Grace Washbourne Legislative Affairs Manager:

Domestic Operations and Personnel Programs

Your Voice on Capitol Hill

NGAUS

BriefingMarch 8, 2014

A History of Advocating for the National Guard

• NGAUS was formed by militia officers in 1878 to obtain better equipment and training by petitioning Congress for more resources.

• It is the nation’s oldest military association lobbying solely for the benefit of the National Guard and educating the public about the Guard’s role and history in the armed forces.

The Power of NGAUS-A United Voice for the Guard

“Never underestimate the influence of the National Guard.” --Senator John McCain, R-Ariz., May 24, 2012

• NGAUS achieves its mission through its lobbying and legislative activities.

With over 45,000 members, NGAUS, its grassroots power, and access to key decisions makers has a powerful voice in Washington.

NGAUS Head Knocks Senior Pentagon Leaders On Army Budget Battle…Breaking Defense February 12, 2014

NATIONAL GUARD ASSOCIATION PUSHES BACK ON DEFENSE DEPARTMENT CUTS…ASSOCIATION NOW FEBRUARY 25, 2014

Army chief's comments 'disrespectful' of Guard, NGAUS president says…Army Times January 25, 2014

NGAUS At Work - Priorities

State Association Meetings

NGAUS Conference

Task Force Meetings Prioritization Top 5 Lists

Legislative Objectives Booklet

Fact Sheet Distribution

Legislative Language

Focused for Success

The NGAUS Legislative Team is working hard to “Drive the Conversation” on Capitol Hill.

Ensure NGAUS continues as the leading voice for Guard issues on Capitol Hill

Our lobbying efforts focus on the following:

• Tell the National Guard story• Transform our members' ideas into legislative action • Provide states and our members unified representation before Members of

Congress • Ensure that the National Guard has modern equipment, training, missions and

personnel benefits for the over 460,000 men and women currently serving in the Army and Air National Guard, as well as their families, employers and all Guard retirees

• Achieve Results

Telling the Guard Story

NGAUS Legislative Staff

Peter DuffyLegislative Director

Dixie RossLegislative Staff Assistant

Joint Programs

Grace WashbourneLegislative Affairs Manager –

Joint and Domestic Operations Programs

Mary Catherine OttLegislative Affairs

Manager - Air Programs and Cyber Security

Annie LivelySenior Legislative Affairs

Manager - Army Programs

PhotoComingSoon

Adam MaiselLegislative Assistant

Army Programs

NGAUS 113th Congress Strategic Goals

Increase the National Guard as a percentage of the Total Force

• Rebalance the AC/RC force mix by increasing the National Guard as a percentage of the total force

• Shift AC missions and manpower into the National Guard to save money, maintain capabilities, improve efficiencies and capture the national investment as the AC draws down

Preserve the capabilities of the National Guard as an Operational Force

• Statutory and policy changes that solidify and protect the National Guard as an operational vs. strategic reserve

• Strong consideration for maintaining National Guard personnel, equipment and resources as a vital and cost effective part of Army and Air Force plans for the future

• Continued Congressional funding for MILCON & NGREA

Cyber Security• Promote and develop cyber security capacity and capabilities

 

Protect and enhance the National Guard’s Domestic Response capabilities by pursuing statutory changes that promote accountability and readiness

• Creation of a dedicated, reliable Defense Department joint fund within the President’s Budget for National Guard support of civilian authorities

•  Included funding for equipment and training needed for dom ops and emergency response to disasters

Assure representation and full involvement of the National Guard in any defense review affecting National Guard roles and missions or force structure

• Include the NGB, the State Adjutants General and the Council of Governors in all DoD strategic reviews including the Quadrennial Defense and the Strategic Choices and Management Review and all future force structure, AC/RC mix, and BRAC reviews

2013 Year in Review

Sequestration• Took effect this year, but Pentagon used

unobligated funds to pay down most cuts

• Murray-Ryan budget deal reversed $31.5 billion in sequestration cuts over the next two years

Late Presidential Budget and Defense Bills• PB- two months late

• NDAA- Last minute maneuvers allowed for passage before year’ s end, but without a formal amendment process in the Senate

Continuing resolutions and “crisis governance” perceived as the “new normal” for Congress

FY14 Defense Appropriations Successes

Army National Guard

$100M for HMMWV upgrades

$75M for UH-72 aircraft

$72M for UH-60M Aircraft

Air National Guard:

$40M for MQ-1/9 transitioning units

$47.3M for C-130 AMP

$2M Sniper Digital Video

$3.5M Remotely Piloted Aircraft

Ground Base Sense and Avoid

Other:

