Here's how you know
 **Official websites use .mil** .mil
 **Secure .mil websites use HTTPS** lock () https://


Skip to main content (Press Enter).
 Toggle navigation
            
            
            
            
            National Guard
                        Always Ready Always There
                    National Guard
            
            Search National Guard:
                        Search
                    Search
                        Search National Guard:
                            Search
    Home

    News
    
        Guard News

    Overseas Operations

    State Partnership Program

    News Features

    RSS Feeds

    Press Releases

    Transcripts

    Features
    
        Features by Year

    Posture Statement

    State Partnership Program

    Special Features

    About the Guard
    
        How We Began

    Air National Guard

    Army National Guard    
    
        DEERS Soldier Journey

    Leader Development Program

    History and Heritage

    I am the Guard

    NGB Official March

    Leadership
    
        CNGB

    VCNGB

    SEA

    DANG

    DARNG

    Joint Staff    
    
        J-1

    J-2

    J-3

    J-4

    J-5

    J-6

    J-7

    J-8

    Personal Staff    
    
        Inspector General

    General Counsel    
    
        Special Victims Counsel

    Public Affairs

    Executive Support Services

    Legislative Liaison

    Special Staff    
    
        Office of the Provost Marshal

    Office of the Joint Surgeon

    Director of Acquisitions

    Small Business Programs

    Chaplain

    Senior Leader Management Office

    Diversity Equity Inclusion

    Comptroller

    Resources    
        National Defense Strategy Implementation Guidance

    Community Engagement

    FOIA

    Fact Sheets

    Helpful Links

    Image Gallery
    
        News Images

    Graphics

    Historical Paintings

    Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

    Legislative Liaison

    Small Business Programs

    Social Media

    State Websites

    Videos    
    
        Featured Videos

    On Every Front

    2019 Videos

    2020 Videos

    2021 Videos

    Suicide Prevention

    Family Programs

    Environmental

    Trial Defense Service

    Holistic Wellness Challenge

    Contact Us  Home
  News
  Article View
 
 Download
 Details
 Share
 Details
 Share
 NEWS
 Leaders Detail Future of National Guard By xxxxxJim Garamone,
                DOD News
 ARLINGTON, Va. - The National Guard remains an integral part of U.S. military might, and it's changing to remain effective for the future, Army Gen. Daniel R. Hokanson, chief of the National Guard Bureau, said Tuesday. Hokanson and Senior Enlisted Advisor Tony L. Whitehead, the senior enlisted advisor to the chief of the National Guard Bureau, held a wide-ranging news conference on the challenges facing the National Guard and its 430,000 service members. The National Guard is the strategic reserve of the U.S. military. Guardsmen are ready today and must be ready for the future. They were among the forces who fought the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, but they also perform missions for state governors. They also have a mission on the U.S. border with Mexico. Guardsmen are called upon to help Americans in the aftermath of fire, flood, hurricanes, earthquakes and more. Thousands of National Guardsmen helped Americans during the COVID-19 pandemic. "Today's National Guard is ready and capable and a vital part of our national defense strategy," Hokanson said. "As a combat reserve of the Army [and] the Air Force, our Soldiers and Airmen are built to fight our nation's wars. It is manning, training and equipping for combat that allows us to also serve our communities in their time of need." While the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq are over, the National Guard still has 22,000 service members deployed overseas. "In 2022, we provided ground and air forces to all of America's combatant commands," the general said. "That included Army formations in the Middle East and Europe; global tanker airlift and fighter aircraft support; and training with our allies and partners around the globe." With an eye toward the future, Hokanson and Whitehead started examining "people" programs since everything depends on the people of the Guard and their families. The general said about 60,000 National Guard Soldiers and Airmen have no medical coverage. "That's why the Health Care for Our Troops Act is on my radar," he said. The legislation would provide premium-free medical insurance for members of the National Guard and other reserve components. "This the right thing to do for our service members and their families, who often bear undue financial and medical hardships as a result," he said. "Yes, there is a cost to this, but I believe the lost readiness costs are more than the price of that health care. The Health Care for Our Troops Act is ultimately the right thing