C H I E F , N A T I O N A L G U A R D B U R E A U

STRATEGIC DIRECTION

to the NATIONAL GUARD

STRATEGIC DIRECTION

to the NATIONAL GUARD
2

To the Citizen-Soldiers and -Airmen of the National Guard,

 

T

he National Guard has maintained the peace and security of our 

Nation for over 376 years. Today, we find ourselves at a strategic 

inflection point. In the years ahead, we must transition from combat operations, adjust to new fiscal realities, and prepare to face a new and 

challenging security environment both at home and abroad. Taken together, these are no small tasks. Successfully adapting for the future will be 

important, not just for the Guard but also for our Nation and States. 

At a time when there are many competing voices in our country and across 

the globe, we must rely upon our values for clarity. The National Guard’s 

values are those of our Services, the Army and Air Force. While these values are not expressed identically, they share much in common and their 

underlying themes are clear and undeniable. Guardsmen must demonstrate the highest standards of 

personal conduct, and agree that, “it is always the right time to do things right.” This includes not only 

eradicating the scourge of sexual assault from within our ranks, but also not tolerating sexual harassment or the inappropriate relationships that often lead to this kind of unacceptable behavior. Those of 

us entrusted to wear our country’s uniforms must do our utmost to represent the best of America. 

We are accountable for all we do, and what we fail to do. 

The Department of Defense is embarking on a course of significant change over the next decade and 

has placed its trust in the National Guard’s operational capability. Trust was earned through the blood 

and sweat of war, and in response to domestic missions. While we remain justifiably proud of these 

successes, we must reckon with the institutional damage done to some units by focusing on contingency specific missions and in rapidly generating readiness in others. As a result, the National Guard 

must again embrace a culture of readiness across the force. We will focus on posturing to rapidly and 

competently expand the Army and Air Force to help guide our readiness decisions. 

 

To ensure we move forward in the right direction, the National Guard community must critically and 

candidly reexamine our organization from top to bottom. I began this process by meeting with our 

strategic partners, Adjutants General, and many Guardsmen to gather information and gain a better 

perspective on the challenges and opportunities ahead of us. These frank discussions helped provide 

the insight to formulate my initial Strategic Direction to the National Guard. 

My vision for the National Guard:

 By 2023, the nation recognizes the National Guard is an indispensible, resourced, and missioned 

operational force fulfilling Service requirements in support of worldwide Combatant Commander’ priorities and supporting partners abroad. At home, the National Guard fully postures leaders and units 

to respond to a complex catastrophe on the worst night in America. Simultaneously, we deliver a 

sense of purpose, worth, and well-being to Guardsmen, their families, and employers thereby connecting Main Street America to national security objectives.

To realize this vision, I see our mission going forward as: 

 The National Guard provides ready forces for the defense of our nation and its interests, and to States for missions directed by the Governors. 

In partnership with States, Services, DoD, and interagency, the National Guard will:

1. Provide trained and ready operational forces 

2. Act as effective stewards of our resources

3. Sustain the National Guard community 

4. Forge and maintain partnerships

I have the utmost confidence in our National Guard forces and our ability to remain relevant and effective while forging a more adaptive, responsive, and capable operational force for the future, as we continue our commitment to be always ready, always there!

GEN FRANK J. GRASS

Chief, National Guard Bureau

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I N T R O D U C T I O N

O

ur Nation and our force face a strategic 

transition from adequate to constrained 

resources, and a focus on Iraq and Afghanistan to a renewed and expanded view of the 

world at-large. All of these transitions impact the 

National Guard. We must proactively confront 

each by identifying priorities that will position the 

Guard for continued success both at home and 

abroad, today and into the future. 

 

The National Guard has not faced such a profound 

time of change since the end of World War II. As 

we return home to our armories and communities 

after more than a decade of war, we embark into a 

very different era. Now is the time for the Guard 

to reflect, reassess, reexamine, and in certain areas 

reshape who we are as a force, to best fulfill our 

responsibilities to our Nation and States. 

Since 1636, we have met these responsibilities 

through voluntary service to our Nation and 

States. I am confident about our future because of 

you: the Soldiers, Airmen, and civilians of today’s 

National Guard. The diverse all-volunteer force is 

a great source of our Nation’s strength, and people are the very heart of our armed forces. The 

American people know they can count on you, no 

matter what the mission, because you remain always ready and always there. 

