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The article offers updates related to national guards in the U.S. Florida Air National Guard conducted an Operational Readiness Exercise on January 23, 2009 in Jacksonville International Airport. An Afghan National Police is trained on the proper handling of weapon at the Mir Bach Knot Police Station in Illinois. A homecoming of more than 45,000 troops is held at Lucas Oil Stadium on January 31 in Indianapolis, Indiana.

The article focuses on the implications of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDDA) for 2009 in the U.S. It points out that the additional 3,564 Active Guard Reserves (AGRs) and technicians provided by NDAA still fell short to meet the required additional personnel of the U.S. Army National Guard for operational readiness. Views of military officers including Major General John Libby, Lieutenant Colonel Tim Clay, and Colonel Ken Newlin regarding the issue are also offered.

The article highlights the U.S. Army National Guard's first combatives tournament at Fort Benning, Georgia in August 2008. According to tournament director Capt. Andrew Heyman, the event was step toward teaching more advanced combative skills to Guard solders and encouraging more Guard units to incorporate combatives into their overall training. The article presents the winners of the tournament.

The article discusses ways by which the U.S. Air National Guard can remain engaged and ready during post-conflict periods. According to the author, upholding the standards is important even during non-combat periods. He states that inspections using the same criteria that other military components use are also important. He adds that continually engaging with all armed forces components on an operational level is a must, even as the frequency of overseas deployments decreases.

In this article the author comments on the plan of the U.S. Air Force to reduce the capability of the Air National Guard in favor of the costly active component. He explains the disadvantages of the service's focus on relying more on the active component despite the fact that the other services are relying less on their active forces. He also calls on the Air Force to preserve the maximum amount of combat capability at the lowest cost.

In this article the author applauds the transformation of the U.S. National Guard from a strategic reserve to a fully qualified operational force. Such a transformation, which took place for 20 years or more, has raised the Guard to a new level of value, eliminating the stigma that it is an imitation of the active army. Among the Pentagon officials who believe in the enhanced operational capability of the Guard is General George W. Casey Jr.

The article presents the opinion that the U.S. Armed Forces appropriations and expenditures in 2007 do not reflect the needs of a country in the middle of an Iraq War. President George W. Bush's request for a defense budget equivalent to four percent of gross domestic product (GDP) is not adequate to meet military and operational readiness requirements.

The article presents the views of General Lance L. Smith regarding the efforts to be done by the U.S. military and defense industry to fight terrorism. As the commander of the U.S. Joint Forces Command and the supreme allied commander for transformation of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, Smith emphasizes the need of an integrated communication systems. He also stresses the importance of merging the operational and intelligence capabilities of U.S. defense forces in defeating terrorism.