A R M Y N A T I O N A L G U A R D 

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“ARNG 4.0 leads us to the 

Army Guard our country needs.”

-LTG Timothy J. Kadavy

“TOTAL READINESS FOR

THE 21ST CENTURY”

“Readiness is essential. Every Soldier in every unit 

counts and must be able to perform their mission 

at home or abroad, in peace and in war.”

General Mark A. Milley, Chief of Staff, U.S. Army

W HY IS IT IMPORTANT?

Since 9/11, ARNG has operated far outside the 

“one weekend a month” framework familiar to 

many Americans. Our Soldiers and units are now 

an operational force capable of conducting 

Unified Land Operations at home and abroad as 

part of the U.S. Army. 

To continue to succeed in an increasingly 

unstable and unpredictable world, the ARNG 

must remain aggressive in training and providing 

quality, deployable Soldiers. 

The key rewards for doing so are two-fold: The 

nation gets a proven force on the battlefield, and 

our states can call upon trusted Soldiers and units 

capable of addressing any disaster on the 

homefront.

The 343,000 men and women serving in the 

ARNG, a component of the U.S. Army, remain 

globally engaged while conducting combat 

operations, cyber operations, humanitarian 

assistance, deterring aggression or reassuring 

our allies and partners around the world. Serving 

in their communities, in a number of professional 

and volunteer roles, their sense of service goes 

well beyond responding to disasters or serving in 

harm’s way. The dedication and commitment our 

Citizen Soldiers possess is exemplary and 

remains the foundation of our force.

We cannot continue to operate as we did in the 

past. The threats our nation faces are 

unprecedented in scope and variety and they 

demand a new level of focused readiness.

ARNG 4.0 determines our ability to do just this.
ARNG 4.0 is the Army National Guard's (ARNG) 

evolutionary response to an uncertain, changing 

global environment. It prioritizes the increase of 

combat readiness through well-equipped, wellmaintained and well-trained personnel and units.

Combined with high morale and outstanding 

leadership, ARNG Soldiers and units are 

ready, and will remain ready, to adapt and 

perform missions both within their individual 

state and overseas. 

ARNG 4.0 prepares the ARNG to quickly and 

effectively meet the nation’s security challenges 

of the 21st century by: 

- maintaining a higher level of readiness

- prioritizing efforts and 

- enhancing force capabilities for today and in the

future.

Designed to strengthen the role of the ARNG 

within the U.S. Army, ARNG 4.0 enhances 

current force structure, increases enabler 

capacity and invests in future combat capabilities, 

by increasing training for select ARNG units 

beyond the traditional one weekend per month 

and two weeks during the summer. These units 

are expected to increase and maintain the 

highest levels of personnel and training 

readiness, in addition to other collective training 

opportunities such as a Combat Training Center 

rotation.

WHO WILL BE AFFECTED?

Additional professional military education and training 

increases time commitments for Soldiers in these 

units. Families, employers and communities are 

more valuable than ever. As much as the ARNG 

values the flexibility and resilience of our Soldiers, 

without the support of their families, employers and 

communities, ARNG 4.0 will not be successful. 

Families

As the ARNG embarks on this new way forward, we 

remain fully committed in supporting our families. 

Ready and resilient families provide the support and 

strength that many Soldiers depend on to accomplish 

their missions. The ARNG has several family 

programs in place that helps families, and positively 

impact unit morale and readiness. Located 

throughout each state and territory, Family 

Assistance Centers provide support and assistance 

to Soldiers and their families by offering information 

about military, federal, state and local resources. 

Employers

At the same time, the ARNG understands these 

Soldiers could not defend us abroad and protect us 

at home without the assurance that their civilian jobs 

are protected. Since 9/11, civilian employers have 

consistently underwritten Soldiers' service and the 

time it requires them to be away from their jobs. 

Employers have been our families’ financial 

guarantors, ensuring job stability for them when they 

return from missions. Under ARNG 4.0, employer 

support becomes even more critical as Soldiers’ 

schedules and training tempo may fluctuate. 

Establishing predictability for our Soldiers has always 

been—and will always be—the best method to ease 

their burdens when balancing work, family life and 

Army requirements. Under ARNG 4.0, ARNG leaders 

at all levels are committed to doing everything they 

can to provide predictability. But when short-notice or 

no-notice deployments arise for some units, the 

ARNG must respond accordingly. To ease any 

potential friction, the ARNG is urging Soldiers and 

their employers to make use of the Employment 

WHAT IS ARNG 4.0?

Support Program, part of the Department of Defense 

Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve program. 

Communities

When not in uniform, ARNG Soldiers are woven into the 

fabric of their communities in many diverse capacities. 

From teachers to firefighters, doctors to electricians, 

inside Fortune 500 companies and small businesses, 

they live, work and serve in their communities. Soldiers 

volunteer at churches, police departments and youth 

organizations, helping transform and improve lives. 

When called away for duty, their absence is felt not only 

by their employers and families, but by all the 

organizations and citizens they serve.

That absence across the community will feel more 

sudden if our units have little-to-no notice before going 

to war. So it’s important to set realistic expectations 

now. The ARNG is launching an effort to educate 

stakeholders at all levels of government, in the news 

media, our academic institutions and in our civic 

organizations. At the same time, we’re engaging with 

think tanks to leverage their intellectual capital and 

address stressors.