Advocates push for higher National Guard profile at Pentagon

[spindrifter]

Stars and Stripes

WASHINGTON — Advocates for the National Guard made a public plea Wednesday to congressional budget planners not to drop a proposal to elevate the profile of the Guard in the Pentagon, including making its chief a four-star general.

The move came as House and Senate negotiators are finalizing legislation governing the 2007 Defense budget, which deals with not only funding for programs and personnel but a host of policy issues as well.

When the Senate approved its version of the bill in June, it included language that would elevate the chief of the National Guard Bureau to a four-star general, make the deputy commander of U.S. northern Command a guardsman, and give the branch more oversight in its fiscal planning.

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The Defense Department has publicly opposed the moves, testifying before Congress earlier this year that the Guard receives appropriate attention and respect under the current command structure.

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http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=40204