NATIONAL GUARD BUREAU

1636 DEFENSE PENTAGON

WASHINGTON DC 20301-1636

MEMORANDUM FOR THE STATES, TERRITORIES, AND THE DISTRICT OF 

COLUMBIA

Subject: 2023 National Guard Bureau Guidance on the 2022 National Defense Strategy

Reference: DoD, Unclassified Summary, “2022 National Defense Strategy of the United 

States of America, Including the 2022 Nuclear Posture Review and the 2022 

Missile Defense Review,” 27 October 2022

1. Please share the attached 2023 National Guard Bureau National Defense Strategy

Guidance across all your units. It highlights how the National Guard must focus on

building readiness for strategic competition in support of the NDS.

2. As the combat reserve of the Army and Air Force, it is imperative we understand the

challenges and opportunities that lie ahead and meet them head-on.

3. I am confident our Soldiers and Airmen will remain ready to respond to any

challenge, today and in the future. Together, we will keep our promise to America to be

Always Ready, Always There!

4. Point of contact is Colonel David Doran; Strategic Assessment, Futures, and

Initiatives Division; 571-256-7359.

DANIEL R. HOKANSON

General, USA

Chief, National Guard Bureau

Attachment: 

As stated

MAY O 3 2023 
2023

National Guard Bureau

National Defense Strategy Guidance

In support of the 2022 National Defense Strategy

Chief, National Guard Bureau 

National Defense Strategy Guidance
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From the earliest days of my Presidency, I have argued that our world is at an inflection 

point. How we respond to the tremendous challenges and the unprecedented 

opportunities we face today...will impact the security and prosperity of the American 

people for generations to come...The People’s Republic of China (PRC) is the only 

competitor with both the intent to reshape the international order and, increasingly, the 

economic, diplomatic, military, and technological power to do it...Beijing has ambitions 

to become the world’s leading power.

—President Biden, 2022 National Security Strategy

In the 2022 National Defense Strategy (NDS), the Secretary of Defense wrote 

that a strong, principled, and adaptive military is a central pillar for U.S. global 

leadership, particularly in the face of challenges arising from dramatic geopolitical, 

technological, economic, and environmental change. To safeguard U.S. national 

interests, the Department of Defense (DoD) is working alongside other U.S. agencies 

and departments to protect the security of the American people, expand economic 

prosperity and opportunity, and defend the American way of life. Strategic 

challenges will be interconnected, in part because competitors deliberately link

vulnerabilities to erode U.S. deterrence, exert economic coercion, and endanger the 

political autonomy of states. Persistent challenges include strategic competition with 

the PRC, Russia as an acute threat, persistent threats from the Democratic People’s 

Republic of Korea, Iran, violent extremists, and other transboundary challenges such as 

climate change.

The 2022 NDS identifies the PRC as the DoD’s pacing challenge. The PRC 

seeks to undermine U.S. alliances and security partnerships and leverage its growing 

military capabilities to coerce its neighbors and threaten their interests. The PRC has 

expanded and modernized nearly every aspect of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) 

and is focused on offsetting U.S. military advantages. In addition to expanding its 

conventional forces, the PLA is rapidly advancing and integrating its space, 

counterspace, cyber, electronic, and information warfare capabilities to support its ability 

to conduct Joint warfare. The PLA also seeks to reduce the U.S. military’s ability to 

project power, defend our interests, and aid our Allies and partners during crisis or 

conflict. The PRC remains our most consequential competitor for the coming decade.

As the DoD focuses on the PRC as our pacing challenge, the NDS also accounts 

for the acute threat posed by Russia and supports robust deterrence of Russian

aggression against vital U.S. interests. International efforts to respond to Russia’s 

unprovoked invasion of Ukraine highlight the importance of maintaining the rules-based 

international order and combining our military strengths with those of our Allies and 

partners. As such, the 2022 NDS is a call to action for the U.S. defense enterprise to 

incorporate Allies and partners in all aspects of defense planning.

The scope and scale of threats to the homeland have also fundamentally 

changed. The PRC and Russia now pose more significant challenges to safety and 

security at home, even as terrorist threats persist. The PRC and Russia are already 
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using non-kinetic means against our defense industrial base and mobilization

enterprise, as well as deploying counterspace capabilities that can target our Global 

Positioning System and other space-based capabilities that support military operations 

and daily civilian life. These threats, along with climate change, pandemics, and other 

transboundary challenges will increase demands on the DoD’s resources, Federal and 

civil authorities, and the public and private sectors.

Given this strategic environment, the DoD’s priorities are: 

• Defend the homeland, paced to the growing multi-domain threat posed by the PRC.

• Deter strategic attacks against the U.S., Allies, and partners.