$315M for ARNG and $315M for ANG in NGREA

$130M for State Counter Drug Programs

$10M for Youth Challenge

$25M for STARBASE

ANG MILCON funded at requested level of $119.8M

ARNG MILCON funded at$314.7M, $6M lower than request

Prohibits furloughs or reductions of title 32 dual status technicians without going through Congress (must be tied to military force structure change)

NGREA

Light Utility Helicopters, F-16 Radios and Radars, F-15 AESA upgrades, Base Security Systems, Blue Force Tracker, CBRNE Reconnaissance Gear, CB Protective Shelters, 4th Generation Targeting Pods, Internal and External Fuel Tanks for Aircraft, Joint Threat Emitters, RTIC Cockpit Data Links, LAIRCM, Medical Equipment for HMMWVs, Modular Small Arms Training Systems, REDHORSE Vehicles, Remotely Piloted Aircraft Operations Center Equipment, Tactical Trucks, Simulation Training Systems, UH-60 comms packages, Ultra-light Tactical Vehicles, Wireless Mobile Mesh Networks

FY14 NDAA Legislative Successes

No major changes to ARNG, ANG end strength under new sequestration limits

Increased procurement for UH-72 Lakota

Requires DoD report on Guard’s role in Cyber Command and cyber ops

Limitations on cancellation of National Guard deployments(Congressional approval)

Improved mental healthcare, suicide prevention for National Guard

Additional means of ANG alert reporting for 30 days or less of federal duty

Codifies the National Guard State Partnership Program

Report Language encouraging AF to fully fund RSOC and other equipment required to stand up fully modernized ARNG MQ-1 and MQ-9 remote split operations and targeting units

2014 Congressional Schedule

6 MARCH HASC DoD Posture Hearing

11 MARCH Budget Briefs to Committee staff begin and run through early April

13 MARCH HAC-D DoD Posture Hearing

25 MARCH HASC Army Posture Hearing

26 MARCH HAC-D Air Force Posture Hearing

27 MARCH HAC-D Army Posture Hearing

2 APRIL SAC-D Air Force Posture Hearing

3 APRIL HAC-D National Guard and Reserve Posture Hearing

3 APRIL SASC Army Posture Hearing

10 APRIL SASC Air Force Posture Hearing

President’s Budget FY15 Highlights

4 MARCH Presidents Budget Request Officially submitted to Congress

President’s Budget FY15 Highlights

ARMY NATIONAL GUARD

End Strength: 350,200* DECREASE of 4000 from FY14

Personnel: $7,682,892,000 1.2% DECREASE from FY14 Omnibus

O&M: $6,030,773,000 12% DECREASE from FY14 Omnibus

OCO Personnel: $393,364,000 Placeholder

OCO O&M $199,371,000 Placeholder

MilCon: $126,920,000 59% DECREASE from FY14 Omnibus

AIR NATIONAL GUARD

End Strength: 105,000 DECREASE of 400 from FY14

Personnel: $3,156,457,000 1.3% INCREASE from FY14 Omnibus

O&M: $ 6,392,859,000 Negligible INCREASE from FY14 Omnibus

OCO Personnel $6,919,000 Placeholder

OCO O&M $22,200,000 Placeholder

MilCon: $94,663,000 20% DECREASE from FY14 Omnibus

*End Strength numbers reflect request for FY15. Potential end strength reductions to 315,000 reflect the FYDP projection for FY18 assuming budget caps under sequestration resume (FYDP over next 5 years).

ARNG

Proposed Cuts to the ARNG

End Strength• Reduce Army National Guard end strength down to 335,000, and if sequestration returns

in 2016, reduce further down to 315,000, a level unseen since the 1950s and 35,000 fewer soldiers than pre-9/11 levels

Aviation• Transfer all 192 Apaches from the Army National Guard to Active Army Combat Aviation

Brigades, affecting 9 states including AZ, ID, MO, MS, NC, PA, SC, TX and UT

• Divest the Army National Guard of all 30 OH-58D helicopters, affecting TN

• Give the ARNG 111 older UH-60 Blackhawks in return

Force Structure• Downsize ARNG Brigade Combat Teams from 28 to 22

• Take Combat Aviation Brigades down from 10 to 6

• Remove all Attack Aviation Battalions, from 8 to 0

H.R. 3930 - Establish Army Commission on Force Structure

Support the House bill H.R. 3930 - “National Commission on the Structure of the Army Act of 2014”

• Prohibits the Army from using FY15 funds to divest, retire, or transfer, or prepare to divest, retire, or transfer, any aircraft of the Army assigned to units of the Army National Guard as of January 15, 2014

• Prohibits the Army from using FY15 funds to reduce personnel below the authorized end strength levels of 350,000 for the Army National Guard as of September 30, 2014

• Establishes the National Commission on the Structure of the Army

Congressman Cramer is a co-sponsor

THANK YOU NORTH DAKOTA!

