Bond and Leahy should try again

When the Defense Authorization Bill for FY 2007 was being written, Senators Bond (R-MO) and Leahy (D-VT) added a provision that would have given the National Guard a seat at the table in the Pentagon decision making process. The provision would also have elevated the Guard chief to Four Star, and made the number 2 position at U.S. Northern Command a National Guard billet. “They have supported us in the global war on terror, and the National Guard has earned a promotion. It’s time the Guard had a seat at the table when plans are being made.” Bond argued at the time. Still, the provision was stripped.

The Defense Authorization Bill for 2008 is being written right now, and the Senators should try again. We ask too much of our citizen soldiers to continue to give them short shrift. Yesterday it was announced that the Pentagon has changed the guidelines under which the Guard and Reserves can be deployed. In the past, deployments of Guardsmen and Reservists were limited to 24 of 60 months. That limit has been eliminated and now they can be deployed for 24 months at a time.

If the Guard and Reserves are going to be relied on so heavily in the United States military missions, they deserve equal representation in the decision making process.