Chairman’s Message: We Must Compete

The U.S. military is amid the most significant change it’s seen since the end of the Cold War.

The Marine Corps began the effort about 10 years ago. The Air Force followed with its Agile Combat Employment concept, deployable wings, Combat Collaborative Aircraft and the development of sixth-generation aircraft. And now there is the Army Transformation Initiative.

Fortunately, we have great leaders at the helm, helping us not only embrace change but manage our way through it. We heard from some of them at our 147th General Conference & Exhibition. They do not fear change. Nor do we.

The National Guard is embracing transformation. Everybody needs to know that. We are a great team member for our active-component counterparts. Don’t let anyone think otherwise.

However, let us not forget the lessons of previous periods of service-wide change.

First, the National Guard is at the greatest risk during Army and Air Force transformation.

Volatility and uncertainty are inevitable, creating seams and cracks across the formation.

Understand the risks at hand and the seams and cracks that will emerge as we transform.

Detractors will emerge and try to take full advantage to promote their narrative to gain leverage over us. We cannot let that happen. These detractors are not the enemy, but they are competitors. And they aim to take what we have or what we need.

The competition occurs inside the Pentagon during the annual budget. We recently saw an example. Another component tried to challenge the Guard’s longstanding, common-sense and cost-effective role as the exclusive combat reserve of the Army.

The effort achieved some early momentum at lower levels of the Army leadership. That was until the National Guard Bureau, NGAUS and the adjutants general spotlighted the matter.

We must also never forget that our relationship with our active-duty brothers and sisters is only as good as last year’s budget.

As soon as we start negotiating a new budget, we are in full-on competition for limited resources. We cannot let up for even one day. We compete or we will lose. At stake is the training and equipment we need to provide the accessibility and lethality our nation demands.

Don’t expect someone else to care as deeply about our future. NGAUS is our primary mouthpiece, but we need every member engaged. Do not expect anybody else to carry our water.

NGB has a role to play on the Title 10 side, but we in the 54 must make our voices loud and clear. Our priorities must be heard, and our expectations for the future must never be lowered.

The future of the National Guard as we know it today is no more certain than the global balance of power. We are constantly in the competition phase when it comes to planning, programming and budgeting. And it’s only made more important during transformation.

Any lack of vigilance on our part will be mistaken for weakness. If we let our guard down and we become exposed, we will be exploited.

Like the theme of our recent conference, there should be no doubt that we are accessible, we are affordable and we are lethal. Any alternate narrative will diminish our standing with Congress. And it will relegate us to the back row for the priority of fielding new equipment.

Our senior leaders, especially the adjutants general, are accountable to this generation of warfighters. We owe them our full attention to these challenges. But we are all responsible for the next generation. That requires all of us — O-1 to O-10 — to be students of our profession.

Be responsible leaders. Pay attention to what is happening in Washington. Understand the risks at hand and the seams and cracks that will emerge as we transform. And never set aside your responsibility and professional obligation for the next generation.

It is time for the Guard Nation to stand and be heard. Each of us must put our voices in the mix. We must contribute on the national stage. We must compete. 

The author, an Army general, is the adjutant general of Michigan and the NGAUS chairman. He can be reached via [email protected].