National Commission on the Structure of the Air Force Highlights

“That the Reserve Component has the capacity and capability to be increased as a percentage

of the total force, and should be.”

National Commission on the Structure of the Air Force – The Way Ahead

42 Recommendations – Continued engagement and education on Report findings Work with Congress to legislate where possible - Codification Consultative Budget Process with the Council of Governors - Domestic Operations/DSCA Requirements - Resourcing the RC: Funding Line for “operational support by the AF Reserves- Increase AC capacity - Concurrent fielding of equipment - Cost approach/fully life cycle costs - More utilization of RC in cyberspace operations

Work with Congress to ensure policy changes are happening within the Air Force - Continuum of Service: removing barriers and providing better flexibility in transitioning

between components - PERSTEMP Metric: single metric for measuring personnel tempo and stress on the force- Allow more opportunities for RC in key leadership positions

ANG Priorities

Mary Catherine OttLegislative Affairs

Manager – Air/Cyber Programs

Protect /Modernize/Recapitalize Legacy Aircraft• C-130 modernization and recapitalization

• F-15/F-16 upgrades (AESA radar)

• RPA recapitalization

• Fielding of future weapons systems

• Preservation of traditional Air Guard missions

Inclusion of National Guard in the Cyber force structure decisions and planning

• Parity in training and equipping

Implementation of National Commission on the Structure of the Air Force and the Total Force Task Force(TF2)

• Impact on future force structure and FY15 budget debate

Joint Priorities

CNGB Annual Reporting of Domestic Response Personnel and Equipment Requirements for non-federalized National Guard

Codify Council of Governors role in DoD planning, programming, budgeting and execution cycles

Creation of dedicated funding lines for National Guard Counterdrug Program and Training Centers into President’s Budget /DoD Central Transfer Account

CNGB appointment of ARNG and ANG Directors

Secure preference points for federal and state employment for National Guard service

Ensure congressional and executive military compensation recommendations do not unfairly affect National Guard pay and benefits

Secure veterans status for National Guard retirees

Grace WashbourneLegislative Affairs

Manager – Joint and Domestic Programs

What about North Dakota?

What about North Dakota?

119th Wing• MQ-1 Squadron with RPA at Fargo• Launch & Recover Element at Grand Forks AFB• Will establish a Targeting Squadron to complement RPA mission

141st Maneuver Enhancement Brigade (Fargo)164th Engineer Battalion (Minot)231st Brigade Support Battalion (Valley City)68th Troop Command (Bismarck)136th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion (Devils Lake)1-112 Aviation (S&S) Regiment (Bismarck)

UH-72 Lakota….good to go, Army buying 100 more in FY15

UH-60 Blackhawk….. Comms upgrades in NGREA FY14. But if Army Aviation Plan goes into affect on Apaches, Blackhawks will be reshuffled.

Air Force is committed to RPAs and replacing all MQ-1 with MQ-9s…money committed in FY14 and 15 budgets

RPA Operations Centers Equipment in FY NGREA

81st Civil Support Team

CBRNE Reconnaissance Gear, CB Protective Shelters in FY14 NGREA

Know Your Congressional Delegation and Their Staff

Senator John HoevenAppropriations Committee MILCON, Veterans

Senator Heidi Heitkamp Homeland Security

Committee

Representative Kevin Cramer

They Want to Hear the Guard Story Directly From You

Challenges Ahead

Maintaining end strength & force structure

Remaining trained and operational with regular, predictable deployments

Full-time manning

Modernizing equipment and addressing shortfalls

Funding for modern and functional facilities

Addressing high National Guard unemployment

Suicide and mental health issues

QRMC & Benefit Changes

Recommendations to cut drill pay in half

Cuts to retired pay/points

SHARE THE GUARD STORY

The National Guard – The Affordable Answer to Defense Drawdowns and the Future of National Security in America

RFPB Study Key Findings:

• Over the past decade, the cost per person in the Active Duty force increased by 46 percent

• The all-volunteer force, in its current form, is unsustainable

• Reserves have significantly less overhead and infrastructure costs

• A Reserve Component member costs approximately 1/3 the cost of an Active Duty member over their life cycle

A Cost Effective Force: Changing the DoD Paradigm

Membership-The Lifeblood of NGAUS

We Can’t Do It Without You

• The strength of NGAUS has always been its united membership

• NGAUS Voice + Engaging Your Members of Congress = SUCCESS (They want to hear from you!)

Our Commitment to You

• To protect what you’ve EARNED and what our country has promised you

• Maintain a strong, sustainable National Guard

We will not be outworked

Questions?

www.ngaus.org