‘The Dialogue’s Never Been Better’ With Army, Air Force, Says National Guard Chief

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http://breakingdefense.com/2013/11/national-guard-chief-on-the-army-air-force-the-dialogues-never-been-better/



A Michigan National Guard soldier patrols in Afghanistan alongside an Afghan soldier and a Latvian ally.

‘The Dialogue’s Never Been Better’ With Army, Air Force, Says National Guard Chief
By Sydney J. Freedberg Jr.
on November 19, 2013 at 4:45 PM

WASHINGTON: Gen. Frank Grass, the chief of the National Guard Bureau, seemed pretty chipper this morning over breakfast. That’s something you would not have seen from the Guard’s leadership the last time America faced a major drawdown to its armed forces, when the Guard and the regular Army engaged in fratricidal budget battles. This time round, Grass made clear, the two sides of the service have kept the peace — so far.

While other Army generals are increasingly glum about looming cutbacks to the active-duty force, Gen. Grass has less cause for alarm. That’s because both politics and economics have so far protected both the Army and Air National Guard from significant cuts.

The politics are pretty simple. State governors want robust Guard units they can call up in case of natural disaster and legislators prize their local armories so they work with their federal representatives and senators to make sure those forces are not cut. The economics are that it’s much cheaper to pay a Guard soldier to train part-time than to fund pay and benefits for a regular active-duty soldier 365 days a year, and you still can count on the Guardsman in event of a big war. (How long he takes to get ready to go, however, is a complex question).

Pentagon leaders know very well that cutting 1,000 active troops saves a lot more money with a lot less political agony than cutting 1,000 from the Guard, as the Air Force re-learned the hard way last year. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel himself has said publicly that he’s considering relying more heavily on the Guard.