PRIORITIES:

To meet the challenges we face today, and those we will face in the years ahead, we must guide our efforts and effectively manage our resources to meet an environment of ever changing security threats. 

After reviewing our strategic environment, meeting with our Adjutants General and consulting other key 

leaders, I have identified four priorities: 

1. Provide Trained and Ready Operational Forces

2. Act as Effective Stewards of Our Resources

3. Sustain the National Guard Community

4. Forge and Maintain Partnerships

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T

he National Guard is manned, trained, 

and equipped as part of the Joint Force 

to fight and win our Nation’s wars. We 

learned over the past decade the important link 

to our communities Reserve Component (RC) 

forces provide to generate and sustain the support of the American People. It is vital we maintain this critical connection between our citizens 

and their armed forces, particularly if we must 

conduct large or long-term overseas contingency 

operations. 

After more than a decade of war, the National 

Guard has proven its value and importance as an 

integral part of the Joint Force. Looking to the 

future, our formations must support Joint Force 

2020. We must take advantage of reductions in 

deployments to prepare our Soldiers and Airmen for the future, while at the same time staying ready to support Federal and State missions 

on short notice. To do this, we must adapt our 

force for the future while maintaining readiness 

across personnel, equipment, and training. Maintaining operational deployments and engagement 

1: PROVIDE TRAINED and READY OPERATIONAL FORCES

are critical to this effort and must remain an 

important part of our readiness plan. 

In Strategic Direction to the Joint Force, the 

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff envisions 

a Joint Force that is versatile, affordable, and 

smaller, yet able to expand rapidly and serve 

as a hedge against uncertainty. The National 

Guard will be a critical element of this force. 

In conjunction with the Services, we must size 

and structure the Guard to best support the 

Nation’s current needs and anticipated future 

challenges. 

The most important part of the National 

Guard is our people. Professionalism is at the 

heart of who we are and what we do; and we 

must continue to recruit and retain the next 

generations National Guard leaders. As the 

economy changes, we must be proactive in 

offering our Soldiers and Airmen reasons to 

continue serving their Nation and State, 

through challenging training, innovative professional development opportunities, and relevant 

tasking in the US and overseas as part of the 

Joint Force. Our professionalism is an overarching competency that requires we prepare 

our leaders for the future. 4

Maintain the Ready Force 
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Rebalance end strength and force structure: 

We must ensure the National Guard remains relevant across the U.S. Armed Forces’ primary missions. The National Guard must be part of the 

process when our Nation’s leaders’ determine the 

best size and structure of the future Joint Force. 

With the National Guard’s unique role of supporting both Federal and State missions, determining 

the right Active Component (AC) to RC ratio and 

maintaining National Guard capabilities is of critical importance. A rebalance toward greater emphasis on the RC is part of the solution to today’s 

defense requirements.

Regenerate and maintain readiness:

The National Guard, like the rest of the Joint 

Force, performed magnificently during the last 

decade of combat. As we move into an environment of decreased operational tempo and funding, 

the Guard must reexamine how we generate and 

maintain readiness as part of the Joint Force to 

develop a sustainable readiness model that fits the 

new environment. 

Recruit and retain the Nation’s 

Best Service Members:

Today’s National Guard formations are filled with 

combat veterans, many with multiple deployments. 

We must have Guardsmen not only with the right 

experience, but also with the right values, knowledge, and abilities to operate in today’s and tomorrow’s complex environments. 

We must continue 

to recruit the next 

generation of leaders. These leaders 

should reflect the 

diversity of the 

American people, 

for our strength and 

adaptability are enhanced through inclusion. 

Recapitalize and 

modernize 

equipment and facilities:

Years of war have taken their toll on our equipment and facilities. We must refurbish and modernize to remain the best equipped force possible. 

It will take years to properly recapitalize and modernize, especially in an austere fiscal environment.

Redirect our training focus:

The excellent training provided by our generating 

forces is one of our great advantages. Over the 

past decade, frequent rotations supporting combat 

operations necessitated mission-focused training. 

Now is the time to expand the scope of our training so we are postured to rapidly meet the requirements of globally integrated operations. As we 

move forward with fewer resources, we must get 

the maximum benefit from training with an eye 

toward increasing our versatility. 

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 K E Y E F F O R T S
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Deficit reduction is a national security imperative. Consequently, today’s fiscal challenges are 

straining resourcing throughout the Joint Force. 

