For 30 years, the Guard has been largely configured as combat arms formations designed as a supplementary force to 'round out' active Army combat divisions. In other words, reserve manpower to augment combat formations in mid— to high— intensity wars. The Army has wisely determined that the Guard's proper focus should return to protecting our homeland.
The Chief of the National Guard Bureau has announced a major strategy change for the Guard. Army Lt. Gen. Steven Blum said that the Guard will play a significant role in Homeland Defense and Homeland Security.
In an interview, Lt. Gen Blum noted that,
The Guard's homeland defense missions include supporting Coast Guard patrols of sea and coastal areas, detecting and defending against air and missile attacks, protecting private infrastructure and responding to attacks involving weapons of mass destruction. In the event of an incident or crisis, DoD's and the nation's "reliance would be very heavy on the National Guard, both the Air Guard and Army Guard," Blum said.
This is a strong indication that the National Guard will revert to a more traditional role of remaining stateside to provide a much—needed military capability to handle a variety of homeland defense and security missions, including WMD response.
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