Table of Contents
:: TAG's Message
:: GWOT Memorial Dedication
:: 50th Brigade Honored
:: CSM Message
:: 108th Passes 6,000-hour Mark / Wing Passes UCI
:: 119th CSB Update
:: Controlled Burn at Warren Grove / A Day in the Life / Airman Top Cop
:: Armor Returns from GTMO
:: HET Back from Iraq
:: News Guard Families Can Use

:: 21st CST Trains
:: Short Rounds
:: Army and Air Enlisted Promotions
:: Last Round
:: Family Assistance Centers & Family Readiness Centers
:: Guardlife Information

Guardlife - Volume 31, No. 2

TAG's Message
Maj. Gen. Glenn K. Rieth (third from right) confers with members of Republic of Albania's military. Photo by State Command Sgt. Maj. Richard S. Adkins, Jr.

In the post September 11, 2001 world, war is the norm.. peace is the exception.

We are a nation at war and there is every indication that we are a nation that will be involved in the ongoing global war against terror for a prolonged period of time with great uncertainty about the nature and location of where this conflict will be
fought. In order to defeat this uncertain enemy, we must be able to defuse new crises early and defeat new aggression as soon as it is identified to prevent these situations from escalating and to limit the potential loss of life, damage to key infrastructure, and adverse impact on our economy.

To accomplish these goals, we will need flexible, rapidly deployable forces and sufficient depth and strength to sustain multiple, simultaneous military combat operations. We currently have 364,000 soldiers deployed in 120 countries. The
uncertainties of the future may require even greater numbers of troops deployed in even more locations.

Conventional Force on Force conflicts are still possible but the more likely scenario is sporadic insurgencies and opportunistic terror attacks. The unfortunate reality is that our homeland is included in the list of potential battle space. The good news is that we are adapting to these new challenges NOW.

The entire military is undergoing major changes in structure, training, and staffing, but none more so than the Army.

And our New Jersey Army National Guard is fully involved in this transformation. Our national defense forces are being optimized to allow battlefield commanders to customize our combat and support resources to prevail in any conflict of any size in any type of terrain and successfully engage in simultaneous, multiple missions.

We need to generate more versatile combat power because we have and will continue to have extended worldwide commitments. We must create a force that can be responsive to the Combatant Commanders’ needs.

We must create units that are more relevant to Regional Combatant Commanders and generate versatile combat power with units that are self-contained, more easily sustainable, and more lethal force packages. The Army of the future must be organized to ensure maximum capabilities for the full range of missions; fully interdependent with the other service branches; comprised of adaptive, competent, and confident soldiers and leaders; and truly a trained and ready partner in
the Joint Force.

Everything we’re doing is designed to support the soldier. We are part of a proud heritage of fighting and winning our Nation’s Wars. This noble tradition is reflected clearly in our units’ lineage and honors ... and in the number of bronze stars,
purple hearts, and other honors awarded to our citizen-soldiers.

We are adapting to the current and projected operational environment. We are creating modular brigades and command and control headquarters to better meet Combatant Commanders’ requirements and to make the best use of the talent, dedication, and professionalism of our soldiers.

This reorganization will result in more stable combat and support forces; a better-balanced force mix including Active, Guard, and Reserve forces.

This new, modular approach to aligning units will provide capability-based units at the Brigade level to Regional Combatant Commanders with responsive, fully mission- capable combat and support organizations that operate effectively in a
Joint, Combined or Multi-National environment.

The new force structure will provide greater capacity for rapid and “tailorable” force packages and improve strategic responsiveness for the full spectrum of homeland defense and homeland security operations.

The Army, as is each of the other armed services, is an indispensable and vital component of the Joint Team. The Army will always conduct operations: offensive, defensive, stability, and support in both a joint and expeditionary context. It will continue to provide prompt, sustained, and decisive land combat power working in concert with air and naval power to ensure a synergy that will give the Joint Force capabilities and power well beyond the sum of its individual parts.

In the past few years, the implementation of the Joint Force concept has transformed our organization from one engaged in independent, de-conflicted operations to one capable of more effective, more efficient sustained interoperability. Our National Guard, as part of the Joint Force, is now moving rapidly towards the ultimate goal of joint interdependence. It’s what the commanders on the battlefield need, it’s what our soldiers need, and it’s what our nation needs.