to do, both morally and for the medical readiness of our force." Hokanson is also adamant that Guardsmen performing the same duties as their active-duty counterparts should get the same pay and benefits. "Just like them, we spend weeks, months, even years away from our families, but to be side-by-side performing the exact same mission and the same duties and not be treated the same is something that needs to be resolved," he said. "Duty status reform goes a long way to address this inequity, which is also vital to our recruiting and retention efforts." On the operational side, the Army National Guard will modernize its brigades and divisions to produce all-domain combat forces divisionally aligned with the Army as soon as possible, he said. "This will keep us seamlessly interoperable with the Army, make rotations more predictable, and give our guardsmen more leadership opportunities. Most of all, it will ensure we are ready whenever our nation calls." The Guard also has a role in readiness of forces far from U.S. shores. The Guard's State Partnership Program is in its 30th year. It partners state Guard units with foreign militaries. The most obvious example is California's long-term partnership with Ukraine. The final challenge is modernizing the force. "We created a 25-year modernization road map for all our major weapons systems," Hokanson said. "We're in lockstep with the Army on things like multi-domain operations, long-range precision fires, main battle tanks, air defense, future vertical lift and more." The Guard cannot show up to tomorrow's fights with yesterday's equipment. "We must be interoperable and have the same equipment whenever possible," he said. "On the Air Force size side, we have 25 fighter squadrons, and we need to keep all 25 fighter squadrons because our nation needs them. These squadrons need modernized fighters to provide the combat capability and strategic depth our nation needs to deter our adversaries." The Guard has been instrumental in helping Ukraine resist the Russian invasion. The California-Ukraine partnership reaches back to the founding of the Partnership for Peace effort following the breakup of the Soviet Union and dissolution of the Warsaw Pact. In 2014, after the first Russian invasion that occupied Crimea, Guardsmen worked "to identify those areas where [the Ukrainian military] felt that they could really improve to prepare themselves," the general said. Hokanson and Whitehead said that last year, there were many who felt Russia would overwhelm its neighbor. But the training they received — especially the development of a professional noncommissioned officer corps — was instrumental in blunting Russia's thrust toward Ukraine's capital, Kyiv. "As our Guard units have rotated through since 2015 with the joint military training group [in] Ukraine, we've really focused on developing their noncommissioned officers, as well as a couple other areas that they, that they really wanted to work on," the general said. "Obviously, the greatest credit goes to the Ukrainian people and their forces for standing up for their own sovereignty and defending their homeland. But it was one of those things that we worked on, and we continue to work on, with Ukrainians right now. The key thing is [to work on the] areas that they ask us for support on and training. We really try and focus directly on that."
 SHARE
 PRINT
 Transcript of briefing by Gen. Daniel R. Hokanson and Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Chief Tony L. Whitehead
  Background about the State Partnership Program
  News about the SPP
 national guard
 Gen. Daniel R. Hokanson
 SEA Tony L. Whitehead
 
 National Guard Professional Education Center Celebrates 50 Years
 By Sgt. 1st Class Christie Smith,
  Exercise Gobi Wolf 2024 Begins in Heart of Mongolian Steppe
 By Capt. Balinda O’Neal,
  Hokanson: Nation’s Investment in National Guard Comes at Pivotal Moment
 By Sgt. 1st Class Zach Sheely,
  More
 Air Guard Units Test Readiness at Sentry Savannah Exercise Guard News • 7 hours ago
 Tennessee National Guard Rescues Hiker in Smoky Mountains Guard News • 11 hours ago
 10th Homeland Response Force Conducts Collective Training Guard News • yesterday
 New York, Connecticut Soldiers are Regional Best Warriors Guard News • 2 days ago
 Connecticut Guard Deploys Cloud-Based Radar/Radio Connection Guard News • 5 days ago
 2024 (156)  2023 (427)  2022 (526)  2021 (697)  2020 (936)  2019 (387)  2018 (323)  2017 (346)  2016 (245)  2015 (356)  2014 (399)  2013 (469)  2012 (556)  2011 (533)  2010 (1071)  2009 (357)  2008 (638)  2007 (295)  2006 (188)
 Home
 Site Map
 Privacy & Security Policy
 Link Disclaimer
 Web Policy
 DOD Information Quality
 DOD Open GovernmentFOIA
 No FEAR Act
 Accessibility/Section 508
 Contact Us
 Army Guard Careers
 Air Guard Careers
 USA.gov
                    
Staying Connected
    XYouTubeFlickrFacebookInstagram
                 
                
                

Hosted by Defense Media Activity - WEB.mil