Guard to Align With Army; Better Training on the Way.

• Jurisdiction: United States
• Date: 01 November 2000
• Author: Kutner, Joshua A.
• Published date: 01 November 2000
• Author: Kutner, Joshua A.

National Guard combat divisions are going to need better training if they are to play a more prominent role in future U.S. defense operations, according to Army Chief of Staff Gen. Eric Shinseki.

The chief unveiled his plan to align eight Guard combat units with Army active-duty forces, at the National Guard Association of the United States (NGAUS) annual conference, which took place in September, in Atlantic City, N.J. This means that the combat units will have a redefined set of missions and training requirements.

The combat divisions will be aligned with four Army corps:

* The 1st Corps, at Fort Lewis, Wash., will align with the 40th Infantry Division of the California National Guard.

* The 3rd Corps, based in Fort Hood, Texas, will consist of three National Guard divisions-the 49th Armored of Texas, the 34th Infantry of Minnesota and the 38th Infantry of Indiana.

* The 5th Corps will consist of the active-duty 1st Infantry Division and 1st Armored Division, at Fort Riley, Kan., and the 35th Infantry Division of the Kansas National Guard. Also joining the corps will be the 256th Infantry Brigade of the Louisiana National Guard and the 278th Armored Cavalry Regiment of the Tennessee National Guard. The 5th Corps is stationed in Heidelberg, Germany.

* The 29th Infantry Division of the Maryland and Virginia National Guard will join forces with the 18th Airborne Corps, at Fort Bragg, N.C. Pennsylvania's 28th Infantry Guard Division and New York's 42nd Infantry Guard Division also join the corps.

"Those alignments are intended to bring us to the level of readiness we always talked about getting to," said Shinseki, "and this is our commitment to get there. We will all be expected to respond to missions and...