Familiar Turf

NGAUS has had one job since its inception in 1878: working to ensure the National Guard receives the best possible training, equipment and support.

It’s a mission grounded in a simple but powerful belief —no Guardsman should enter harm’s way without every advantage the nation can provide. As Jon Eisberg, the association’s vice president for government affairs, puts it, “If it is important to the Guard, it is a priority for us.”

The mission is a continuing challenge. Each year, the president’s defense budget proposal underfunds the many Guard requirements — from aircraft and artillery to benefits to everyday necessities. And each year NGAUS steps in to close the gap.

Most of the front-line work falls on the association’s government affairs team. The team refines a list of annual legislative priorities developed through a process that begins in the states and territories and educates Congress on the Guard’s most urgent needs. This takes expertise, persistence and relationships built over the years.

“Every day is dedicated to working something for our members,” says Eisberg, who oversees a permanent team of six that is often augmented by interns. “We average between 12 to 20 meetings a week on Capitol Hill to discuss Guard priorities.”

Capitol Hill is familiar turf for him and his staff. Eisberg’s 36 years in uniform includes time in the National Guard Bureau Legislative Liaison office. He has also worked as a Senate staffer and spent three years at NGAUS as the Army programs manager before going full time in the Guard in 2003. Most of his staff also worked with Congress before coming to the association.

The team’s efforts, however, aren’t limited to interactions with lawmakers and their staff. They meet regularly with industry, government agencies (such as the Defense Department, the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Homeland Security) and other advocacy groups.

“If we only worked on Capitol Hill, we would not be as effective as needed,” Eisberg says. “We need to have good relationships with departments like DoD and VA, and we also work with military and veterans service organizations.”

The relationships, he says, often yield helpful information and partnerships. “There is strength in numbers,” Eisberg says.

The focus of the meetings is almost always on the current NGAUS legislative priorities. For the fiscal 2027 legislative cycle, the list includes the modernization or recapitalization of several aircraft, vehicles and weapons systems.

“As every Guard Soldier and Airmen knows, we have some of the oldest equipment in the Army and the Air Force,” Eisberg says. “To fight alongside our active-component brethren as we are expected, we must have the same equipment. And the entire military needs to transform to stay ahead of our adversaries and to adjust to changes in the character of war we see in current conflicts.”

The list also includes what he calls some “long overdue” personnel reforms, including Duty Status Reform and the modernization of the Guard’s full-time technician force.

“Our priorities are what our members believe are key to the Guard’s future as both the primary combat reserve of the Army and the Air Force and the military’s first responders during disasters at home,” Eisberg says.

We have hundreds of issues and needs, but to get results, we need to focus on the most pressing concerns that make the most fiscal sense.

—Jon Eisberg, the NGAUS vice president for government affairs

Establishing priorities

NGAUS legislative priorities are a product of a resolutions process that originates at the grassroots level in the 54 states, territories and the District of Columbia.

State and territory Guard associations develop the resolutions at their conferences with an eye toward the next year’s session of Congress, which deliberates on the following fiscal year’s defense bills.

Draft resolutions go to NGAUS headquarters in Washington, D.C., for staff review and input from the association’s 12 issue-oriented task forces and NGB. They then flow to the annual NGAUS conference for consideration by Army, Air and Joint resolutions committees that include representatives of every state, territory and the District of Columbia. Approved resolutions are included in a package subject to a final vote of conference delegates.

The approved package can include hundreds of items. The government affairs team develops its annual priorities with input from across the force, including the task forces, which are panels of subject matter experts from the Guard nationwide chaired by individuals appointed by the association chairman.

“Everything we do at NGAUS comes from the warfighter,” says Blaise Lemke, the team’s manager of Army Guard programs.

Continuous communication with the task forces ensures the association is pointed in the right direction and pushing for equipment and policies that directly help its membership and the Guard overall, Eisberg says.

Timing is another factor in the development of priorities. An issue might call for attention, but the current climate on Capitol Hill may not be right. Eisberg points to medical coverage for every member of the Guard and Reserve.

“While this is an important issue, there are many factors to consider, and the timing is not always conducive to results,” he says. “You have to pick your spots. In the case of Duty Status Reform, now is the time.”

NGAUS considers the wide array of training and equipment requirements and personnel issues across the force. The needs of retirees are also part of the equation. Says Eisberg, “What we try to do is get a good representation of all our constituents.”

My joint and personnel portfolio is full of issues I see firsthand in my formation.

—Julian Plamann, the NGAUS deputy director for government affairs

NGAUS on the Hill

Once priorities are set, outreach intensifies. The government affairs team meets with members and their personal staff. They also meet with the staff of key defense committees: the House and Senate armed services committees on policy matters and the defense subcommittees of the Senate and House appropriations committees. Support from committee staff is often critical to getting association priorities into the annual policy and appropriations bills, Eisberg says.

These meetings often require exhaustive preparation. Before approaching any congressional office, the team must understand the precise budget and program data behind each request — why numbers look the way they do, what earlier funding levels were, what operational impact is expected and how congressional action could resolve capability gaps.

That level of rigor avoids asking simply for “more,” and instead frames each request as a targeted, justifiable requirement.

“We need to be strategic,” Eisberg explains. “We have hundreds of issues and needs, but to get results, we need to focus on the most pressing concerns that make the most fiscal sense.”

“It’s crucial that we know why the numbers are the way they are, and that we understand the logistics of everything we ask for. And we wouldn’t be able to do that without input from the Guard.”

