FY05 Annual Report Final - STATES - The National Guard

provisions for waiving both fees and tuition to state colleges and
raising pay for state active duty, should help us achieve our strength
goal in fiscal year 2006.
Reliable - The Massachusetts National Guard must be able to deploy
units to conduct repeated and sustained operations effectively
without failure or breakdown. The organization must support all
mobilizations for deployment and respond to domestic emergencies
during fiscal year 2006.
Essential - The Massachusetts National Guard must field the types
of units and trained personnel necessary to respond
to the needs of the commonwealth and nation.
Maintaining 100 percent compliance with military
and civilian education requirements for officers and
noncommissioned officers is the key to remaining
an essential part of homeland security and Global
War on Terrorism efforts.
Robust - The Massachusetts National Guard must
be capable of performing required missions
regardless of other demands or the operational
environment. Full-time manning is a force
multiplier that can be leveraged to help accomplish
this goal. Active Guard Reserve manning should
be at 100 percent and full-time technician manning
should be at 90 percent by the end of the fiscal year.
Respectful - Members of the Massachusetts
National Guard must uphold and promote the values
of the military, the Commonwealth of
Massachusetts and the United States of America.
Sexual harassment, misuse of government property
for personal gain, and discrimination will not be
tolerated in any form. During fiscal year 2006 the
objectives are no sexual harassment incidents, a
reduced number of complaints to the Massachusetts
National Guard Inspector General, and the
establishment of a mentorship program to foster
military values in future leadership.
Fiscal Year 2006 Challenges
The primary challenges for 2006 will be meeting
objectives, supporting homeland defense and the
Global War on Terrorism while continuing the
transformation of Air and Army National Guard
units to a new force structure.
Simultaneously, we must continue to ensure the
Guard members’ family needs are taken care of so
they can focus on their mission.
Supporting these requirements becomes
increasingly difficult each year. The Massachusetts
National Guard has thus far been able to adjust by transferring funds,
personnel and equipment from non-critical to critical areas.
Over the long term, however, current federal funding levels will
not be sufficient to replace equipment worn by deployments and
pay for supplemental personnel. Additionally, although the
Massachusetts National Guard is authorized modern equipment,
the reality is that many units train with much older equipment than
their active duty counterparts. Though deploying units are normally
provided with modern equipment, it is often left in theater when
the unit returns. The result is a lack of equipment available to respond
to domestic emergencies in the commonwealth.
The Massachusetts National Guard will require additional federal
funding to acquire new vehicles, weapons, communications and
other support items. These needs will become more urgent as units
Photo by Tech. Sgt. Sandra Niedzwiecki, 102nd Fighter Wing
transition to new missions that will require new equipment. We have
identified these shortages and are working closely with National
Guard Bureau and our elected officils to address them, but it is a
problem facing every state’s National Guard and it will likely not
be solved in the short term.
2005 Annual Report 7