Should the National Guard and Reserves merge to save money?

Guard, Reserve groups duel over merger proposal
By Rick Maze - Staff writer
Posted : Friday Jul 2, 2010 13:30:07 EDT

A radical military reform proposal from the chairman of the board of the National Guard Association of the U.S. calls for the Army Reserve and Air Force Reserve to be absorbed into the National Guard as a cost-saving measure.

In an article appearing in the July issue of the National Guard Association magazine, Air Force Maj. Gen. Tod Bunting, adjutant general of the Kansas National Guard, says eliminating the Army Reserve and Air Force Reserve and absorbing their people, equipment and facilities into the Guard should be considered as the Defense Department embarks on an effort to cut $100 billion from the military budget.

“What we really are talking about is the integration of two great teams,” he writes. “In the long run, the new, larger Guard would be more streamlined, with fewer headquarters, headquarters personnel and facilities. That is where we will find even more savings, which will be considerable and is what America needs.”
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Guard Reserve groups duel over merger proposal