Additionally, uncertainty driven by the Arab 

Spring in the Middle East and Africa, increasingly 

stresses the rebalancing of focus from Iraq, 

Afghanistan, and Europe to the homeland and 

Pacific. Many uncertainties and challenges remain not just in Asia, but at home and across the 

globe. 

We live in an era with an increasingly competitive security environment, with many emerging 

and unconventional threats. While no one can 

predict when and where future conflicts will 

arise, our armed forces must be prepared to

adapt to any situation. A robust and responsive 

National Guard offers a flexible and affordable 

ability to rapidly and competently expand capacity to meet uncertainty. 

Guardsmen currently serve in Afghanistan, 

Kuwait, Qatar, Djibouti, Honduras, Guantanamo, the Sinai, and the Balkans. In addition, 

11 ANG air refueling wings from different states 

supported Operation Odyssey Dawn in Libya, 

while the Colorado National Guard served as a 

liaison to the Jordanian Armed Forces. With 

fewer operational deployments in the near future, participation in overseas missions will become increasingly important to the National 

Guard maintaining its proficiency as an operational force. Training deployments will again 

become critical to this effort. Consequently, we 

must look for opportunities to support the 

Combatant Commands. 

6

 Provide Relevant Forces 

for Today’s Wars and 

 Tomorrow’s Global Challenges
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Finish strong in Afghanistan:

As long as we have service members in Afghanistan, the National Guard’s top priority is to provide the best-trained and ready operational forces 

and support possible. 

Rapidly and competently expand the 

capabilities of the Army and Air Force 

to support other overseas contingency 

operations:

Wherever and whenever the Joint Force fights, the 

Guard will be there. 

Support the rebalance towards the Pacific: 

The National Guard currently has seven State 

 K E Y E F F O R T S Partnership Program (SPP) countries in the Pacific. 

These enduring, low cost, small footprint relationships directly support the Combatant Commander’s Theater Security Cooperation Plan. 

These partnerships will play a vital role in the rebalance through integration with regionally aligned 

forces. 

Reinvigorate Overseas Duty for Training 

(ODT): 

Most of the Guard’s deployments in the last decade 

have been for overseas contingency operations. 

Prior to these contingency operations, the National 

Guard had a robust and diverse ODT program, 

especially in Europe, Central, and South America. 

Now is the time to reinvigorate ODT programs 

and focus on supporting the Combatant Commanders in Africa and the Pacific. 

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Since the colonial era, the National Guard has 

had a special role as the original homeland defense (HD) force. In addition, we provide civil 

support at the federal, state, and local level. 

This support comes in the form of defense 

support to civil authorities (DSCA) as well as 

National Guard Civil Support (NGCS). Using 

our unique array of authorities, the Guard responds to the needs of the Nation and States. 

The inherent flexibility to operate on a continuum from local through state to federal level is 

one of the foundational strengths of the National Guard.

The National Guard is normally the first uniformed responder at the local and state level, 

and our elected officials and citizens rely on us 

for timely support. The Guard, primarily in a 

state status, provided more than 506,208 mandays of effort to our communities in 2012 

alone. For these types of domestic operations, the National Guard’s focus is to support. 

 Defend and Support

 the Homeland 

We accomplish this through coordination and 

synchronization of efforts with local governments before, during, and after an incident. 

Threats to our homeland are both natural and 

manmade. At a Guard Senior Leader Conference, our Adjutants’ General assessed threats to 

our homeland. They identified the most dangerous threats as: nuclear detonation, widespread 

cyber attack, a major earthquake, or tsunami. 

The Adjutants’ General also said we must remain ready for an ever-widening range of most 

likely contingencies such as hurricanes; tornados; 

floods; wild fires; winter storms; lesser chemical, 

biological, radiological, nuclear, and high-yield 

explosives incidents. 

Any of these events could generate a complex 

catastrophe. Successful mitigation of, and recovery from, complex catastrophes requires accurately identifying gaps, then planning and preparing to overcome them. The National Guard will 

work to be better prepared, along with our 

state and federal partners, to deal with these 

disasters. We will ensure that our plans are up 

to date and exercised regularly, ensuring we are 

ready to execute them. 

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Provide forces in support of homeland 

defense missions:

Protecting our homeland is the Department of 

Defense top priority. We must ensure HD 

forces remain trained and ready; our response 

plans current and regularly exercised, and fully 

synchronized with NORTHCOM. 

