The Commission on the National Guard and Reserves Report: Where Do We Go From Here?

The Commission on the National Guard and Reserves released its final report on January 31, 2008. The report contains almost 100 recommendations, several of which are already being hotly debated by stakeholders in OSD, the National Guard and reserves community, DHS, Congress, state governments and the broader homeland security community. The Center for Strategic and International Studies held a conference to hear senior perspectives on the CNGR report and join a discussion on the most significant - and in some cases controversial – recommendations. This conference brings together senior officials from many different organizations to discuss the CNGR report, it also was an opportunity to explore how to move from problem diagnosis to solution implementation.

The conference opened with keynote remarks by former Secretary of Defense William Cohen and will include four discussion panels:
 

• The Implications of an Operational Reserve for the All-Volunteer Force
• Sustaining and Institutionalizing an Operational Reserve
• The Role of DoD and the Reserve Component in the Homeland
• Congressional Perspectives on the Operational

Agenda

0830-0845  Introduction              
John Hamre

0845-0915  Keynote Speaker
Secretary William Cohen

0915-1015  Panel 1: Senior Perspectives on the Operational Reserve and the AVF

Moderator:  Mr. Ray DuBois, Senior Adviser, CSIS

1015-1030  Break

1030-1130   Panel 2: Sustaining and Institutionalizing the Operational Reserve

• Dr. David Chu, Under Secretary of Defense, Personnel & Readiness
• Lieutenant General Jack Stultz, Chief of the Army Reserve
• Ms. Patricia Lewis, Commissioner, Commission on the National Guard and Reserves
• Charlie Cragin, former Assistant Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs
• Major General Raymond Rees, Adjutant General, Oregon

Moderator: Patrick Henry, Partner, Abell, Henry & Associates

1130-1145   Break (Buffet Lunch Served)

1145-1345   Panel 3:  The Role of DoD in the Homeland

• Assistant Secretary of Defense Paul McHale, OSD
• Vice Admiral Harvey Johnson, Deputy Administrator, FEMA
• Lieutenant General Steven Blum, Chief, National Guard Bureau
• Arnold Punaro, Chairman, Commission on the National Guard and Reserves
• General Gene Renuart, Commander of U.S. Northern Command

Moderator: Ms. Christine Wormuth, Senior Fellow, CSIS

1345-1400    Break

1400-1500    Panel 4:  Congressional Views on the Operational Reserve

• Mr. Richard Walsh, Senate Armed Services Committee
• Mr. Daniel Ginsberg, Office of Senator Leahy (National Guard Caucus)
• Mr. Joseph Vealencis, Professional Staff Member, House Committee on Homeland Security
• Mr. John Grant, Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee

Moderator: Lieutenant Colonel Erich Randall, Army National Guard