Reorganizing the guard

Lt. Gen. Steven Blum, the new, chief of the National Guard Bureau, plans a wide-ranging reorganization that will affect personnel in. every state, territory and the District of Columbia.

Under the plan, which Blum announced in the spring, two-thirds of the Guard's state headquarters offices

"We have really got to adjust to the new modern realities," Blum said during a recent Pentagon briefing.

The National Guard has both state and federal responsibilities.The Defense Department trains and equips Army and Air National Guard units across the country for military operations, but state governors maintain control over those troops when they are not serving in a federal capacity. Governors rely on National Guard troops to provide vital assistance during natural disasters and periods of civil unrest, and they have increasingly turned to the Guard for help in boosting security against terrorism. Those same troops are subject to federal call-up, however, which can complicate planning for both state and federal officials. Currently, about 150,000 Army and Air National Guard troops are deployed on military missions, primarily in Afghanistan and Iraq.

The reorganization will begin by eliminating 108 headquarters offices across the country. Right now, each state essentially has three headquarters: a state office, and offices for both the Army and Air National Guard. "That's too much bloat," Blum said.

Under the plan, each state will maintain a single, joint Army and Air Force headquarters.