[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 133 (Wednesday, September 29, 2010)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7833-S7834]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. ROCKEFELLER:
  S. 3931. A bill to amend title 10, United States Code, to enhance the 
roles and responsibilities of the Chief of the National Guard Bureau; 
to the Committee on Armed Services.
  Mr. ROCKEFELLER. Mr. President, I thank you for allowing me to speak 
on this important legislation, the Guardians of Freedom Act of 2010, 
that will make the Chief of the National Guard Bureau a member of the 
Joint Chiefs of Staff.
  As the former Governor of West Virginia, I recognize the importance 
of the

[[Page S7834]]

National Guard. I can tell you that the National Guard is always there. 
Whether it is flooding, snow storms, tornados, or other disasters, the 
National Guard comes to the rescue of the community. And I would bet 
there is a member of the National Guard living in every congressional 
district and every community in our country. These citizen-soldiers are 
the Governor's 911 force.
  The National Guard is the oldest element of our Armed Forces. Our 
Guard members celebrate their 374th birthday on December 13, 2010. For 
374 years they have served this country with great distinction.
  Unlike our active-duty forces, the National Guard has both a state 
and federal mission. Now I'm not taking anything away from our active-
duty military as they have always performed, and will continue to 
perform, in an outstanding fashion. However, the National Guard is 
unique in that it serves each State's governor as well as the President 
and Commander-in-Chief.
  The National Guard's state mission includes responding to invasions, 
insurrections, natural and man-made disasters, and domestic 
emergencies. In recent times, the National Guard has been called to 
assist with border security, to respond to hurricanes, floods, snow 
storms, and to provide support for other operations, such as the G20 
summit and the Presidential Inauguration.
  Perhaps the best example of our Guard members' domestic 
responsibilities is their historic response Hurricane Katrina. There 
the National Guard, in the largest and swiftest response to a domestic 
disaster in history, deployed more than 50,000 troops in support of the 
Gulf States.
  As I have mentioned, the National Guard also has its Federal mission. 
Among those responsibilities are providing Homeland Defense and defense 
support to civil authorities. It accomplishes its federal mission 
through a variety of programs. One of those programs is the Chemical, 
Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, or High-Yield Explosive Teams, which 
respond to incidents and support local, state, and federal agencies as 
they conduct decontamination, medical support, and casualty search and 
extraction. Much of this training is performed at the Joint Interagency 
Education and Training Center in West Virginia.
  Other programs include the Counterdrug Program, which bridges the gap 
between the Department of Defense and local, State, and Federal law 
enforcement agencies in the fight against illicit drugs, and the Civil 
Support Teams, responsible for assessing suspected Weapons of Mass 
Destruction attacks.
  These Federal programs, along with the National Guard's state 
mission, clearly show that it has always been here to protect the home 
front. I have yet to even mention our Guard members' tremendous 
contributions to military operations outside of the United States.
  They have bravely fought in every war this country has declared. They 
have been subjected to activation more and more often in order to 
respond to global crises. Prior to 9/11 the National Guard participated 
in operations in Haiti, Bosnia, Kosovo, and in the skies over Iraq. 
Since 9/11 more than 50,000 Guard members have been called up by both 
their states and the Federal Government to provide security at home and 
combat terrorism in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere around the world.
  Today, tens of thousands of Guard members are serving here at home 
and in harm's way as they fulfill the obligations of their dual 
mission. They continue to train with first responders and protect life 
and property here at home, while also engaging in combat operations in 
far-off, dangerous locations.
  Given the National Guard's role in defending our country, it is 
important that it be resourced and equipped to fulfill its dual 
mission. Our Guard members must be assured of the ability to meet their 
obligations to their governors and their next door neighbors.
  The relationship between the active-duty forces and the National 
Guard is one of great mutual respect and dependence--a relationship 
that has only become stronger since 9/11. Each knows why the other is 
so important to the nation. The repeated deployments of both the 
National Guard and active-duty units has built a bond between the two. 
You cannot tell the difference between a member of the National Guard 
and an active-duty servicemember.
  By making the Chief of the National Guard Bureau a member of the 
Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Guardians of Freedom Act of 2010 will 
guarantee that the National Guard is a part of the discussion as the 
nation prepares to respond to threats both domestic and foreign. It 
also makes certain that the concerns of the nation's governors are 
considered when resources are scarce. It will build upon the 
relationship developed between the active-duty forces and the National 
Guard, a bond has been strengthened as a result of the ongoing wars.
  Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be 
printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the text of the bill was ordered to be 
printed in the Record, as follows:

                                S. 3931

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``Guardians of Freedom Act of 
     2010''.

     SEC. 2. CHIEF OF NATIONAL GUARD BUREAU.

       (a) Role as Advocate and Liaison.--Section 10502 of title 
     10, United States Code, is amended--
       (1) by redesignating subsections (d) and (e) as subsections 
     (f) and (g), respectively; and
       (2) by inserting after subsection (c) the following new 
     subsection (d):
       ``(d) Advocate and Liaison for State National Guards.--The 
     Chief of the National Guard Bureau shall serve as an advocate 
     and liaison for the National Guard of each State, the 
     Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the District of Columbia, Guam, 
     and the Virgin Islands and inform such National Guards of all 
     actions that could affect their Federal or State missions, 
     including any equipment level or force structure changes.''.
       (b) Inclusion as Member of Joint Chiefs of Staff.--
       (1) In general.--Such section is further amended by 
     inserting after subsection (d), as added by subsection (a) of 
     this section, the following new subsection:
       ``(e) Member of Joint Chiefs of Staff.--(1) The Chief of 
     the National Guard Bureau shall be a member of the Joint 
     Chiefs of Staff under section 151 of this title.
       ``(2) As a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Chief 
     of the National Guard Bureau has the specific responsibility 
     of advocating for the National Guards of the States, the 
     Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the District of Columbia, Guam, 
     and the Virgin Islands and coordinate the efforts of the 
     National Guard warfighting support and force provider mission 
     with the homeland defense, defense support to civil 
     authorities, and State emergency response missions of the 
     National Guard to ensure the National Guard has the resources 
     to perform its multiple missions.
       ``(3) The Chief of the National Guard Bureau shall consult 
     with the Governors and their  Adjutant Generals before any 
     changes are made in National Guard force structure or 
     equipment levels (or both) to determine the impact those 
     changes may have on the homeland defense, defense support to 
     civil authorities, and State emergency response missions of 
     the National Guard.''.
       (2) Conforming amendment.--Section 151(a) of such title is 
     amended by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
       ``(7) The Chief of the National Guard Bureau.''.
                                 ______