The National Guard and Reserve full-time workforce has been in the news lately because of the furloughs that they are facing due to sequestration.
The original furlough has been cut from 22 to 14 days. That is okay news for the Guard, though it's far from optimal. Another announcement was made this week that could greatly affect future Guard readiness: The Defense Department Department... Read Full Story
The NGAUS Blog
A quick look back at National Guard stories from this week:
Tuition assistance is on its way back, hopefully. The recently-signed continuing resolution reinstates tuition assistance, but there is no timeline attached. (via Stars and Stripes)
Death by 1,000 cuts. Is the active Army trying to poach the operational capability from the Guard and Reserves? Some states believe so. (via... Read Full Story
This afternoon, Senators Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., David Vitter, R-La., Chris Coons, D-Delaware, Roy Blunt, R-Mo., Mary Landrieu, D-La., Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., Mark Warner, D-Va., and Patty Murray, D-Wash., introduced bipartisan legislation to expand cyber security capability in the National Guard. It focuses on recruiting, training and maintaining cyber experts while protecting national and... Read Full Story
On March 20, 2003 -- ten years ago today -- the ground invasion of Iraq began.
National Guard troops were a crucial part of the initial invasion, and by the time U.S. troops were withdrawn in December 2011, more than 286,000 Army and Air Guardsmen had served in Iraq. The Guard’s crucial contributions to Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) stand as an example of the success of the Total... Read Full Story
On Monday, the House Appropriations Committee released draft language for a full-year Continuing Resolution and a Fiscal Year 2013 Defense spending bill agreed to by House and Senate defense appropriators. This bill would provide stop-gap funding for the federal government through the end of September.
The bill contains numerous provisions which would fund National Guard accounts at or... Read Full Story