Branstad cautions against National Guard cuts

DES MOINES - Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad cautioned a federal commission weighing decisions regarding the future of the U.S. Army not to scale back resources for state National Guards that could undermine their capabilities, emergency response plans and strategic importance to national security.

Testifying Thursday before the National Commission on the Future of the Army, Branstad argued against proposals to reduce Army Guard 'end strength” to its lowest level since the Korean War, warning that the 'turbulence” created by forced structure and personnel cuts would affect people, readiness, training, equipment and facilities while providing limited cost savings.

He also spoke against plans to remove the Guard's Apache helicopters as part of the Army's Aviation Restructuring Initiative, saying the proposal would undermine the Guard's ability to augment the Army as its combat reserve.

'While I understand the Army is facing difficult budget challenges, I believe that recent efforts to cut Army Guard force structure and remove the Guard's Apache helicopters is a step backward and would make lasting, irreversible changes to the Guard,” Branstad said in prepared remarks. 'It would undo years of progress by returning the Army Guard to a pre-9/11 role and fail to leverage its cost-effectiveness in retaining mission capability at home and overseas.”

Branstad noted that the National Guard Bureau estimates the proposed changes would carry a $179 million implementation cost in the first year - funding he said that was not included in the army's fiscal 2016 budget. He said the Congressional Budget Office estimated that proposed cuts to Army Guard personnel would save about $170 million in its first year, or about $9 million less than the unfunded implementation costs.

Branstad, co-chairman of the Council of Governors, appeared with Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton on behalf of the National Governors Association and the Council of Governors in testifying before the commission in Arlington, Va.

Branstad said the National Guard is a highly trained, battle-tested asset that should continue to serve as an operational force and combat reserve for the U.S. military force, with proper resources and equipment to meet state and federal needs. He recommended the Guard's cost-effectiveness should be leveraged to the fullest extent to meet the fiscal and operational challenges confronting the Army.

'When these costs and long-term effects are considered, governors believe it simply does not make sense to implement the Army's proposals,” Branstad said. 'While some reductions to Army Guard force structure may ultimately be necessary, they should be done through a collaborative approach that considers future needs, limits turbulence, and maintains Guard readiness.”

During his testimony Branstad noted that more than 17,000 men and women from Iowa's National Guard have been mobilized for combat and combat support duties in Iraq and Afghanistan and for peacekeeping duties in the Balkans and on the Sinai Peninsula. About 4,000 active Guard soldiers and airmen in Iowa are combat veterans - more than 45 percent of Iowa's force. Since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attack, Iowa soldiers have operated in more than 35 nations.