Commission to Release Final Report of National Guard and Reserves
Jan 17 2008
The final report of the Commission on the National Guard and Reserves will be delivered to Congress and the Secretary of Defense on the morning of January 31 and will be released to news organizations at 10:00 that morning. Since March 2006, the independent Commission has been developing recommendations for changes in laws and policies that will enable the National Guard and Reserves to best meet the current and future security requirements of the United States at home and abroad.
Congress charged the Commission to report on the reserve components’ roles and missions, compensation and benefits, career paths, training and readiness, equipment and personnel, and their overall organization, structure, and funding. The Commission has met this charge with a report documenting the most comprehensive, independent review of the Guard and Reserve forces in 60 years — a review producing what Commissioners characterize as “overwhelming evidence of the need for change” in the face of continuing heavy use of these forces in Iraq, Afghanistan, and the homeland, and in light of growing threats to national security.
The Commission’s recommendations for changes in laws and policies have been informed by 17 days of public hearings involving 115 witnesses, interviews with more than 850 officials and other subject matter experts, numerous visits to military installations and panel discussions involving Guard and Reserve personnel, and analysis of thousands of documents.
