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Biden Wants National Guard Head to Be Part of Joint Chiefs
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ShareSeptember 22, 2008 6:57 PM
ABC News' Matthew Jaffe reports: Democratic vice-presidential nominee Sen. Joe Biden, D-Del., said Monday that he wants the head of the National Guard Bureau to become a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Addressing the National Guard Association's annual conference in Baltimore, Biden told Lt. Gen. Craig R. McKinley, whom Secretary of Defense Robert Gates has nominated to become chief of the National Guard bureau, that the general would be granted a spot on the Joint Chiefs under an Obama-Biden administration.
"Sir, if I have anything to do with it, you're gonna get a seat at the table, that round table in the Pentagon where the Joint Chiefs of Staff sit, that's where you should be seated."
Gates also recommended that McKinley be awarded a fourth star, making him the first in the Guard's history to receive such an honor.
"You're gonna get your fourth star, buddy, and I'm gonna be proud, proud, proud to see you wear that," Biden told McKinley.
Biden, whose eldest son Beau is preparing to deploy next month to Iraq as part of the Delaware National Guard, made his remarks on the heels of an address to the Guard by Gates himself.
"It's a pleasure to be anywhere other than Washington D.C.," joked the DoD chief. "A place where those who travel the high road of humility encounter little heavy traffic."
September 22, 2008 | Permalink | User Comments (9)
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I'm not entirely opposed to this, especially when so many units have been activated. That said the NG units are still more often under the stewardship of the individual state governors.
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Posted by: WillNotBeFooledByObamaNATION | Sep 22, 2008 8:38:03 PM
A seat right next to Sir Gawain!
Posted by: SirTalkALot | Sep 22, 2008 9:47:36 PM
A seat right next to Sir Gawain!
Posted by: SirTalkALot | Sep 22, 2008 9:47:39 PM
Biden makes a strong point in appointing the top National Guard commander to be a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The Bush Administration has used the national Guard in such a way as they have become a front line combat force. This was not their original purpose, however, the Bush years have redefined the Guard's mission. With the change should come the appropriate recognition and participation in the military decision making process.
Posted by: Lou R | Sep 22, 2008 9:48:46 PM
"It's a pleasure to be anywhere other than Washington D.C.," joked the DoD chief. "A place where those who travel the high road of humility encounter little heavy traffic."
What a line! It just about says what more citizens are thinking of the behavior of those in Congress these days. Was he somehow referring to Biden who has been there for 36 years?
God bless his son and all those who serve.
McCain/Palin '08
Posted by: georgia | Sep 23, 2008 4:10:31 AM
It is a typically ridiculous and idiotic idea from Biden, similar in the degree of stupidity to dividing & forced relocation of Iraqis by ethnic groups, Shia, Sunni, Kurds. National Guard units are commanded by the governors of each state. The president and the Pentagon must request National Guard assets from each governor. The National Guard commander is a figurehead, he does not actually command anything.
Posted by: brian | Sep 23, 2008 12:31:07 PM
As a Guardsman, I think it is entirely necessary that we have a position at the table. If the Marines, who are indeed the best trained armed forces group in the United States, get a seat at the table and are a part of the USN, then the National Guard should get a spot. We are traditional meant for domestic security, but are being deployed across the globe. As such, we need a voice not from the Active Army, who is both a global and domestic presence, but from one of our own who knows and respects our mission.
Posted by: Gonzales | Oct 27, 2008 12:38:45 PM
As a Guardsman, I think it is entirely necessary that we have a position at the table. If the Marines, who are indeed the best trained armed forces group in the United States, get a seat at the table and are a part of the USN, then the National Guard should get a spot. We are traditional meant for domestic security, but are being deployed across the globe. As such, we need a voice not from the Active Army, who is both a global and domestic presence, but from one of our own who knows and respects our mission.
Posted by: Gonzales | Oct 27, 2008 12:38:46 PM
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