Army Guard reaches end strength goal

By Army Sgt. 1st Class Jon Soucy
National Guard Bureau

ARLINGTON, Va., (8/27/09) -- The Army National Guard announced today that it reached its congressionally mandated end-strength goal of 358,200 this week, a full month before the end of the fiscal year.

In addition to achieving the end-strength goal, Army National Guard personnel readiness is at the highest levels in history.

At this time last year, the Army National Guard had over 26,000 Soldiers, who were “awaiting training.” These are Soldiers who have never shipped to initial entry training, also known as basic training.

Less than a year later, that number has been reduced to just over 10,000 Soldiers “awaiting training.” Because they are not available for deployment, today’s lower number equates to increased readiness for units. 

Further evidence of this achievement is the percentage of Soldiers, who are considered trained and qualified in a military job. 

In 2005, only 77 percent of Army National Guard Soldiers were considered trained in a military occupational specialty. Today, over 91 percent are trained in a military occupation. 

Maintaining this level of readiness will be a challenge for the Army National Guard. “I worry about having adequate resources next year to sustain our current level of readiness,” said Army Maj. Gen. Ray Carpenter, the acting director of the Army National Guard.

There has been a 40 percent drop in recruiting and retention funding for fiscal year 2010. These funding cuts have affected everything from enlistment and re-enlistment bonuses to advertising and marketing.

The drop in funding has also meant fewer recruiters. The Army Guard will release 1,400 recruiters from duty by the end of the fiscal year.

Additionally, the active Army plans to grow in fiscal year 2010, which will mean extra competition for recruits. 

The achievements in Army National Guard personnel readiness, recruiting and retention over the past few years have been historic. 

They occurred during two major wars and increased deployment requirements.  Currently, the Army National Guard has over 65,000 mobilized soldiers. 

Carpenter said the context of the achievement is as important as the achievement itself.

Printer Friendly