Happy 386th Birthday, National Guard! We have come a long way since 1636, when the first militia regiments were organized in Mas- sachusetts. Since then, we have answered the call to arms, won our independence, triumphed in two World Wars, and saw the creation of our Air Force and Air National Guard. Throughout history, the Guard has done precisely what our National Defense Strategy now calls us to do today: defend the homeland, deter strategic attacks, deter aggression, and build a resilient Joint Force. Each time there has been a threat to our nation, the National Guard has risen to meet this challenge. We showed our resolve against the USSR in the Cold War and proved our mettle in fighting violent extremists over the past 20 years. Today, the 108,400 members of the Air Na- tional Guard provide: 27% of the Air Force fighter fleet, 50% of the mobility fleet, and 94% of the 24/7 air defense of the homeland. The threats to America and the free and open international world order we fought so hard to gain are unprecedented. The ANG is prioritizing our pacing challenge, the People’s Republic of China in the Indo-Pacific, and the acute challenge of Russia in Europe. To meet these unprecedented challenges, the ANG must be recapi- talized. The ANG retains the largest proportion of legacy fighters in the Total Force. Recapitalizing the fighter fleet will help the Joint Force achieve our National Defense Strategy objectives and make the ANG “Ready Today, Stronger Tomorrow.” The obstacles to deter and defeat our adversaries are not insur- mountable, but we must act now. China and Russia have been observing how we fight, building their forces to counter ours, and continuously looking for opportunities to challenge the free and open international order. America cannot afford to ignore exis- tential threats the free world and our democratic values face. War on the European continent in the 21st Century was unimaginable a few months ago. Russia’s invasion of the sovereign nation of Ukraine has shown that repressive and authoritarian regimes still present a credible danger in the world. China shares Russia’s ag- gressive and predatory instincts. There can be no doubt that China is determined to change the status quo in the Indo-Pacific and impose its will by force if necessary. China has repeatedly said this publicly, and their menacing of Taiwan is intended to demonstrate their resolve to overrule democracy with force. We must deter and, if necessary, defeat further Chinese and Russian aggression. The four priorities in our National Defense Strategy focus on doing so but require an enterprise-wide change to the Joint Force to meet
the pacing challenge. Modernization and recapitalization of the Joint Force is critical to our success in pushing back against author- itarianism and preserving the open international order we have worked so hard to gain. Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall is working hard to modernize the Air Force to ensure it remains a credible strategic deterrent against the world’s biggest threats. A big part of Secretary Kendall’s modernization strategy is the divestiture of equipment that is not relevant to the pacing challenge of China. These divestitures enable resource shifts towards recapitalizing legacy platforms with advanced capabilities better tailored to the pacing threat. The ANG operates the lion’s share of the legacy fleet targeted for divest- ment. Unfortunately, at present, there is no plan for the concurrent recapitalization of many ANG legacy units. The lack of a concurrent recapitalization plan risks losing a sizable portion of the Joint Force’s experienced fighter pilots and maintainers; vital experience which is currently presenting a retention challenge to the Air Force. This could substantially decrease Joint Force Air Superiority capa- bility. To ensure the Joint Force can rely on having a modernized, ready, and available Air National Guard for strategic competition, we must be recapitalized with at least 36 F-35s or F-15EXs per year. The results of ANG recapitalization will ensure the preservation of critical Air Force fighter pilot experience and will ultimately reduce the operating costs of the Air Force fighter force structure, creating savings that can be reinvested in modernization. Modernization and recapitalization are not new concepts. Throughout our storied history of 386 years, the National Guard has embraced innovation and technology to combat strategic threats. The re-emergence of strategic competition presents tremendous challenges, risks, and dangers, but these have always attended the preservation of liberty. What better time than now to reflect on our past and look to the future on how our National Guard will contribute to the Joint Force for years to come. America’s success in strategic competition is achievable, and the solution is utilizing all aspects of our Total Force. Our National Guard has a vital role in this next fight – just as it has had in all the conflicts we have faced before, but it must be appropriately resourced and equipped to do so. America was victorious then and shall be victorious now, primarily due to the contribution of the National Guard. Go Guard!
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