Accomplish missions assigned by the 

states’ governors:

For most Guardsmen, their commander-in-chief 

is their state’s governor. The governors best 

understand a State’s needs and can task their 

National Guard forces to meet these needs. 

Acting in this capacity, the actions of geographically proximate National Guard forces often preclude the need for federal forces to perform 

DSCA. 

Improve multi-state cooperation: 

As Guardsmen, we frequently focus on effects 

within our state, yet larger contingencies can 

have widespread impacts. As a result, all government agencies must continually improve their 

ability to respond to large contingencies. We 

see joint, integrated, multi-state plans as key to 

this effort. Together with our federal partners, 

the National Guard must exercise contingency 

plans to ensure we are ready to overcome these 

contingencies swiftly and decisively. 

Continue NGB support of Emergency 

Management Assistance Compacts 

(EMACs):

Compacts have proven successful for nearly two 

decades, facilitating interstate response for both 

small and large disasters. We envision EMAC will 

remain fundamental to responding efficiently and 

effectively to future state and multi-state disasters. 

Ensure continued Chemical, Biological, 

Radiological, Nuclear (CBRN) response 

capabilities:

CBRN incidents are among the most serious and 

most challenging of the threats we confront. The 

National Guard has a wide range of capabilities to 

help state and the federal governments mitigate 

CBRN incidents. We must remain organized and 

resourced, in order to continue providing the 

same level and quality of seamless support. 

Reexamine, and where appropriate, realign, 

the application of dual-use capabilities: 

My role as a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is 

to enrich DoD corporate processes so that they 

will address expansion of dual-use capabilities and 

associated equipment. This includes seeking opportunities in emerging mission areas such as unmanned aircraft systems and the cyber domain.

 K E Y E F F O R T S 

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O

ur values guide us to be good stewards of the resources the American 

People give us to accomplish our missions. We also share a great responsibility to 

be good fiscal stewards. This responsibility 

will increase in significance in the lean years 

ahead. While we will demonstrate good stewardship through unqualified audits, we can do 

more. The Guard must be transparent and 

above reproach in all we do fiscally. 

Enhance accountability:

The National Guard must spend its Federal 

and State funds wisely, only using them for the 

purposes intended. We must deliver forces 

with readiness appropriate to the funding and 

direction provided. We must maintain strict 

accountability of Army and Air Force equipment, and work to ensure it is properly 

2: A C T a s G O O D S T E W A R D S o f o u r R E S O U R C E S

maintained and ready to respond rapidly to crises at home and abroad.

Become fully auditable:

In an era of declining resources, confidence in 

the National Guard’s frugal execution of taxpayer dollars is essential. Congress has mandated auditability, and the Department of Defense has made audit readiness an agency-wide 

priority. Therefore, the National Guard will 

move toward a goal of an unqualified auditability, 

across all appropriations categories for the 

states and the National Guard Bureau. To further transparency and ensure accountability, the 

National Guard is committed to maintaining 

proper documentation for the funds entrusted 

to us.

Protect natural resources: 

The National Guard will make efforts to reduce 

pollution, reverse environmental damage, and 

embrace energy conservation. 

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KEY EFFORTS
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The National Guard was built on a foundation of 

strong units, strong families, and strong communities. Since 9/11, our families and communities—including those who employ Guardsmen in 

their civilian jobs—have sustained us over the 

past decade of deployments and sacrifices. We 

are grateful for all they have done for our 

Soldiers, Airmen, and civilian employees. As 

combat operations end, we must continue to 

keep faith with our force, our families, and our 

neighbors. We must continue to honor our 

fallen patriots and wounded warriors by supporting their families and helping them reintegrate into their communities. 

3: S U S T A I N t h e N A T I O N A L G U A R D C O M M U N I T Y 

Those awarded the Purple Heart are not the only 

service members suffering from injuries. Many 

bear unseen scars. Stress can be a struggle for 

some to handle. We must continue to reach out 

to all of those in need, and help them as much as 

we can. This is our duty, and we will never forget 

those who served. Tough financial choices in the 

coming years will require us to do all we can to 

sustain the National Guard community. Sustaining the National Guard community is truly a “no 

fail” mission. 

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Embrace a culture of total fitness:

We must build and maintain a resilient force. 

Our Soldiers and Airmen must remain fit to 

fight, and fit to serve; not just physically, but 

mentally, emotionally, spiritually, and socially. 

Meet the demand for Soldier, Airman, 

and Family programs and funding:

Supporting those who serve, have served, and 

their families must remain a top priority. 

