Davis Applauds Guard Gains

Press Release

Davis Applauds Guard Gains

Rep. Tom Davis, R-Va., ranking member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, said today he is "happy to see the National Guard leadership getting deserved respect," after two generals received historic appointments thanks, in part, to the congressman's Guard empowerment legislation.

On Wednesday, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates nominated Lt. Gen. Craig McKinley as the new 4-Star Chief of the National Guard Bureau and Lt. Gen. Steven Blum as deputy commander of the U.S. Northern Command (NORTHCOM), the Department of Defense combatant command responsible for defending the nation from natural and man-made disasters. Davis' legislation called for the chief of the Guard Bureau to be a 4-star general and for NORTHCOM to include a top leader chosen from the ranks of the Guard.

"These appointments mark a huge day in Guard history and an historic achievement for the men and women of the National Guard," said Davis. "They also represent a significant step forward in integrating its best leaders into the highest levels of the Department of Defense. Gen. Blum and Gen. McKinley are men of great vision and honesty, and I look forward to their quick confirmation."

Davis, whose strong advocacy for Guard issues earned him the highest awards from the National Guard Association, the Enlisted National Guard Association, the National Guard Bureau and the Military Coalition, also said he was pleased to have worked with Rep. Gene Taylor, D-Miss., and Sens. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., and Christopher Bond, R-Mo., on Guard empowerment legislation.

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