Page 7 - The Dispatch May 2019

NATIONAL GUARD
As an example of the Guard’s success in emphasizing
readiness, Lengyel said the Army National Guard’s 89 per- MISSION FOCUS
cent individual medical readiness is the highest achieved
by the three components that comprise the Army – Ac- DOMESTIC RESPONSE:
tive, Guard and Reserve. Last year, the National Guard responded 195 times to do-
mestic incidents such as wildfires, hurricanes or floods.
“Readiness and lethality for the National Defense Strate-
gy is the Army’s number one priority, [and] it’s the Nation- STATE PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM:
al Guard’s number one priority,” Lengyel told lawmakers. The State Partnership Program has developed partnerships
between 83 nations and the 54 state and territorial Nation-
Weapons systems, high profile areas such as the space al Guards throughout the United States. The international
and cyber domains and missile defense, and interoper- outreach program is executed by the National Guard in co-
ability with the services were among topics discussed ordination with geographic combatant commanders, the
during the hearing at the U.S. Capitol. State Department and host nations. More than 950 joint
events were conducted across every geographic combatant
According to Lengyel the National Guard must increase command in the 2018 fiscal year. The National Guard has
operability across all platforms, Lengyel said. Parity in co-deployed 80 different times with partner nations.
equipping the Guard through concurrent and balanced
modernization and recapitalization is necessary for the SPACE:
Guard to deliver the lethality required by the Joint Force. The National Guard continues to contribute critical capabil-
The old model of cascading older equipment from the ac- ities in space standing ready to support the development,
tive duty side to the reserve side -- used when the Guard and manning of the U.S. Space Force.”
was a strategic reserve rather than operational force – no
longer applies, he said. MISSILE DEFENSE:
With the increase in near peer threats the need for strategic
Lengyel also said increased full-time support is needed in missile defense continues to grow.
the Army National Guard and reversing recruiting short-
falls caused in part by the strong economy is a priority. AIR DEFENSE:
All but one of the nations alert sites safeguarding our na-
“We will look to reposture under-recruited force struc- tional airspace are operated by the Air National Guard.
ture from a state that simply can’t recruit to it anymore
into states [that can],” Lengyel said. CYBER PROTECTION:
Guard cyber units protect DOD networks and support gu-
Almost 450,000 Soldiers and airmen comprise the Na- bernatorial needs in the states. To mitigate this emerging
tional Guard, and on any given day about 30,000 are on threat the National Guard has fielded 23 cyber protection
duty across every overseas combatant command, with teams, and is exploring the development of Cyber Mission
another 10,000 typically conducting domestic opera- Assurance Teams in three states to protect non-military in-
tions. -D frastructure essential to Defense Department operations.

CBRN RESPONSE:
More than half of the nations Chemical, Biological Radiolog-
ical and nuclear response effort resides within the National
Guard Structure.

YOUTH CHALLENGE PROGRAM:
More than 170,000 at-risk teenagers have graduated from
the National Guard’s Youth Challenge Program, earning high
school diploma's or their high school equivalence certifi-
cate.

COUNTER DRUG:
The National Guard supports law enforcement efforts to
Gen. Joseph Lengyel, chief of the National Guard Bureau, talks to
Texas Guardsmen at a staging facility in Beaumont, Texas, during detect, interdict, disrupt and reduce illicit drug trafficking.
the Hurricane Harvey relief effort Sept. 1, 2017.
(U.S. Air National Guard photo by Tech. Sgt. Mindy Bloem)