending bill, while the House is moving towards full floor consideration, most likely next week. In the meantime, we continue to wait to see what funding the Senate Appropriations Committee on Defense... Read full story
July 5, 2012
You may remember Stuxnet, the virus believed to be developed to cripple Iran’s uranium enrichment facility at Natanz. You may also remember the Wikileaks phenomenon, which released hundreds of classified State Department 'cables' embarrassing U.S. and foreign diplomats across the globe. You may even remember President Obama... Read full story
July 4, 2012
As we celebrate 236 years of independence with family and friends, burgers on the grill, and fireworks, we remember and thank those that fought and continue to fight for American liberty. Happy 4th of July from the National Guard Association of the United States!
July 3, 2012
Last month the Pentagon released its Quadrennial Review of Military Compensation (QRMC) which assesses the effectiveness of military pay and benefits. Some of the biggest provisions of this year’s report recommend important changes in reserve retirement pay and benefits.
Some provisions to note:
- Retirement - recommends allowing reservist with 20 years of creditable... Read full story
July 2, 2012
Senate Republicans are floating the idea of establishing House-Senate working groups as a way to... Read full story