Aspin Urges Expanded Role for National Guard
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WASHINGTON — The chairman of the House Armed Services Committee on Sunday called on the Pentagon to give the Army National Guard more responsibility in U.S. defense and to reduce planned cuts in that force.
Rep. Les Aspin (D-Wis.) said that the death of the Cold War has given the Army more time to call part-time “weekend warriors” to active duty in the future and that well-trained support troops are cheaper than full-time troops.
Aspin said he is proposing a reform package that would call for 375,000 to 380,000 Army National Guard troops after five years instead of the Pentagon’s plan to cut that force to 338,000.
Cheney and military leaders have said that the need for support troops is shrinking as Pentagon budgets are cut.
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