Decrease suicides in the National Guard:

We are absolutely committed to addressing the 

rising number of suicides in the National Guard. 

The NGB Joint staff is actively participating in a 

DoD-wide comprehensive strategic approach 

for suicide prevention, intervention, postvention, and surveillance; to particularly ensure the 

unique challenges of our citizen Soldiers and 

citizen Airmen are addressed. In the coming 

year, we will launch a behavioral health pilot 

program to build better partnerships with behavioral health providers in our communities to 

meet the needs of our Soldiers and Airmen. 

Reduce sexual assaults 

and sexual harassment:

From the day each of us raises his or her hand 

to take the oath, we are told we must support 

one another, no matter how fierce an enemy 

we face. Today, we battle internal enemies –

sexual assault and harassment within our ranks –

which are profound betrayals of the sacred trust 

we must have between our Soldiers and Airmen. 

This is a leadership issue. This is a readiness issue. We will attack this enemy with education 

and discipline, and eradicate the enemy within 

our ranks, also providing solace for all those affected. To be clear, there is no place in the National Guard for anyone, of any rank, who would 

sexually harass or attack another individual.

Improve Civilian Employment: 

For the National Guard 

employment is a readiness issue:

We need to continue working with the federal 

government, state, and local agencies to market 

National Guard members as highly skilled civilian 

employees. Although we have shown success, we 

must continue our efforts to ensure all Soldiers 

and Airmen are employed. 

Strengthen community relationships: 

Our unique community-based organization enables us to partner effectively at the local and 

state levels with both governmental and nongovernmental leaders on behalf of Guard service 

members and families. We formalized some of 

these partnerships through our “Joining Community Forces” efforts, but we must take care to 

nourish and expand these relationships. Another 

outstanding example of the National Guard’s support of our communities is our Youth ChalleNGe 

Program. This award-winning program leads, 

trains, and mentors high school dropouts to become productive citizens through unique, military

-inspired, and evidence-based youth development 

that instills youths with the skills and values necessary to become productive members of society. 

ChalleNGe has 34 sites in 28 states, DC and 

Puerto Rico, offering a five-month “quasi-military” 

residential phase and a one-year post-residential 

mentoring phase for at-risk youth ages 16-18. 

Reach out to National Guard alumni:

Many National Guard members have returned to 

civilian life. They, along with our retirees remain 

our brothers and sisters in arms. They are a distinct benefit to our communities and we will 

maintain our relationships with our alumni and 

offer valuable camaraderie, even after they hangup their uniforms. 

 K E Y E F F O R T S

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F

or more than 376 years, the National 

Guard has supported and partnered with 

local, state, and federal entities. As a 

state-based national militia, the National Guard 

was the original interagency and intragovernmental partner. We have been bridging 

the gap between the states and the federal government since our country’s founding. 

As a joint activity of the Department of Defense (DoD), the National Guard Bureau serves 

as the channel of communications between the 

Adjutants General and the DoD. In addition, 

National Guardsmen from the States serving at 

the Federal level, do so in support of those in 

the States and around the globe. 

We have always worked closely with our parent services, the Army and Air Force. Because 

of outstanding service to our Nation over the 

past decade of combat operations, and with the 

Chief of National Guard Bureau now a full 

member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, we have 

become an even greater part of the Joint Force. 

This includes expanding our contact and cooperation with the Navy, Marine Corps, Coast 

Guard, and other parts of DoD. 

Interagency cooperation is one the National 

Guard’s core strengths. Whether in a federal 

or state status, the Guard works closely with a 

wide variety of interagency partners. Our relationship with The Department of Homeland 

Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is essential in helping 

unite federal, state, and local efforts in support 

of civilian authorities to aid those affected by 

disasters. The National Guard works closely 

with National Interagency Fire Center for wildland firefighting. While our interagency ties are 

often most visible in responding to emergencies, the Guard’s cooperation with other departments and agencies spans the gamut of governmental functions. For instance, the National 

Guard Counterdrug program supports the Department of Justice and the Drug Enforcement 

Administration, among others, at the national 

level, along with state and local law enforcement agencies. 

Internationally, the Guard works with the Department of State via our State Partnership Program 

(SPP) to advance the Nation’s foreign policy goals. 

Among the National Guard’s military partners, 

none is more important than our connection with 

U.S. Northern Command (NORTHCOM). We 

work closely with NORTHCOM on both Homeland Defense and Defense Support of Civil Authorities. NORTHCOM stands ready to bring 

DoD’s federal resources to bear in support of major disasters and we work closely with them to 

ensure seamless integration of state and federal 

DoD capabilities. 

