Navy Adm. James Winnefeld, commander, North American Aerospace Defense Command and U.S. Northern Command, addresses the 132nd general conference of the National Guard Association of the United States in Austin, Texas, on Aug. 22, 2010. The National Guard is "NORAD and NORTHCOM's indispensable partner," Winnefeld said. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Jim Greenhill) (Released)

By Army Staff Sgt. Jim Greenhill
National Guard Bureau

“I would not be able to accomplish my many missions were it not for you, the National Guard – this wonderful, agile, efficient, uniquely American institution,” Navy Adm. James Winnefeld, Jr., the commander of North American Aerospace Defense Command and its sister NORTHCOM, told about 5,400 people attending the 132nd general conference of the National Guard Association of the United States here.

The theme of this year’s conference is “The National Guard: America’s solution.” But Winnefeld said his theme is, “The National Guard: NORAD and NORTHCOM’s indispensible partner.”

“I am a strong believer in and supporter of our National Guard: Who you are, what you do and how well you do it,” he said, making a series of pledges about how he will do business, including:

Air Force Gen. Craig McKinley, the chief of the National Guard Bureau, addresses the 132nd general conference of the National Guard Association of the United States in Austin, Texas, on Aug. 21, 2010. "Maybe for the first time in our 364 years, we're more operational than we've ever been for a sustained period," he said. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Jim Greenhill) (Released)

By Army Staff Sgt. Jim Greenhill
National Guard Bureau

AUSTIN, Texas — Civilian and military leaders said here on Saturday that the National Guard is America’s solution in a time of constrained budgets, increased missions and the necessity of developing greater partnership capacity.

“The National Guard has repeatedly proven itself to be ready and a very accessible force,” Air Force Gen. Craig McKinley, the chief of the National Guard Bureau, told about 5,400 people attending the 132nd general conference of the National Guard Association of the United States here this week.

“We validated the Total Force concept by showing that the men and women in our formations are ready to answer the call to be mobilized, to deploy overseas, to return home and then to become prepared to do it all over again,” he said.

“We … are facing a potentially momentous year,” Dennis McCarthy, the assistant secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs said. “There are going to be some decisions made this year that will have significant impact on the way the young men and women, who are wearing the uniform right now and those who will follow them are going to serve over the next couple of decades.”

Leaders sketched a picture of an environment in which budgets will be tight, the operational tempo will remain high and the Defense Department is looking for ways to boost partnership capacity worldwide.

“We’ve got challenging times ahead,” McKinley said.

All agreed on three key points: The National Guard has reached a peak of excellence since a transformation that began, arguably, with Desert Storm/Desert Shield and certainly since the 9/11 attacks.

Although senior level discussions and a dozen studies are underway about the future of the Guard and Reserve, no one wants to see it return to the Cold War-era strategic reserve.

And the National Guard is a key part of America’s solution to changing times. “We are one of the most efficient, effective organizations in our nation today,” McKinley said.

Air Force Gen. Craig McKinley, the chief of the National Guard Bureau, and Army Gen. William "Kip" Ward, commander, U.S. Africa Command, meet with National Guard adutant generals and Defense Department leaders at the 2010 National Guard State Partnership Program Conference at Kelley Barracks in Stuttgart, Germany, on Aug. 11, 2010. The 62-nation SPP is a superb tool for Africa Command, the combatant commander has said. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Jim Greenhill) (Released)

By Army Staff Sgt. Jim Greenhill
National Guard Bureau

STUTTGART, Germany — National Guard adjutants general and Defense Department leaders here this week are hearing how the Guard’s 17-year-old State Partnership Program is boosting the partnership capacity of one of the nation’s newest combatant commands.

“The benefits … are many and impressive,” Army Gen. William “Kip” Ward, commander of U.S. Africa Command, said in his 2010 posture statement.

Adjutants general whose states are partnered with countries within AFRICOM’s 53-nation area of responsibility and leaders including Air Force Gen. Craig McKinley, the chief of the National Guard Bureau, and Dennis McCarthy, assistant secretary of defense for Reserve Affairs, are here for the 2010 State Partnership Program Conference hosted by AFRICOM. Ward is scheduled to speak to the group today.

