Assessing the State and Federal Missions of the National Guard

A series of developments has focused attention on the important domestic mission responsibilities of the National Guard. These developments included a series of domestic disasters and emergencies, the passage of new legislation authorizing the Guard to participate in domestic initiatives designed to alleviate pressing national problems, the emergence of State Governors' concerns about the consequences of reducing the National Guard, and the Secretary of Defense's Bottom-Up Review, which acknowledged the need to support domestic missions. These developments contributed to existing concerns that a smaller National Guard would be unable to meet both state and federal mission requirements. This study investigates whether the projected size of the Guard, planned through FY 1999 will be adequate; whether the current system of assigning federal missions to Guard units could be altered; whether it is advisable or feasible for states to engage in cooperative agreements to share Guard capabilities; and whether alternative federal-state cost-sharing arrangements should be implemented for Guard units whose principal function is to support state missions.