Newsline

National Security , Newsline

Rethinking the Duties, Roles, and Command Relationships of our National Guard

Posted on Sunday, December 11, 2022
|
by admin
|
17 Comments
|
Print
National Guard

The mission of the National Guard is to maintain properly trained and equipped units available for prompt mobilization for war, national emergency, or as otherwise needed. As an Army artillery Battalion Commander in the 4th Infantry Division at Ft. Hood Texas, one of my subordinate firing units was part of the Texas Army National Guard. They maintained a dual mission of readiness to support State of Texas and this specific federal mission. When it was imminent that our Division would be called up for deployment to Iraq in 2003, I had to develop a two week RSOI (Reception, Staging, Onward movement, and Integration) plan to bring Delta Battery on board, ready to deploy. This reflected the Title X (10) duty requirement for the National Guard. That means federal government command and control and funding. These Soldiers would be no different from any active-duty Soldier, same pay scale, benefits, and coverage.

National Guard troops can also be activated under what is called Title 32, meaning that they are federally activated but under State command and control. Remember that a Governor is the Commander in Chief of his State’s National Guard force. Some States do have what is called a State Guard which has no relationship with the federal government and National Guard Bureau (NGB). They are strictly under State command and control. Often, Title 32 can be used during disaster relief operations, or even train-ups for a federal ordered deployment.

And there are also troops that are on what is called Active Guard and Reserve (AGR) orders. These are those who are on permanent duty as Guardsmen–sorry, I do not play the pronoun game. The have same benefits as active-duty troops and their duty is to maintain operational personnel and equipment readiness for the Guard units.

However, there is a very interesting morass in which some National Guard units have found themselves. Here in Texas, our Guard forces have been deployed to the southern border on Operation Lone Star. This is a Texas State ordered mobilization, deployment, directed by the Governor. It is not a Title X or Title 32 mission, operation. And the reason why they have been called up is the unconstitutional abdication by the federal government of its Article IV, Section 4 enumerated duty in the Constitution to protect every State from invasion – called the Guarantee Clause.

Therefore, these Texas National Guardsmen are fulfilling a federal duty by State directive and are not federally funded. This means that the State of Texas is fully footing the funding bill for a failure of the federal government. The Biden administration has purposefully and intentionally enacted an ideological policy resulting in millions of illegal immigrants, illicit and dangerous drugs, and massive sex and human trafficking.

But what has been the result for National Guardsmen?

Because Operation Lone Star has not been recognized as a federal mission, these troops are compensated at a pay level below active-duty troops. They are struggling to make ends meet for their families because the six-month to year-long deployment means they take a severe pay cut from their civilian jobs. But what is worse is that they do not receive the same healthcare benefits as if they were on Title X or Title 32 orders, this also adversely affects their families. If a Guardsman is injured on Operation Lone Star, they must apply for workman’s compensation. They are not able to be transported to a military medical facility. And of course, their service does not entitle them to veterans’ care or benefits.

Worse however, in 2020, death by suicide among Army National Guard troops were 105, Air National Guard, 16. In 2021, that number was 102 and 15, respectively. We must do better with providing access of our National Guardsmen to military mental health services…and healthcare services overall.

But, most importantly, the crisis on our southern border, a product of the Biden administration, for which our National Guard troops must contend has presented a new challenge. We must rethink the duties, roles, command and control relationships, and funding, to include benefits, for the US National Guard. This is especially necessary in this case where the federal government has dismissed its constitutional duty, at the detriment of our States, and those citizen Soldiers who have been called upon to try and fill the void.

America is facing a huge constitutional and military crisis. Bold leadership, not existent in this White House, must rectify this situation.

This is why the American Constitutional Rights Union’s Committee to Support and Defend, of which I am executive director, has entered into a joint operation with AMAC to address this issue and many others that affect those who serve in the military. Together, we will assist active duty military and veterans, provide them with resources, amplify their voices, and mobilize them to save America.

This editorial is the first in a series of editorials by the American Constitutional Rights Union (ACRU) as part of the joint operation between ACRU’s Committee to Support and Defend (www.supportanddefend.org) and AMAC, to assist U.S. veterans, amplify their voices, and mobilize them to save America.   

