Lawmakers draft bill to elevate reserve officer to US Joint Chiefs of Staf

[The Straight Story]

Lawmakers draft bill to elevate reserve officer to U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff

By Megan Scully, CongressDaily
The Senate National Guard Caucus is drafting legislation that would add a four-star Guard commander to the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, a bold move to put a reserve officer in the highest echelon of military leadership.

If enacted, the legislation would mark the first major change to the nation's premier military planning and advisory group in two decades. The move is intended to give the National Guard "more muscles" in dealing with the Pentagon bureaucracy and ensure that civilian and active-duty military leaders will consult the Guard on decisions affecting the force, Sen. Christopher (Kit) Bond, R-Mo., chairman of the caucus, said Wednesday.

The bill, which Bond hopes to push to the Senate floor as early as this year, would elevate the National Guard Bureau chief to a four-star billet, putting the position on par with the chiefs of each military service, the Joint Chiefs chairman and vice chairman, all of whom are four-star generals or admirals.

The legislation also would require another Guard officer fill the deputy commander position at U.S. Northern Command, which coordinates homeland defense missions. In addition, it would protect the Army and Air National Guard's weapons-buying budgets by separating them from the services' own procurement accounts.

http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=33568&dcn=todaysnews

[dsc]

1. Sounds like an overdue idea

[lyonn]

2. Yes, since they are full time military now days

The Guard might even get decent equipment and scrap the 1940 models.