“The enemy is not going to change its designs.
… This has global implications. We’re seeing
the shifting of some cultural tectonic plates.”
as a joint activity of [DoD]. It must tion system it needs to thrive. Is there one lesson from the
interface with Offi ce of the Secretary It was a transformation born of Punaro report military and de-
of Defense, the Joint Staff, Northern operational necessity. It was not a fense leaders must learn?
Command, and the regional combat- conscious decision or a road-mapped Yeah, it’s the absolute compelling
ant commanders around the world. plan. You cannot have the Army or and overwhelming cost-effectiveness
It doesn’t undermine our require- Air Force without the Guard. That of Guard and Reserve capability.
ments to train, organize, and equip has been recognized. This nation gets a world-class,
the Army Guard and Air Guard, but Now we’re running to catch up ’round-the-clock response capability
it does address other missions there with policy, law, regulation, resourc- — land, air, and maritime forces — at
wasn’t visibility on. The Army and Air es, equipping strategies, benefi ts, and a fraction of what it would cost to
Force aren’t interested in those mis- entitlements. All of those things were maintain that on active duty. That’s
sions, [so they] didn’t apply resources built in 1947 and have to be revisited. a fundamental truth revealed in the
to it. So the change gives the National I don’t agree with everything in report, and [one that is] extremely
Guard Bureau legitimacy for joint pro- the Punaro report. But everybody important to future defense secretar-
grams beyond those two services. agrees with most of it. They have ies and service chiefs. To be able to
identifi ed symptoms of problems. afford modernizing the force, they
How does this impact your role? How to treat those problems is wor- have to optimize human resources.
It complicates it. I now not only have thy of serious dialogue and debate. The most economical way to do that
a relationship with the chiefs of staff is to leverage the capability of the
and service secretaries of the Army Some of the most dramatic recom- citizen-soldier.
and Air Force but also with the chair- mendations by the commission What the commission put togeth-
man of the Joint Chiefs and the sec- focus on compensation — for ex- er directs decision-makers to those
retary of defense. But it helps us be ample, changes to retirement and policies, laws, and strategies needed
understood. It recognizes the new re- drill pay. Do you embrace what the for increased reliance on the Guard
ality of what the Guard is required to commission recommends to mod- and Reserve. They make a strong
do in peace and war. It recognizes our ernize reserve compensation? argument for increasing the size of
joint contribution to all the combatant I wouldn’t give a blanket endorse- those forces, too, to deliver capability
commanders around the world as op- ment, but in general, yes. They have cheaper for the American people.
posed to just training, organizing, and defi ned the right direction we ought to Also, reserve components bring to
equipping for the Army and Air Force. be going in, for the Guard and the fi ve a fi ght a dimension that nobody else
other reserve components. Because can: When you call out the Guard
The Commission on the National the Guard and Reserve [are used] and Reserve, you call out America.
Guard and Reserves, chaired by more and more, there must be some That is immensely powerful.
Arnold Punaro, concluded that signifi cant modifi cations to compen-
reserve components have become sation. Operational tempo is very high, Assuming your vision for a larger
everyday operational forces. and this confl ict [against terrorism] Guard is accepted, do you have the
No question. will last a generation. The enemy is compensation incentives you need
not going to change its designs, which to support an expanded force tak-
But the commission noted it hap- are far bigger than in Iraq. This has ing on more operational missions?
pened with no debate in Congress global implications. We’re seeing the We don’t have all the tools we need.
or at the Pentagon. Therefore, it shifting of some cultural tectonic The commission points that out
lacks the structure and compensa- plates. We cannot ignore it. very clearly.
AUGUST 2008 MILITARY OFFICER 53
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