Major General Arnold L. Punaro (Ret.) Holds a Hearing On the Current and Future Roles of the National Guard and Reserves in Homeland Security, Homeland Defense and Disaster Response

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Major General Arnold L. Punaro (Ret.) Holds a Hearing On the Current and Future Roles of the National Guard and Reserves in Homeland Security, Homeland Defense and Disaster Response

COMMISSION ON THE NATIONAL GUARD AND RESERVES HOLDS A HEARING ON THE CURRENT AND FUTURE ROLES OF THE NATIONAL GUARD AND RESERVES IN HOMELAND SECURITY, HOMELAND DEFENSE AND DISASTER RESPONSE

MAY 3, 2006

SPEAKERS: MAJOR GENERAL ARNOLD L. PUNARO (USMC-RET.) CHAIR

WILLIAM L. BALL III LES BROWNLEE

RHETT DAWSON

LARRY K. ECKLES

GENERAL JOHN M. KEANE (USA-RET.),

PATRICIA L. LEWIS

DAN MCKINNON

WADE ROWLEY

LIEUTENANT GENERAL JAMES E. SHERRARD III (USAF-RET.)

LIEUTENANT COLONEL DONALD L. STOCKTON (USAFR-RET.)

ADJUTANT GENERAL E. GORDON STUMP (USA-RET.)

REAR ADMIRAL J. STANTON THOMPSON (USN-RET.)

WITNESSES: GEORGE W. FORESMAN, UNDERSECRETARY FOR PREPAREDNESS, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

PAUL MCHALE, ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF DEFENSE FOR HOMELAND DEFENSE

ADMIRAL TIMOTHY J. KEATING (USN), COMMANDER, NORTH AMERICAN AEROSPACE DEFENSE COMMAND, COMMANDER, U.S. NORTHERN COMMAND

LIEUTENANT GENERAL H. STEVEN BLUM (USA), CHIEF, NATIONAL GUARD BUREAU

MAJOR GENERAL ROGER P. LEMPKE (ANG), PRESIDENT, ADJUTANTS GENERAL ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED STATES, ADJUTANT GENERAL, STATE OF NEBRASKA

REAR ADMIRAL KENNETH T. VENUTO (USCG), ASSISTANT COMMANDANT FOR HUMAN RESOURCES

[*] PUNARO: The commission will come to order. Welcome to our witnesses, and welcome to the second set of public hearings of the independent Commission on the National Guard and Reserves.

Our initial hearings in March dealt with a primary focus of our statutory tasking -- the current and future roles and missions of the National Guard and Reserves in meeting our national security requirements. A major finding from those hearings was the view -- expounded in congressional, DOD and outside expert testimony -- that the reserve components are now an operational reserve.

And this is no revelation to our major witnesses here this morning; they know that very well. But in terms of the focus of our commission, this is a very important point, because it represents a profound shift from the historic role of the Reserves as a strategic force geared primarily for large-scale mobilizations.

And another key finding, and one that we worked very closely with the Department of Defense -- in particular, Major General Tommy Dykes (ph), who I see in the audience here today, representing the chairman of the Joint Chiefs -- is that the statutes, policies, regulations, directives, practices and budgets that govern and support the reserve components have not been changed to reflect that shift. It doesn't mean they should have been changed by now. It takes time for all these adjustments to be made.

So the two key findings were: We got an operational Reserve and we have some major adjustments that we need to make in the general operating procedures and all the associated statutes, rules, regulations and budgets to back that up.

But in addition to their role in the long war, dealing with multiple threats to the nation, the National Guard and Reserves also have a major responsibility in defending and securing the homeland. In addition, the National Guard has been what some call the "go-to force" for both state and federal officials -- whether fighting fires, preventing looting, providing airport security or responding to natural or man-made disasters.

The massive destruction that resulted when Hurricane Katrina roared ashore last August and the many questions raised about the handling of that disaster by local, state and federal officials have refocused attention on the appropriate role of the reserve components generally and the National Guard more specifically in both natural and man-made disasters.

What this role should be -- what the role of the Guard and Reserve should be in this area -- the statute that created the commission posed that to us as one of our major statutory responsibilities to answer the question: What is the appropriate role of the Guard and Reserve in the future in the homeland defense and homeland security area?

So that's one of the reasons for this hearing here this morning.

Katrina postmortems in the executive branch and Congress and government at all levels and in the private sector have identified a multitude of lessons learned and potential solutions, some with far- reaching implications for the National Guard and Reserves. And our witnesses here this morning have been an integral part and key participants in all of these initiatives and efforts. Of particular note, the White House's report entitled, "Federal Response to Hurricane Katrina: Lessons Learned Report," released last February recommended that the National Guard and Reserve should -- and I quote from that report -- "modify their organization and training to include a priority mission to...

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