Share this article:
Subscribe
Notify of
guest
17 Comments
Most Voted
Newest Oldest
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
PaulE
PaulE
1 year ago

The last sentence of the article summarizes why nothing will be done. “America is facing a huge constitutional and military crisis, bold leadership, not existent in this White House, must rectify this situation.” How and why would one possibly expect any sort of bold leadership to suddenly appear to resolve this issue, when the current administration itself has created the very problem being written about? One simply wouldn’t. Yes the situation is completely unacceptable and some would even rightly define it as an unconstitutional breach of the President’s duties, but at the end of the day nothing will be done about it. Elections have consequences and as we have seen for the past 23 months, things can and will definitely deteriorate substantially under this current administration.

David Millikan
David Millikan
1 year ago

Excellent article.

Smike
Smike
1 year ago

There are a few mysterious government organizations that do very good things that go usually unnoticed. One such organization is the public health service. Another is the national guard. Most of us know nothing about these organizations. The public health service is a real uniformed service. It mimics the Navy in rank but has the same military benefits as active duty – they are active duty in the PHS Officer Corps. The national guard has always been a mystery to most of us. But the guard does have some very serious and vital duties that very few of us are aware of – “need to know” type sensitive stuff. Much of what the guard does is training and preparing, but the guard does have an actual daily role of critical activities that they are responsible for that they do very well.

spitfire?1940
spitfire?1940
1 year ago

Biden should be tried for treason and punished accordingly as allowed by the Constitution.

Robert Scent
Robert Scent
1 year ago

A Navy retiree here. Well said. I agree whole heartedly. The Nation needs to know. Keep up the good work and let’s all spread the word.

Laura
Laura
1 year ago

Unfortunately, this is just the way that the Biden Administration and his minions are discouraging the National Guard from going down to the border at all. And he will ignore what the National Guard say they want and need just like he’s done with everything else the American people try to bring up to him. There’s going to have to be some major pushback on this issue.

Hawk
Hawk
1 year ago

Too Little Too Late (TLTL) unfortunately.
This dispatching of the NG has clearly been totally ineffective. Why is that?
It’s a continuing/ongoing INVASION…that’s war against America and the well paid political folks continue to enjoy life with their families, while millions of others without personal security details for their families, or tax funded subsidies (health care, travel, vote their own pay raises…) like the political’s enjoy, suffer the attacks of these illegals on our freedoms destroying our once comfortable and safe living.

Stephen Russell
Stephen Russell
1 year ago

Let states run local NG unless for viable Federal usage

tika
tika
1 year ago

defend the states in which they are domiciled against federal tyranny!

Reality
Reality
1 year ago

Obama/Biden used 25,000 national guardsmen to protect them from American’s who know that there was no way Biden won the election!!! These guardsmen were treated like dirt-one electrical outlet with 1 bathroom in the parking lot where they had to sleep!!! These phony leaders are nothing short or reprehensible-using people for their political gain all along the way!!! Our founding fathers would be totally disgusted by these scoundrels!!!

Michael Lewis
Michael Lewis
1 year ago

Could the guard/AMAC/electorate PETITION FOR A WRIT OF CERTIORARI like the Raland J Brunson v. Alma S. Adams, et, al., case?
supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/22/22-380/243739/20221027152243533_20221027-152110-95757954-00007015.pdf?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email

In this instance, against President Joe Biden for failure to uphold his oath of office and responsibility to enforce immigration law.

BREAKING: Brunson Case on Docket for Supreme Court Conference – Congressional Immunity on Trial… sarahwestall.com/breaking-brunson-case-on-docket-for-supreme-court-conference-congressional-immunity-on-trial/

Loy Brunson joins the program to discuss the lawsuit him and his brothers filed against 385 members of congress, Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, and Mike Pence. His case is challenging the congressional immunity clause and whether it protects congress from literally everything, even violating their oath of office and the U.S. constitution. You can learn more about this case @ 7discoveries.com/

Daniel Penny
biden and harris speaking in black and white
A row of supercomputers running simulations of quantum cryptography algorithms to test their efficiency and effectiveness
President Joe Biden, son Hunter Biden and sister Valerie Biden walk across the South Lawn of The White House on July 28, 2024 in Washington, DC. President Biden is returning from a weekend trip to Camp David. (Photo by Michael A. McCoy/Getty Images)

Stay informed! Subscribe to our Daily Newsletter.

"*" indicates required fields

17
0
Would love your thoughts, please comment.x
()
x

Subscribe to AMAC Daily News and Games