• Deter aggression, while being prepared to prevail in conflict, when necessary,

prioritizing the PRC challenge in the Indo-Pacific, then Russia in Europe.

• Build a resilient Joint Force and defense ecosystem.

Among these priorities, the role of the National Guard (NG) remains constant:

provide trained, ready, and interoperable units for the warfight and in the homeland by

supporting our communities in times of crisis. To ensure we remain interoperable with 

the Total Force, we must ensure our formations are modernized while divesting

capabilities no longer relevant to future warfighting. 

The 2022 NDS advances the DoD’s priorities through three key strategic ways: 

integrated deterrence, campaigning, and building enduring advantages. As the 

Total Force implements the 2022 NDS, we will work in concert with the Departments of 

the Army and Air Force to sustain and strengthen U.S. deterrence.

Integrated Deterrence

Integrated deterrence is the centerpiece of the NDS. It means using every tool at our 

disposal, in close collaboration with our counterparts across the U.S. Government and 

Allies and partners, to ensure that potential foes understand the folly of aggression 

(Unclassified Summary of the 2022 NDS, page IV.)

Domestic Operations

The NG supports integrated deterrence through deterrence by resilience—

activities that enable the NG and our communities to withstand, fight through, and 

recover quickly from disruption. Deterrence by resilience includes supporting state, 

local, and tribal authorities with mitigating vulnerabilities in cyber networks; maintaining

NG Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear Response Enterprise Forces to 

meet future threats; protecting critical infrastructure; and modernizing the mobilization 

enterprise and NG physical infrastructure to withstand man-made and natural disasters. 

These actions not only enhance our ability to remain responsive to our communities, but 

also enhance overall deterrence by reducing our competitors’ perception of the benefits 

of aggression.

Army National Guard
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The Army National Guard (ARNG) supports integrated deterrence by maintaining 

combat ready forces in-line with directed readiness levels. The Department of the Army 

utilizes ARNG units within Global Force Management and in accordance with the 

Regionally Aligned Readiness and Modernization Model to simultaneously employ 

forces globally while modernizing for future warfighting. In support of enhancing 

deterrence, the ARNG has aligned all subordinate units to create eight Army Divisions

to increase Total Force deterrence capacity, and to normalize Command and Control 

relationships for large-scale combat operations.

The ARNG also provides strategic depth which makes the ARNG a key member 

of the Nation’s hedge against protracted conflict. Strategic depth, along with the ability 

to rapidly mobilize and project forces globally remain critical components of deterrence. 

Combat Training Center rotations are additional activities that enhance deterrence while 

preparing combat forces to meet Combatant Command requirements. Furthermore, 

training exercises at all echelons enhance readiness, deter our adversaries, and assure 

our Allies and partners of our commitment to upholding the international rules-based 

order.

Air National Guard

Today’s Air Force has the smallest, oldest, and least ready inventory in history. 

Meanwhile, the PRC continues to rapidly modernize. Recapitalizing and fielding an 

integrated, flexible, adaptable, resilient, and survivable Total Force is required to 

achieve integrated deterrence. Recapitalizing the Air National Guard (ANG) provides a 

superior cost to capability ratio to the Department of the Air Force while preserving 

operational experience required to operate across the spectrum of conflict and 

alongside our allies and partners.

Rapid divestment and recapitalization of legacy platforms is imperative to 

strategic competition and integrated deterrence. The ANG must work closely with the 

Department of the Air Force to recapitalize our fighter fleet to maintain a combatcredible Total Force. ANG units must be integrated by design in Next Generation Air 

Dominance, the B-21 Family of Systems, Collaborative Combat Aircraft, and all other 

emerging missions. Additionally, concurrent recapitalization of ANG KC-135 units with 

the KC-46 and expediting the Next Generation Air-refueling System and Next 

Generation Airlift Family of Systems are essential. Funding for C-130J Block 8.1 

upgrades and external fuel tanks for U.S. Indo-Pacific Command operations are 

required. However, recapitalization of platforms is only part of the solution.

In a future high-end conflict, the Total Force must be able to maintain information 

and decision advantage, preserve Command, Control, Communications, Computers 

(C4) Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) systems, and ensure critical 

kill webs. Supporting and funding a structured approach to Advanced Battle 

Management System modernization across to the Total Force to include Homeland 

Defense challenges is imperative to Total Force success. Along with recapitalization 

and modernization, we must seek innovative solutions to Integrated Deterrence and 

achieve the DoD’s priorities at a cost we can afford.
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Campaigning

Campaigning is the conduct and sequencing of logically-linked military activities to 

achieve strategy-aligned objectives over time. Campaigning initiatives change the 

environment to the benefit of the U.S. and our Allies and partners while limiting, 

frustrating, or disrupting competitor activities that impinge on our interests 

(Unclassified Summary of the 2022 NDS, page 12.)