The SPP started with European Command partners in 1993 following the collapse of the Iron Curtain. EUCOM spawned AFRICOM in 2007, and there are now eight National Guard states partnered with African nations.

State partnerships foster military-to-military, military-to-civilian and civilian-to-civilian cooperation.

“The [SPP] delivers programs and activities that build broad capabilities with our African partners,” Ward said. “The habitual relationships this builds adds tremendous value to our efforts. This program is very valuable to [AFRICOM], and we look forward to expanding it as our African partners request greater participation.”

Air Force Gen. Craig McKinley, the chief of the National Guard Bureau, tells about 1,800 Guardmembers attending the 39th Annual Conference of the Enlisted Association of the National Guard of the United States in St. Louis, Mo., on Aug. 8, 2010, that the National Guard likely will continue to play a significant role in overseas contingency operations for the foreseeable future. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Jim Greenhill) (Released)

By Army Staff Sgt. Jim Greenhill
National Guard Bureau

ST. LOUIS – The National Guard likely will continue to play a significant role in overseas contingency operations for the foreseeable future, the chief of the National Guard Bureau said here Aug. 8.

“Just like we have in Kosovo for 14 years and the Sinai (and) the Horn of Africa, I think the National Guard will be asked to stay longer … and give (our) civilian-acquired skills to … emerging government,” Gen. Craig McKinley told about 1,800 Guard members attending the 39th annual conference of the Enlisted Association of the National Guard of the United States.

The Guard already is making a significant military-to-civilian contribution through the agribusiness development teams on the ground in Afghanistan, a program born in Missouri, he said

“The things that we bring from our civilian occupations will mean that the National Guard will be in huge demand for years to come,” McKinley said.

By Army Staff Sgt. Jim Greenhill
National Guard Bureau

WASHINGTON – Starting Aug. 1, up to 1,200 National Guard troops will deploy to the Southwest border with Mexico, the chief of the National Guard Bureau said in a joint announcement with Obama administration officials at the Pentagon here today.

“We’re very pleased to be in support of our interagency partners,” Air Force Gen. Craig McKinley said. The 1,200 troops will support Border Patrol and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement authorities in Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California.

“We’ll make sure that all our Soldiers and Airmen are well-qualified, well-integrated and well-briefed on the mission,” McKinley said.

“We are pleased because along the Southwest border we have had an integration effort of counternarcotics for over two decades, with 300 of our National Guard men and women already working with our interagency partners,” he said, referring to the National Guard’s Counterdrug Program.

The National Guard Counterdrug Program supports local, state and federal law enforcement agencies, community-based organizations and combatant commanders in the fight against illicit drugs and transnational threats to the homeland, Guard officials said.

“The National Guard is there to support the efforts of law enforcement, not to have a direct law enforcement role,” Alan Bersin, commissioner of Customs and Border Protection, said at the Pentagon briefing. “The National Guard has done that extremely well in the past, and we trust they’ll do so again on this occasion.”

The cost of the deployment of the 1,200 is to be split equally between the Defense Department and the Department of Homeland Security.

The largest number of troops – 524 – is slated to deploy in Arizona. Meanwhile, an estimated 250 will deploy in Texas, 224 in California and 72 in New Mexico. Additional troops from these states will also serve in command and control or support positions.

The deployment is expected to peak in October and in June, 2011, when CBP anticipates hiring an additional 1,000 agents.

The majority of the Guardmembers will support the Border Patrol with entry identification teams and support ICE with criminal investigative analysts, Defense officials said.

The criminal investigative analysts will assist ICE agents in reducing the flow of illegal bulk currency and weapons from the United States to Mexico.

The National Guardmembers are expected to be volunteers and McKinley said no overseas deployments are affected.

