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The commanding general of Army Futures Command says the nation’s next major conflict will involve "everybody" in the National Guard joining the fight.
Gen. James E. Rainey added the Guard is a key part of the Total Army the service cannot do without.
"The next time we fight, it is not going to be iterative contact," he told the audience at the 146th NGAUS General Conference & Exhibition in Detroit Monday. "I think it is going to be protracted, long, dirty and nasty.
"Organizationally, we’re going to need depth and endurance," Rainey continued. "I believe that everybody in the National Guard will eventually be involved in that fight."
Rainey admitted "we could go to war this weekend" due to the global threat landscape facing America.
"I personally don’t remember a more dangerous time in my lifetime than right now," he noted.
"We’ve got a lot of people who don’t like us, and they are talking to each other," Rainey added. "We want to deter them."
Rainey was one of five speakers addressing the Army Separate Session of this year’s NGAUS conference on Monday.
Lt. Gen. Mark H. Landes — the commanding general of First U.S. Army — and Maj. Gen. Joseph R. Baldwin — the acting director of the Army Guard — were also speakers.
Lt. Gen. Jonathan M. Stubbs — the acting chief of the National Guard Bureau — and Command Sgt. Maj. John T. Raines — the command sergeant major of the Army Guard — completed the event’s lineup.
Maj. Gen. Jimmie Cole — the association’s vice chairman-Army — was the separate session’s presiding officer.
Video of each speaker’s remarks at the conference will be available soon on the NGAUS YouTube page.
Baldwin compared the Guard to the automobile, a vehicle he said has repeatedly evolved.
"How we go about defending the country changes," he said of the Guard. "It is probably about to change again.
"We innovate, we adapt," Baldwin argued. "If we don’t, we lose. Our nation and our Army can’t afford to lose."
Landes predicted the nation’s next fight would be a "Total Army fight" that will require different preparation than America’s more recent conflicts.
"This next fight is going to be different," he said. "There is a certain amount of hardship you’re going to need to go through mentally and physically in our next fight."
Each of Monday’s speakers answered questions from audience members after their remarks.
Rainey said he is a "true believer" in what the Total Army can achieve working together.
"We are all in this together," he said. "I hope and pray every day we do not fight anybody. But when we do, everybody’s going."
— By Mark Hensch
