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4-star nominated to lead Guard

Air Force Lt. Gen. Craig McKinley has been nominated to become the first four-star leader of the National Guard Bureau, Defense Secretary Robert Gates announced Wednesday.

McKinley, director of the Air National Guard since June 2006, would replace Army National Guard Lt. Gen. H. Steven Blum, who has been nominated to become deputy commander of U.S. Northern Command, another first for the Guard.

If his nomination and reassignment are approved by the Senate, McKinley would take over the National Guard Bureau under a recent overhaul ordered by Congress to elevate the Guard’s status within the Pentagon hierarchy.

The National Guard Empowerment Act, a section of the 2008 Defense Authorization Act approved in January, ordered the elevation of the National Guard Bureau chief to four-star rank and established the bureau as a separate and distinct defense activity.

Although the plan approved by Congress fell short of giving the National Guard Bureau chief a seat on the Joint Chiefs of Staff, as many Guard proponents had called for, the new command structure elevates the role of the bureau chief as principal advisor on Guard issues to the defense secretary, the secretaries and chiefs of staff of the Army and Air Force, and the Joint Chiefs.

The plan also makes the bureau chief responsible for coordinating on behalf of the Pentagon with state adjutants general, other federal agencies and combatant commands on Guard personnel, budgets and operations.

The requirement that the deputy commander of NorthCom be a Guard officer was also a component of that plan.

At a Pentagon news briefing, Gates said McKinley is “well-qualified for this important and historic new assignment.”

“He has held command positions at every level of the Air Force during his 34 years of military service,” Gates said.

Prior to taking his current job, McKinley was assistant chief of staff for plans and programs at Air Force Headquarters.

Gates praised Blum’s service during his stint as National Guard Bureau chief, calling him a “dynamic and effective leader” of the National Guard community “during a time of wrenching change for our citizen soldiers.”

“As chief, he has been a tireless advocate for America’s Guardsmen and women, to see that they receive the right training, equipment and support for the demanding range of missions the Guard has taken on since September 11th and will face in the years to come,” Gates said.

The elevation of the National Guard Bureau chief to four stars “recognizes the enhanced importance of the Guard to America’s overall national defense,” Gates said.

“In recent years … the National Guard has transformed from an often neglected strategic reserve to a force that is an indispensable component of the operational military,” he said. “The elevation of this position also recognizes the vital role the chief will have as a bridge between the state and federal components of our government and the active and reserve components of our military.”

In a statement, Blum said McKinley’s nomination is “truly a historic and magnificent selection.”

“Craig will provide the leadership that will take the National Guard to the next level,” Blum said. “He is a competent, caring, and proven leader. Craig has and will continue to have my complete confidence and full support. I am committed to making the transition period entirely professional and collaborative.”

The National Guard Empowerment Act is largely based on recommendations from the congressionally mandated Commission on the National Guard and Reserve, led by retired Marine Corps Reserve Maj. Gen. Arnold Punaro.

In December, Punaro said the plan included in the 2008 Defense Authorization Act “is a clear acknowledgment of the vital role played by the National Guard and reserves in maintaining the nation’s security at home and abroad, and of the urgent need to institute reforms to strengthen that role.”

Elevating the Guard to a defense activity, making the Guard chief a four-star and giving the bureau a formal advisory role “will improve the quality of advice that the secretary of defense receives” on Guard issues, Punaro said.

Retired Air National Guard Brig. Gen. Stephen Koper, president of the National Guard Association of the United States, said the announcement amounts to a “banner day” for those who have been working for years to increase the status and power base of the Guard.

“It has been quite a struggle,” said Koper, who had served in the Ohio National Guard before his retirement in 2006 after 32 years of service. “This certainly caps a multi-year journey.”

Koper said he does not expect McKinley to face any problems with Senate confirmation of his promotion and reassignment because the Senate has been very active in pressing for Guard empowerment.