Army Maj. Gen. David A. Sprynczynatyk, the adjutant general of the North Dakota National Guard, talks with National Guard troops assigned to Kosovo Forces 12 (KFOR 12), Multi-National Battle Group - East (MNBG-E), at Camp Bondsteel, near Urosevac in eastern Kosovo, on May 23, 2010, during a visit by National Guard and Defense Department leaders. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Jim Greenhill) (Released)

By Army Staff Sgt. Jim Greenhill
National Guard Bureau

PRISTINA, Kosovo – More than a decade into a National Guard mission to support Kosovo’s security and stability, the chief of the National Guard Bureau said he saw significant progress in the young nation during a late May visit here.

 “The mission has evolved over the years from a hot, kinetic fight to supporting … NATO forces … to a point where Kosovo can continue to be an independent country and can stand on its own two feet with good governance,” Air Force Gen. Craig McKinley said during his second visit here.

 “The reason I wanted to come back to Kosovo was to thank these forces – predominantly from North Dakota, but with 13 additional states – for this mission, because I think at times it does drop off the average American citizen’s radar screen,” McKinley said.

 Through the 1990s, this Delaware-sized new nation was wracked by Serbian repression of the Albanian majority and by an insurgency bent on independence. NATO intervention in 1999 ended the violence.

 U.S. troops, including the National Guard, have been part of a NATO and United Nations police force on the ground ever since. Kosovo declared independence from Serbia on Feb. 17, 2008.

 “The National Guard is a tremendous instrument for smart power,” Missouri Sen. Christopher Bond said in March. Smart power is the application of a range of diplomatic, economic, military, political, legal and cultural tools to foreign-policy demands.

 Here in Kosovo, the National Guard assists in keeping the peace and helping a fledgling nation find its feet. This is one of numerous domestic and overseas missions simultaneously executed by Guardmembers who have seen a greatly increased operational tempo since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and the Guard’s transformation from a strategic reserve to an operational force.

Reporters surround Air Force Gen. Craig McKinley, the chief of the National Guard Bureau, in Ramdan, Israel, on May 26, 2010. A National Guard delegation is visiting the country to strengthen a relationship with the Israeli Defense Force's Home Front Command and observe National Level Exercise Turning Point 4. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Jim Greenhill) (Released)

By Army Staff Sgt. Jim Greenhill
National Guard Bureau

TEL AVIV, Israel – Sirens wailed across Israel and residents took shelter today during a nationwide civil defense exercise carefully watched by a delegation of National Guard leaders.

The communication, collaboration and coordination National Level Exercise Turning Point 4 revealed between the Israeli Defense Force’s Home Front Command – roughly analogous to the National Guard – and local agencies set an example for the Guard, said Air Force Gen. Craig McKinley, the chief of the National Guard Bureau.

“While not exact – because our states and governors and adjutants general are really our commanders and they have a state affiliation, whereas the Home Front Command is a national member of the Israeli Defense Force – what I saw here was the integrated way in which the Home Front Command works with their local officials, down to the mayors of the cities,” McKinley said.

“We are doing the same missions,” said Israeli Maj. Gen. Yair Golan, the HFC commander. “We try to help and support the civilian population. Our main counterpart in the United States is the National Guard.”

Golan said the HFC – which also is a reserve force – respects the professionalism of the National Guard, which has many of the same capabilities as the HFC.

Geopolitical reality has forced a high level of readiness on the HFC. “This is a very dangerous neighborhood,” McKinley said. “They’re under constant threat of attack. Being ready next month or next week is not an option. You must be ready today for any eventuality.”

An Israeli officer briefs Air Force Gen. Craig McKinley, the chief of the National Guard Bureau, from an observation post overlooking the Gaza strip near the Israeli city of Sderot on May 25, 2010. A National Guard delegation is visiting the country to strengthen a relationship with the Israeli Defense Force's Home Front Command and to observe National Level Exercise Turning Point 4. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Jim Greenhill) (Released)

By Army Staff Sgt. Jim Greenhill
National Guard Bureau

SDEROT, Israel — A four-year relationship between the National Guard and the Israeli Defense Force’s Home Front Command is yielding valuable lessons for both sides.

The National Guard is on an endless quest to improve homeland defense in the United States. Circumstances have forced the IDF to be a world leader in homeland defense, as National Guard leaders saw firsthand during a visit to this town overlooking the Gaza Strip on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, the IDF seeks insights on issues such as border operations – something the National Guard has more than two decades of experience with, supporting civilian authorities on the nation’s Southwest border, most notably during Operation Jump Start from 2006-2008.

