Integrating the Army National Guard and the Army Reserve into the Weapons of Mass Destruction: Consequence Management Role

摘要

The millennium began with the United States more concerned than ever about the threat of terrorism in 'Hometown USA'. The Reserve Component (RC) has played a major role in the defense of this nation for more than a quarter of a century and will have an extensive role in defending against the terrorist threat. This report will examine how the Army National Guard (ARNG) and the Army Reserve (USAR) have stepped forward to assume their roles in national defense. The ARNG and the USAR were once referred to as weekend warriors with little credibility with the Active Component (AC). They were seen as untrained and unfit for modern warfare. However, over the past twenty-five years, the myth has faded. The RC has proven time and time again, deployment after deployment, that it can hold its own with the AC. The history of the ARNG and the USAR is bnefly discussed in order to give a clearer understanding and appreciation of their contributions to national defense. A brief review of how the missions have evolved since the seventeenth century, and prior to the second amendment to the constitution that allowed states to establish the National Guard, will also be discussed. Evolution of the ARNG and the USAR, and their missions over the last decade has fully integrated the Army into one Army. The chief of staff of the Army said, 'We are The Army totally integrated into oneness of purpose - no longer the Total Army, no longer The One Army, The Army, One Army'. This paper will detail the ARNG and the USAR roles in weapons of mass destruction (WMD) consequence management of homeland defense, and will briefly examine the training, equipment, and the ARNG response role of chemical and biological threats.