Retired Air Force Brig. Gen. Stephen Koper is the president of the National Guard Association, which concludes its annual conference in Baltimore today.
National Guardsmen are facing many issues, especially since they are being sent on multiple deployments. As of Sept. 16, 67,900 guardsmen are currently deployed in domestic and international missions.
The Examiner interviewed the Ohio native about what issues guardsmen face and what the federal government is doing to improve those conditions.
What is the most pressing issue facing guardsmen?
It is the fact that we do not have enough full-time Guardsmen at our armories. We’re only at 65 percent of what the Army allocated pre-2001, and we now obviously have more of a need for our guardsmen.
Why is that so important?
If we had more full-time guardsmen, we could start training them more in their home state than at a mobilization center like Fort Dix [in New Jersey]. That means for the guard less time away from home, and more time in [battle]. We spend so much time training these people that we don’t to lose them because of long deployments. From what we’re hearing here from military officials at this conference, we’re going to start to see more of a commitment towards 100 percent of the allocation for full-timers.
Are military leaders aware of the strain put on guardsmen?
They have, and we’ve been able to get deployment times down from 18 months to six months. We’ve been able to get more lead up time for deployment, so the guardsmen aren’t faced with an immediate upheaval.
A major issue facing Guardsmen is adjusting to civilian life after returning deployment. What is being done to help them, especially with guardsmen who need medical treatment?
We are learning more about brain injuries and post-traumatic stress. We’re continuing to push for treatment of guardsmen who need help but weren’t considered injured during combat. The Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs is working with us so we can provide seamless treatment. It’s not quite there, but it is improving. We want it to be that every soldier and airman in the guard gets all the benefits they deserve.
