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The new NGAUS vice president of government affairs said advancing the interests of the association’s membership is his only priority.
Col. Jon “Ice” Eisberg returned to NGAUS on April 1 to execute the association’s legislative game plan in the nation’s capital.
His arrival is something of a reunion with the NGAUS staff. He served as the association’s Army legislative for a few years until leaving in 2003 for an Active Guard and Reserve position at the National Guard Bureau.
“I don’t want to do business as usual,” he said. “I want to adapt an aggressive approach but one that is calculated and orchestrated.
“First and foremost, we must prioritize,” Eisberg added. “We cannot go after everything at once, so we need to make hard choices. Gradual and incremental steps can be more effective than an unorganized shotgun approach.”
Eisberg, a 31-year Guardsman, said having multiple former Guardsmen in key leadership positions within the Trump administration presents a unique opportunity for the Guard.
“The biggest challenge that the Guard has faced over the years, is encountering a lot of individuals, both from the civilian senior leader side and from the military side, who just don't understand the Guard,” Eisberg said.
“I think right now we are well positioned to take the opportunity to work with some of these new leaders to advance the interest of the National Guard Association and the National Guard,” he added.
Eisberg said he also wants to continue to build on the current relationships the legislative team has built on Capitol Hill and in the states and forge new friendships in order to align, cooperate and build momentum.
Eisberg added that he wants to build a greater relationship with the White House and the Defense Department.
“We need to make sure we’re building these friendships so we understand one another's priorities, one another's issues, and how collectively we can advance the National Guard writ large and the National Guard Association,” he said.
Prior to returning to NGAUS, Eisberg served as senior policy advisor on Army Guard matters on the Pentagon’s Reserve Forces Policy Board.
He was also previously served as the dean of students, an assistant professor and the senior National Guard chair at National War College, National Defense University in Washington, D.C.
Eisberg served as a platoon leader with a Maryland Army Guard cavalry squadron serving on the Bosnia peacekeeping mission in 2001. He later deployed as information operations chief and targeting officer with a joint special operations command task force during Operation Enduring Freedom.
Eisberg is currently on terminal leave and will formally retire after more than 36 years of military service.
He began his military career in the Navy. He had multiple occupational specialties, including as a helicopter search-and-rescue swimmer.
— By Donald Lambert
