COMMISSION ON THE NATIONAL GUARD AND RESERVES 2521 S. CLARK STREET, SUITE 650 ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA 22202 ARNOLD L. PUNARO The Honorable Carl Levin The Honorable John McCain CHAIRMAN Chairman, Committee Ranking Member, Committee on Armed Services on Armed Services WILLIAM L. BALL, III United States Senate United States Senate Washington, DC 20510 Washington, DC 20510 LES BROWNLEE RHETT B. DAwsON The Honorable Ike Skelton The Honorable Duncan Hunter Chairman, Committee Ranking Member, Committee LARRY K. ECKLES on Armed Services on Armed Services United States House of United States House of PATRICIA L. LEWIS Representatives Representatives Washington, DC 20515 Washington, DC 20515 DAN MCKINNON WADE ROWLEY January 31, 2008 JAMES E. SHERRARD III Dear Chairmen and Ranking Members: DONALD L. STOCKTON The Commission on the National Guard and Reserves is pleased to submit to E. GORDON STUMP you its final report as required by Public Law 108-375, the Ronald Reagan National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2005 (as amended by J. STANTON THOMpsON Public Law 109-163). As you know, Congress chartered this Commission 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 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 our 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 Commission recommendations covering the broad spectrum of issues raised by the legislation. The Commission applauds Congress’s timely and decisive action in imple- menting a number of these important provisions in the 2008 National Defense Authorization Act. In carefully considering the Commission’s recom- mendations, Congress has changed in a fundamental way the Department of Defense’s role for the homeland, and taken significant steps to make the nation safer from man-made and natural disasters. Secretary of Defense Gates PHONE 703.699.2800 FAX 703.699.2846 EMAIL [email protected] ESTABLISHED PURSUANT TO THE RONALD W. REAGAN NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT FOR FISCAL YEAR 2005, PUB. L. NO. 108-375,118 STAT 1880 (2004) also has taken timely and decisive action to implement those recommendations not requiring legisla- tion, and has advocated before Congress for those requiring legislation. The final report of the Commission was informed by 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 six major conclusions and 95 recommendations, supported by 163 findings. In conducting its work, the Commission has gathered information, analyzed evidence, identified significant problems facing the reserve components, and sought to offer the best possible recom- mendations to solve the problems identified. The problems we identify in this 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 be implemented immediately; however, a number of them may take years to implement effectively. Their full implementation 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 Cold War 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 the active component. Simul- taneously, this force must retain required strategic elements and capabilities. The Commission concludes that there is no reasonable alternative to the nation’s continued increased reliance on reserve components as part of its operational force for missions at home and abroad. However, the Commission also concludes that this change from their Cold War posture necessitates fundamental reforms to reserve components’ homeland roles and missions, personnel management systems, equipping and training policies, policies affecting families and employers, and the orga- nizations 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 future of the all-volunteer force depends for its success on policymakers’ undertaking needed reforms to ensure that the reserve components are ready, capable, and available for both operational and strategic purposes. In reviewing the past several decades of intense use of the reserve components, most notably as an integral part of operations in Iraq, Afghanistan, and the homeland, the Commission has found indisputable and overwhelming evidence of the need for policymakers and the military to break with outdated policies and processes and implement fundamental, thorough reforms in these areas. The members of this Commission share this view unanimously. We note that these recommenda- tions will require the nation to reorder the priorities of the Department of Defense, thereby neces- sitating a major restructuring of laws and DOD’s budget. There are some costs associated with these recommendations, but 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. These issues are extremely complex, and people of good character and conscience will disagree with some of the solutions we propose. That is to be expected. No significant reforms have been undertaken in the laws affecting the reserve components for more than half a century. The last major Defense reform effort—the Goldwater-Nichols Department of Defense Reorganization Act of 1986—made fundamental adjustments to the roles of the Secretary of Defense, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and combatant commanders but did not affect the structures or policies of the reserve components. We hope and anticipate that this report will generate lively debate among the institutions and key policymakers responsible for protecting U.S. national security. With the submission of this our last report, the Commission turns our findings, conclusions, and recommendations over to the legislative and executive branches, where we feel confident they will be carefully considered, improved upon, and implemented. We believe that this action will have the same profound and positive effects as did the Goldwater-Nichols legislation. The Commission wants to express our continuing deep appreciation for the significant support and cooperation from the Congress and the Department of Defense as well as the sustained, superb work of the Commission’s staff. The Commission also wishes to recognize the public service of Senator John Warner, as he concludes a long and distinguished career that has set the standard for statesmanship and bipartisan advocacy of a strong national defense. We close by thanking all military members in our nation’s active and reserve forces. Our nation is indebted to them for their service and the sacrifices that they, their families, and their employers have made—and will continue to make—on behalf of the United States of America. Sincerely, cc: The Honorable Robert Gates, Secretary, Department of Defense COMMISSION ON THE NATIONAL GUARD AND RESERVES 2521 S. CLARK STREET, SUITE 650 ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA 22202 ARNOLD L. PUNARO The Honorable Robert Gates CHAIRMAN Secretary, Department of Defense 1000 Defense Pentagon, Room 3E880 WILLIAM L. BALL, III Washington, DC 20301 LES BROWNLEE January 31, 2008 RHETT B. DAwsON LARRY K. ECKLES Dear Secretary Gates: PATRICIA L. LEWIS The Commission on the National Guard and Reserves is pleased to submit to you its final report as required by Public Law 108-375, the Ronald Reagan DAN MCKINNON National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2005 (as amended by Public Law 109-163). As you know, Congress chartered this Commission WADE ROWLEY to assess the reserve component of the U.S. military and to recommend JAMES E. SHERRARD III changes to ensure that the National Guard and other reserve components are organized, trained, equipped, compensated, and supported to best meet DONALD L. STOCKTON the needs of U.S. national security. The Commission’s first interim report, containing initial findings and E. GORDON STUMP the description of a strategic plan to complete our work, was delivered on June 5, 2006. The second interim report, delivered on March 1, 2007, J. STANTON THOMpsON 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 Commission recommendations covering the broad