Vanishing Culture of the Army National Guard

Abstract

Abstract : The purpose of this paper is to answer the following question: Will US national defense be better served if the Army National Guard (NG) surrenders its unique and historical culture and instead, fully adopts the culture of the active Army? The proposals before Congress recommended by the Commission on the National Guard and Reserves suggest culture sharing is in the best interest of the army. Consequently, this paper explores whether the convergence of the NG and Army Active Component (AC) cultures may weaken our national defense, especially in the domain of homeland defense. There is cause for concern. Studies of corporate mergers consistently demonstrate reductions in performance when pre- and post-merger metrics are evaluated. The paper concludes that the Commission's recommendation for greater culture sharing between the reserve and active components is based on the episodic events of our decade. Therefore, any expectation of improved performance based on this sharing is misleading, as it will undermine longstanding and continually evolving relationships between the National Guard and their supported civilian communities. The US Army has always maintained two distinct and necessary cultures, which support a balanced approach to defense, and each should remain protected.