[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 70 (Wednesday, April 30, 2008)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3588-S3589]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             COMMISSION ON THE NATIONAL GUARD AND RESERVES

  Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, I rise today to commend the work of the 
Commission on the National Guard and Reserves. Under the leadership of 
Arnold L. Punaro, the Commission has done this Nation a great service. 
It was my privilege as chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee 
to include the legislation that established the Commission in the 
annual National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2005.
  On January 31, 2008, the Commission submitted its final report to the 
House and Senate Armed Services Committees and the Secretary of 
Defense. That report is thorough, is based on substantial and careful 
research and an extensive information-gathering process, and reflects 
many hours of deliberations by the Commission's members.
  The 12 Commissioners, between them, brought 288 total years of 
military service, 186 total years of nonmilitary government service, 
and many years of private-sector experience to the task. In addition to 
Chairman Punaro, the Commission's members are William L. Ball, III; Les 
Brownlee; Rhett B. Dawson; Larry K. Eckles; Patricia L. Lewis; Dan 
McKinnon; Wade Rowley; James E. Sherrard, III; Donald L. Stockton; E. 
Gordon Stump; and J. Stanton Thompson.
  The Commission was established by Public Law 108-375, the Ronald 
Reagan National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2005, as 
amended by Public Law 109-163, to assess the reserve component of the 
U.S. military and to recommend changes to ensure that the National 
Guard and other reserve components are organized, trained, equipped, 
compensated, and supported

[[Page S3589]]

to best meet the needs of U.S. national security.
  The Commission's first interim report, containing initial findings 
and the description of a strategic plan to complete its work, was 
delivered on June 5, 2006. The second interim report, delivered on 
March 1, 2007, was required by Public Law 109-364, the John Warner 
National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2007, enacted on 
October 17, 2006. That second report examined 17 proposals contained in 
the National Defense Enhancement and National Guard Empowerment Act, 
and included 23 recommendations covering the broad spectrum of issues 
raised by the legislation.
  The Commission's second report was thoroughly reviewed by both 
Congress and the Department of Defense, and careful consideration was 
given to the Commission's recommendations that have changed, in a 
fundamental way, the Department of Defense's role for domestic 
security, taking significant steps towards improvements to make the 
nation safer from man-made and natural disasters. Secretary of Defense 
Gates also has taken timely and decisive action to implement those 
recommendations not requiring legislation, and has advocated before 
Congress for those requiring legislation.
  The final report of the Commission was constructed from 17 days of 
public hearings, involving 115 witnesses; 52 Commission meetings; more 
than 850 interviews; numerous site visits, forums, and panel 
discussions; and the detailed analysis of thousands of documents 
supplied at the Commission's request by the military services, 
government agencies, experts, and other stakeholders. It contains 6 
major conclusions and 95 recommendations, supported by 163 findings. 
This prodigious, thorough effort met the expectations of Congress.
  In conducting its work, the Commission gathered information, analyzed 
evidence, identified significant problems facing the reserve 
components, and sought to offer the best possible recommendations to 
solve the problems identified. The Commissioners stated clearly their 
belief that the problems identified in the report are systemic, have 
evolved over many years, and are not the product of any one official or 
administration. Many of the Commission's recommendations to solve those 
problems can now be implemented; however, a number of them will take 
years to reach full implementation and will require additional work by 
Congress and the executive branch.
  At the core of these changes is the explicit recognition of the 
evolution of the reserve components from a purely strategic force, with 
lengthy mobilization times designed to meet threats from large nation-
states, to an operational force. This operational reserve must be 
readily available for emergencies at home and abroad, and more fully 
integrated with active components. Simultaneously, this force must 
retain its own required strategic elements and capabilities.
  The Commission concluded that there will be greater reliance on the 
reserve components as part of its operational force for missions at 
home and abroad. Moreover, the Commission also concluded that the 
change from the reserve components' historic Cold War posture 
necessitates fundamental reforms to reserve components' homeland roles 
and missions, to personnel management systems, to equipping and 
training policies, to policies affecting families and employers, and to 
the organizations and structures used to manage the reserves. These 
reforms are essential to ensure that this operational reserve is 
feasible in the short term while sustainable over the long term. In 
fact, the Commission believes that the future of the all-volunteer 
force depends upon the continued success of our implementation of 
needed reforms to ensure that the reserve components are ready, 
capable, and available for both operational and strategic missions.
  In reviewing the past several decades of diverse use of the reserve 
components, as an integral part of operations in Iraq, Afghanistan, and 
the homeland, most notably the Commission has found indisputable and 
overwhelming evidence of the need for future policymakers and the 
military to break with outdated policies and processes and implement 
fundamental, thorough reforms in these areas.
  The members of the Commission on the National Guard and Reserves 
share this view unanimously. The Commission notes that these 
recommendations will require the nation to reorder the priorities of 
the Department of Defense, thereby necessitating a major restructuring 
of laws and DOD's budget. While there are some costs associated with 
these recommendations, the Commission believes that the problems are 
serious, the need to address them is urgent, and the benefits of the 
reforms we identify more than exceed the expense of implementing them.
  Clearly, the reserve force has proven itself to be a wise investment 
in our overall security structure and should be commended for their 
professional contributions to our Nation's defense. The Commission 
recognizes that these issues are extremely complex, and that there will 
be disagreement with some of the solutions it has proposed. That is to 
be expected. Commission members anticipate that this report will 
generate lively debate among the organizations and key policymakers 
responsible for protecting U.S. national security. With the submission 
of its last report, the Commission turns its findings, conclusions, and 
recommendations over to the legislative and executive branches, where 
Commission members feel confident that they will be carefully 
considered, improved upon, and implemented.
  The Commission has provided America a blueprint for our work on the 
National Guard and Reserves this year and in the future. Each of its 95 
recommendations merits our careful consideration. The Senate Armed 
Services and Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committees have 
already held hearings on the Commission's report, and we await the 
Department of Defense's formal response to its recommendations.
  It is with profound admiration and gratitude that I extend our 
collective thanks for the service that this Commission has rendered to 
our nation and to our men and women in uniform. I know my colleagues 
will agree when I say that this Commission has made profound and 
substantive recommendations for reforming our National Guard and 
Reserves and that we look forward to working to address the issues 
raised by the Commission's final report.

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