From the Chief: Heart of Our Force

The walls of my office are decorated with vintage National Guard recruiting posters. The text and the artwork are a call to action in a single static image: Serve Your Nation. Keep Your Guard Up. Fight Alongside Your Friends. Be All You Can Be.

The images remind me of our Guard’s contributions throughout U.S. history. They are also a constant reminder that our force’s foundation, upon which everything rests, is our people. Our all-volunteer military succeeds because people like you see a poster, watch an ad, stop by a recruiting booth, interact with the Guard on Twitter or Snapchat, or visit a recruiting center.

Still others seek a change coming out of active duty, looking to continue serving our nation, but with more choice in where they live or to pursue a civilian career.

The National Guard relies on you — as a soldier, airman or civilian, and as a representative and a recruiter.

The common element in these scenarios is connecting willing and capable people with awareness and opportunity — and this is where every one of us plays a key role.

You are the Guard’s best representative and recruiter. You know what it means to serve in the Guard, and you know what steps to take to join. You know the benefits of being a Guardsman — both the tangible benefits, like funding for your education, a military retirement, low-cost health care and training, and the intangible benefits, like camaraderie, experience and purpose. You are our best representative, and we need every Guardsman to tell our story and connect those who are considering service with the opportunity we provide.

Every Guardsman knows how tough of a recruiting environment we’re in right now. Last year, we missed our end-strength goal by roughly 9,000 people.

This year, however, our recruiting numbers are bouncing back. As we look to put last year’s shortcomings in the rearview, we know we cannot fulfill the requirements of the Joint Force or our governors if we don’t have soldiers and airmen available and ready. That’s why we’re looking at every avenue available to make Guard service a proud and appealing opportunity so we can build on this year’s momentum.

At the national level, our efforts include working with Congress to establish no-fee health care for every Guardsman. When department stores and fast-food chains are offering health care to their employees, the Guard cannot be a competitive option if our coverage relies solely on duty status.

We are also working on leveling the playing field for education benefits for Guardsmen. While Guardsmen can currently use their federal tuition and GI Bill benefits, they cannot claim independent student status like our active-duty counterparts. By pursuing legislation that allows Guardsmen to claim independent student status, we better-align the education benefits of Guard service with those in the private sector.

We are also awaiting the Defense Department response to the Incentive Pay Parity Act passed into law last year. If enacted, it would provide Guardsmen and Reservists with the same incentive pay and special bonuses as their active-duty counterparts for meeting the same requirements. The outcome is uncertain, but I remain confident we will be able to meet its intent.

We also continue to work with Congress on Duty Status Reform, reducing the number of authorities and better aligning pay and benefits for the Guard with our active-duty counterparts when we perform the same duties.

These are only a few examples of the reform efforts we’re pursuing at NGB to support the 54 and help solve our recruiting challenge. We can be the standard bearer across the components for recruiting and retention, and with full formations comes opportunity. To seize that opportunity, we must continue addressing the issues that matter to our Guardsmen and do everything we can to fill our ranks.

Our nation relies on the Guard, and the Guard relies on you — as a soldier, airman or civilian, and as a representative and a recruiter. We never lose sight of your service and sacrifice, and we work every day to make our force one you’re excited and proud to be part of.

People are the heart of our force. If we all focus on recruiting, retaining, recognizing and rewarding our people, we will remain Always Ready, Always There.

The author is the chief of the National Guard Bureau and a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.