“Our relationship with Israel is a critical one that is stronger than ever,” Air Force Gen. Craig McKinley, the chief of the National Guard Bureau, said Tuesday as he toured Sderot’s civil defense measures. “We greatly value this cooperation. Our exchange of ideas and information with the Home Front Command is of substantial benefit to the National Guard in exercising its responsibilities for homeland defense.”

Although there are significant structural and legal differences, the IDF is broadly analogous to the Army and the HFC is analogous to the National Guard.

By Army Staff Sgt. Jim Greenhill
National Guard Bureau

WASHINGTON – The National Guard is aggressively addressing a spike in Citizen-Soldier and –Airman suicides that reflects a trend throughout the military.

“We are alarmed by the suicide rates we’re seeing inside the Army National Guard,” Army Maj. Gen. Raymond Carpenter, the component’s acting director, told the Senate Appropriations Committee’s subcommittee on defense in March. “Almost half of the suicides we’re experiencing are from Soldiers who haven’t even deployed. There’s more to this than just the mobilization and deployment piece.”

Last year, 65 Army National Guard Soldiers killed themselves; 15 Air National Guard Airmen died by suicide.

The trend continues. The Army National Guard confirmed 34 suicides through April 26. The Air Guard confirmed six.

Of the 34 Army National Guard deaths so far this year, 20 had never deployed, Guard officials reported. Of the six Air National Guard suicides, four had not deployed.

The increases echo a spike throughout the armed forces.

“As I look at the numbers for each service, the rates have gone up per capita at about the same rate over the past four or five years for every service,” Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of staff, said in January, according to American Forces Press Service. “This isn’t just a ground-force problem.”

As has happened in other medical specialties, such as trauma care, the military is making a leading contribution to suicidology.

“The subject of suicide is one of tremendous difficulty and challenge and understanding,” Mullen said. “Certainly, … with the rise in the numbers in all the services since these wars, [Defense Department officials have] started to really look at the causes and get to a point where we can prevent this and understand this.”

The Army and Air National Guard investigate every suicide.

“We do a detailed analysis on each one of these suicides because we want to know what happened in that individual’s life that caused them to think that suicide was the best option,” Air Force Lt. Gen. Harry Wyatt III, director of the Air National Guard, told the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense in April.

“What we’ve found is that they’ve had some sort of significant event inside of their own life, either they lost their girlfriend, they lost their job,” Wyatt said.

The numbers of suicidal servicemembers who have not deployed and analysis of the apparent reasons behind suicides and suicide attempts led Army Col. Gregg Bliss, chief of the Army National Guard’s Soldier and Family Support Division, to conclude that while the National Guard’s expanding suicide prevention programs are important, instilling resiliency throughout the Guard is critical.

By Army Staff Sgt. Jim Greenhill
National Guard Bureau

WASHINGTON – If elected and appointed civilian leaders decide to include the National Guard in a broader mission on the Southwest border, the Guard stands ready, the chief of the National Guard Bureau said here Tuesday.

“The president and the secretary of defense will tell me when the time is right, when the conditions are right, whether they need [Guardmembers] or not,” Gen. Craig McKinley told a gathering of about a dozen journalists who cover the military. “Based on this magnificent force … I don’t think there’ll be a problem finding a force if authorized to help. But I’m not out looking for a mission.”

About 6,000 Guardmembers were on the Southwest border for two years, starting in 2006, in the Operation Jump Start mission to support the Border Patrol while it boosted its own force, recruiting and training new agents.

Today, a small number of National Guard troops continues to provide border support through the Counterdrug program.

However, any new mission would likely be much different from OJS, perhaps focused on preventing the spillover of drug violence across the border, Guard officials said.

“President Calderon and President Obama will meet later this month,”
McKinley said. “Let’s let the presidents of the two countries decide … We will do what we’re asked to do. Many of the Southwest border governors have asked for National Guard forces, but those decisions will be given to me by my leadership when the time is right.”