During major domestic disasters where both State 

and Federal military forces are needed to support 

civil authorities, dual-status commanders are ideal 

leaders. These specially trained commanders unify 

separate State and Federal chains of command to 

better integrate the efforts of Federal DoD capabilities with those of State and local authorities. 

This ensures unity of effort among different military responders. The increased effectiveness and 

efficiency of the dual-status commanders improves 

our collective ability to respond more agilely in 

support of civilian authorities. 

The SPP also develops international relationships 

that support the Geographical Combatant Commands’ “Phase 0” or “shaping operations.” Our 65 

partnerships, fully integrated into theater security 

cooperation plans, help set the conditions for future American success across the globe. Maintaining and growing partnerships around the world is 

essential to sharing the burden of regional security 

and responding to the next global crisis as evidenced by multiple co-deployments with our State 

Partners over the past decade. 

The National Guard has a vital role to play in 

these shaping efforts as a force provider to the 

Combatant Commands and Service Components 

for theater security cooperation. Through security 

cooperation activities the National Guard helps 

create more ready, willing, and able partners 

around the globe. We succeed when we build and 

maintain these important and enduring relationships. 

4: F O R G E a n d M A I N T A I N P A R T N E R S H I P S

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Analyze future threats and opportunities:

In a world that can change quickly, the National 

Guard must constantly evaluate the environment 

and determine how best to contribute to the 

security and safety of our Nation. We must stay 

abreast of change and continually adapt to challenges in close cooperation with our partners. 

Assessing our processes, performance, and effectiveness in an ongoing and comprehensive 

way will help ensure we are both doing the right 

things and doing things right. 

Serve as the DoD’s bridge to civil 

authorities for domestic challenges:

The Guard’s state mission develops an emergency management skill set based on the National Incident Management System. The key to 

this skill set is the National Guard’s unique responsibilities and repetition of the tasks, and the 

long-term relationships with local and state officials that produces confidence with our civilian 

partners. 

Facilitate the Consultative Process:

DoD and the Council of Governors agreed to a 

consultative process in order to improve communications and cooperation between the federal government and the states. CNGB serves 

as the channel of communication between DoD 

and the Governors for departmental processes 

affecting the Guard. The consultative process 

will help the Guard transmit State DSCA requirements, expressed in terms of signed and 

approved contingency plans.

Support Geographic Combatant Command theater security cooperation (TSC):

The geographic combatant commands (GCC) 

establish TSC requirements and plans, and all 

SPP events are in support of these plans. As 

GCC demand increases, we will grow SPP partnerships to ensure they are in direct support of 

their strategic priorities. 

Leverage the Counterdrug Program 

(CDP): 

The National Guard’s CDP helps law enforcement agencies battle and mitigate the drug 

threat. The CDP activities support both supply and 

demand interdiction efforts. The CDP also helps 

confront emerging threats. The National Guard 

should continue to link local, state, and federal 

efforts to combat transnational criminal organizations and support counter threat finance efforts. 

 K E Y E F F O R T S

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A

s it has since 1636, the National Guard 

will continue to undertake important 

roles in defending our Nation and supporting our States. Hard choices lie ahead, not 

just for the Guard, but for our entire Nation. 

The National Guard will continue to provide 

efficient and effective options for our Federal 

and State leaders now and into the future. We 

will continue to do this by building upon our 

successes over the past decade. Our actions 

abroad and at home have shown our value as 

an integral part of the Joint Force to our Nation, our States, and our local communities. 

C O N C L U S I O N

We must ensure the actions we take today continue the National Guard’s proud tradition of service to our Nation and State. True to our values, 

we will provide trained and ready operational 

forces, be good stewards of our resources, sustain 

our communities, and forge and maintain partnerships. 

I have the utmost confidence in our National 

Guard Forces and our ability to remain relevant 

and effective while forging a more adaptive, responsive, and capable operational force for the 

future, as we continue our commitment to be always ready, always there!

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S T R A T E G I C D I R E C T I O N

 t o t h e N A T I O N A L G U A R D

NATIONAL GUARD PRIORITIES

1. Provide Trained and Ready Operational Forces

2. Act as Effective Stewards of Our Resources

3. Sustain the National Guard Community

4. Forge and Maintain Partnerships