What should the future of the National Guard be?

COL Vincent Stoneking — Thu, 11 Dec 2014 10:30:20 -0500

Getting back into my routine of scanning the usual suspects in the morning and was referred to this article on what the NG "should" want its future to be. Throwing it up for your reading pleasure.
[My personal opinion is that the author shows a misunderstanding of the purpose & role of the NG, as well as perhaps a misunderstanding of the mission set of the USAR. Additionally, yes it does sound like he is proposing "a dumping ground for the non-sexy stuff that the AC doesn't want to do."

http://warontherocks.com/2014/12/the-fifth-pillar-what-next-for-the-national-guard/?singlepage=1#_

The Fifth Pillar: What Next for the National Guard? - War on the Rocks

There has been a continuous running battle of words and wits over the role of the National Guard — from the director being elevated to a 4-star billet to c

Response by COL Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 11 at 2014 1:22 PM

COL Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 11 Dec 2014 13:22:14 -0500

Sounds like he has had some bad experiences. The NG or reserves for that matter should not be considered a dumping ground. They have separate and distinct missions that should work in parallel or are complementary of the AC. There is a ton of experience that resides there. Look at everything they did during OEF & OIF.