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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 explains that the National Guard Association of the U.S. (NGAUS) is lobbying Congress to support several legislative resolutions on military aeronautics, command and control systems, and operational readiness in favor of the U.S. Army National Guard. NGAUS has urged the extension of the service life of the M1 Series tanks and retention of force generating air ambulance units.

Cites the efforts of the U.S. National Guard to equip their forces for military action in global conflicts. Recognition of the impact of providing troops with updated equipment on their ability to face enemies in combat; Dependence of the equipment situation on demand of supplies; Pros and cons of unconceptualized military plans; Transformation of the Army Guard using mobile light brigades; Military hardware used.

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.

Discusses the impact of the delivery of eight C-17 planes to the U.S. Air Guard in Mississippi on their training and mission requirements. Recognition of the strategic ability and efficiency of the plane beyond the guard's 2003 equipment inventory; Maintenance requirements; Mission availability rates; Load Capabilities; Base upgrades to accommodate plane; Effect of the planes on the local businesses.

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 focuses on Orient Shield 2007, an annual exercise involving the U.S. and Japanese armies designed to enhance Japanese Ground Self Defense Force and U.S. Army combat readiness. The training regimen includes rifle marksmanship, cordon-and-search procedures and close-quarters-combat drills. Other objectives of the exercise are goodwill and mutual understanding.

The author criticizes U.S. Army chief of staff Raymond T. Odierno for allegedly claiming that the U.S. Army National Guard will require more than two years to get battle ready. According to the author, even the most complex Army Guard formations can mobilize and be ready for deployment in less than four months. He states that deploying a Guardsman entails less cost compared with active military personnel. He adds that Odierno should be completely truthful when testifying to the U.S. Congress.

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 reports that the first U.S. Army Guard helicopter brigade headed for Operation Iraqi Freedom completed final dress rehearsals at Fort Hood, Texas. The 36th Combat Aviation Brigade will provide multispectrum operations in support of Multi-National Corps-Iraq. The Brigade is based in Texas but includes Guardsmen from 44 states. It will be deployed in the summer of 2006, eventually replacing an aviation brigade from the 101st Airborne Division.

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.

Reports on Washington Army National Guardsman Spc. Gerrit Kobes' receipt of the Silver Star, one of the highest combat heroism awards in the U.S., for risking his life to save several Iraqi soldiers during a mission in early November 2004. Kobes' treatment of the injured Iraqis; Exposure of Kobes to insurgent fire in the process of reloading the wounded soldiers onto vehicles.

Reports on the deployment of eight F-15 Eagles and 70 Airmen from the Hawaii Air National Guard's 199th Fighter Squadron to Thailand in January 2005 for exercise Cope Tiger 2005. Practice of flying-training skills with Thai and Singaporean airmen and U.S. Navy and Air Force air and ground support crews; Participation of the aircrews in dissimilar base fighter maneuver training, dissimilar air combat tactics training, close-air support training and large force employment training.