Security Cooperation

The NG conducts a variety of security cooperation missions, and the State 

Partnership Program (SPP) is the centerpiece of these activities. As such, the SPP will

focus on conducting activities that directly support Combatant Command security 

cooperation objectives and meet our partner’s objectives to ensure clear alignment with 

the NDS. Nesting SPP activities with Combatant Command security cooperation 

objectives will ensure SPP activities are integrated for maximum global effect.

Army National Guard

The ARNG supports global campaigning via rotational missions. Aligned with 

Defense and Contingency Planning Guidance and DoD regulations, Combatant 

Commands develop and coordinate plans that require Reserve Component support.

Predictable rotational support increases Combatant Command capacity during 

competition, ensures interoperability, and enhances the long-term collective experience 

of the ARNG. In support of the Combatant Commands, predictable and rotational

missions include serving in key enabler roles, setting the theater, and participating in 

multinational exercises. These activities enhance deterrence and assure Allies and 

partners while exercising force projection.

Air National Guard

ANG Airmen serve in every Combatant Command and contribute to the five Air 

Force core functions: (1) air and space superiority; (2) intelligence, surveillance, and 

reconnaissance; (3) rapid global mobility; (4) global strike; and (5) command and 

control. To maintain ANG contributions to the core functions, the Department of the Air 

Force must fund the ANG to support daily campaigning activities, Joint exercises, and 

reach back activities such as deliberate targeting. The ANG provides the Total Force 

and our Nation with the capability and capacity required for campaigning.

The ANG is also focused on developing new relationships with Arctic nations. 

The ANG is advocating for funding of Arctic equipment sets to support the Department 

of the Air Force strategy for the Arctic. This includes working with NORADNORTHCOM on Homeland Defense, conducting an analysis of alternatives for the 

Arctic, and recapitalizing the LC-130 to support presidentially directed National Science 

Foundation requirements.
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Building Enduring Advantages

Building Enduring Advantage involves undertaking reforms to accelerate force 

development, acquiring the technology we need more quickly, and making investments 

in our extraordinary people, who remain our most valuable resource.

(Unclassified Summary of the 2022 NDS, page IV.)

Domestic Operations

To adapt to future challenges, the NG is implementing numerous NDS-aligned 

initiatives. One such initiative is supporting DoD’s research and development of 

operational energy initiatives to help the DoD adopt more efficient, reliable, and clean

energy technologies. These technologies could be used for DoD missions in both 

globally remote and strategically important locations within the United States. The 

National Guard Bureau is also developing options to Command-and-Control nonFederalized NG forces during large-scale, multi-region disasters to ensure our Nation 

recovers quickly from disruption.

Army National Guard

Building enduring advantages means adapting to emerging threats and 

demands. To ensure the ARNG is manned, trained, and equipped for future 

warfighting, the ARNG is synchronizing modernization plans with the Total Army. To 

minimize risk, the Department of the Army is integrating ARNG capabilities and capacity 

as the Total Army modernizes for multi-domain operations. Integration of the Active and

Reserve Components is essential to project forces domestically and abroad, while 

synchronization is key to maintaining a sustainable tempo. As the Army undergoes 

modernization, units from all components will be placed on a resource priority list. Units 

that fall lower on the list must actively explore and exercise interoperability of remaining 

systems and equipment.

Air National Guard

Building enduring advantages involves undertaking reforms that accelerate force 

development, adopting new technologies, and investing in our people. Citizen-Airmen 

possess extraordinary skills and knowledge gained from civilian and military careers 

that translate into novel solutions and transformative partnerships for the Nation. The 

result of the ANG’s collective innovative capacity is that we continue to maintain 

sufficient combat capability at a reduced cost. The ANG is also a premier force that

develops asymmetric capabilities that informs future force design. For example, the 

ANG is leading innovation in the Information Warfare domain through establishment of a 

first of its kind Cyberspace Wing and development of the Cyber-Enabled Air Superiority 

operational concept. The ANG is also leading the way on Agile Combat Employment

and Logistics Under Attack – both critical to deterring the PRC.

Conclusion

For more than 386 years, the NG has risen to every challenge, accomplished every 

mission, and supported every community. In the past 20 years, we have proven 

ourselves as an operational reserve with strategic depth. However, the 2022 NDS calls 

upon all of us to reorient our focus from counterinsurgency operations to strategic 
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competition and large-scale combat operations. In the unclassified summary of the 

2022 NDS, Secretary of Defense Austin wrote, “America has never been afraid of 

competition, and we do not shy away from tough challenges, especially when it comes 

to securing our core strengths and defending our national values.” Over the next 

decade, we will respond to tremendous challenges ahead, as we always have, and 

always will.

Always Ready, Always There!