Sixty-two years after the start of the American Revolution, on July 4, 1837, at the Independence Day celebration in Concord, Mass., the phrase the “shot heard round the world” was first uttered.
Coined by Ralph Waldo Emerson in his poem “Concord Hymn,” it refers to the first shot fired at the North Bridge in Concord when British soldiers faced off against... Read Full Story
The NGAUS Blog
The President's Budget was submitted to Congress Wednesday, and it looks like the administration is requesting a little less for the Guard than was in the budget last year.
And there are several major cancellations in the budget that could affect the Guard, including C-27Js, AH-64 Apache upgrades and the C-130 avionics modernization program. Military construction and the National Guard's... Read Full Story
The Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System (MAFFS) is a self-contained unit used for aerial firefighting. For the Air National Guard (ANG), the operator of six MAFFS C-130s, this means a critical partnership with the U.S. Forest Service in response to domestic emergencies – the core mission of the National Guard.
ANG C-130 crews who operate the MAFFS are highly experience and trained. They... Read Full Story
Have you heard there is a backlog for processing claims at the VA?
Just kidding. By now, almost everyone in the country knows about the problem. But a recent investigation by the Center for Investigative Reporting quantifies how serious it is.
The CIR's report also showed that the average wait time for a disability claim to be resolved is 279 days. First time claims take longer,... Read Full Story
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