The collective Guard and Capitol Hill experience on the government affairs team is another asset.

Julian Plamann, the team’s deputy director, is a major in the Maryland Army Guard. She has worked in government relations for nearly 20 years at the local, state and federal levels. She successfully managed two political campaigns for state office in Minnesota. Before joining the NGAUS staff, she was an Army Congressional Fellow and served as NGB’s House legislative liaison.

“This work is deeply personal,” she notes. “Specifically, my joint and personnel portfolio is full of issues I see firsthand in my formation. Leaders don’t just admire problems; they work to establish solutions. That’s what NGAUS does for the 54.”

Peter Boone, a former Georgia Air National Guard C-130 Hercules cargo plane navigator, manages the team’s Air Guard programs. In his last military assignment, he was a division chief in NGB’s legislative liaison office, directly supporting the NGB chief, Army Guard director and Air Guard director while educating lawmakers and their staff on unfunded Guard requirements.

“I view my role as having awareness of Air National Guard legislative interests from NGB, the 54 states, territories and the District of Columbia, as well as our industry partners — synchronizing messaging when able — and advocating with Congress on behalf of the Air National Guard as a whole,” he says.

Lemke previously worked as the association’s industry liaison, working with the nearly 300 NGAUS corporate association members.

Eisberg, Plamann, Boone, Lemke and retired Maj. Gen. Francis M. McGinn, the association’s president, are registered lobbyists.

The team is supported by a senior legislative analyst Mikaila Flagg and legislative analyst Mia Weissbluth and administrative assistant Claire Feeney. All worked as congressional staffers before coming to NGAUS.

Flagg and Weissbluth spend their days providing critical analysis of and providing for various legislative activities including bills, hearings and other support documents. Feeney keeps the team coordinated.

Alex Scaffo, a former New Jersey Army Guardsman, helps with veteran’s issues as a HillVets fellow. “I was not familiar with NGAUS until I started working here,” he says. “It has opened my eyes to how much service members take for granted benefits, equipment, etc.”

Support the effort

The president’s defense budget request is $1.5 trillion for fiscal 2027. Modernization is part of justification and it’s no secret that no component is in greater need of modernization or recapitalization than the Guard.

“The fiscal 2027 $1.5 trillion defense budget represents a dramatic increase in the topline,” Eisberg says. “That doesn’t necessarily translate into more money for the Guard.

And it also doesn’t translate into sudden benefits parity. “The Guard is the value force,” he adds. “They answer the call whenever needed home and abroad but are underrepresented in the defense budget. If more is asked of the Guard, then they should get what they deserve. Our job is to fight for what is right.”

But the association is only as strong as its membership. “We realize the time commitment Guardsmen have,” Eisberg says. “But it is important to know that we have a louder, more powerful voice with more members participating.”

His advice to Guard officers: “Get involved where and when you can on issues that you care about. Write to Congress. Reach out to us, reach out to the TAGs, and let us know what issues and challenges you are seeing.”

Plamann says the association’s members are their best advocates, and encourages every Guardsman to stay engaged, build relationships with their elected officials, and never underestimate the value of sharing their story. “Personal experience cuts through in a way nothing else can,” she says. “It is often those real-world stories that help move policy in the right direction.”

Lemke urges members to get involved in their state associations. “Active involvement in your state association turns up the volume of our singular voice,” he says.

Every member of Congress has a Guardsman or Guard facility in their district. That gives the association a unique advantage when it comes to building relationships and lobbying Congress.

“Every office on the Hill cares deeply about their constituents. They are the ones who vote,” added Lemke. “By being active in the association and ensuring your colleagues are members of NGAUS, you make our job of taking care of National Guard equities easier.” 

MICHAEL METZ is the NGAUS senior writer/editor. He can be reached at [email protected].

---

TEAM PHOTO: (Top row, from left) Alex Scaffo, HillVets fellow; Peter Boone, manager, Air Guard programs; Jon Eisberg, NGAUS vice president, government affairs; and Blaise Lemke, manager, Army Guard programs. (Bottom row, from left) Claire Feeney, administrative assistant; Julian Plamann, deputy director, joint and personnel programs; Mikaila Flagg, senior legislative analyst; and Mia Weissbluth, legislative analyst. (DRAKE SOREY)

---

2026 NGAUS LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES
(For consideration of the fiscal 2027  defense authorization & appropriations bills)

Joint

● Personnel Reform
■ Duty Status Reform
■ Military technician modernization
■ Continuation pay incentive under the Blended Retirement System

● GI Bill Parity

● Reduced Medical Premiums for Gray-Area Retirees

● Establish Title 32 Cyber Authorities & Incentive Pay

● Enhance UAS/counter-UAS capabilities & authorities

Army

● Army National Guard Aviation Modernization
■ AC/RC aviation force structure parity
■ Procure & upgrade UH60M, CH-47F & LUH-72

● Army National Guard Artillery and Air Defense Modernization
■ Self-propelled and towed cannon artillery modernization
■ Maneuver Short-Range Air Defense Modernization

● Army National Guard Vehicle Modernization
■ Enhance engineering platforms & capabilities
■ Humvee (HMMWV) modernization & sustainment

Air

● Fighter Recapitalization
■ F-35 procurement & mods
■ F-15EX procurement

● Mobility Modernization and Recapitalization
■ C-130J & KC-46A Procurement
■ C-17 Modifications