April 16, 2020

 

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 IN THIS EDITION:

NGAUS Conference Update NGAUS 
NGAUS Urges DoD to Offer Transitional Health Care to Guardsmen after
COVID-19 Missions NGAUS 
Write to Congress to Support Federal Legislation That Will Benefit The Guard. NCNGA 
College Within Reach 2020: Applications Are Open NCNGA 
AFBA/NGAUS Scholarship Now accepting applications NCNGA 
EANGUS Award Nominations Deadline: 15 May 2020 NCNGA
Space Force Refining Doctrine, Deterrence Documents AF Magazine 
NGAUS Applauds President’s Move to Provide Troops in COVID-19 Fight with Medical Coverage NCNGA 
NGAUS Capitol Summit Nominations Due April 24th for 19-21 July event NCNGA
New NGAUS Rates! NCNGA 
April 9th — Today in Guard History National Guard 

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NGAUS Conference Update NGAUS 

Due to concerns over the health and safety of attendees and participants, the NGAUS board of directors has accepted the host state’s recommendation to cancel the 142nd General Conference & Exhibition set for Aug. 28-31, 2020, in Boston.

In its place, the association will conduct an abbreviated virtual conference from Washington, D.C. This will enable NGAUS members nationwide to convene to conduct important business and hear from defense leaders.

Complete details on refunds from the Boston conference along with plans for the digital conference will be provided by June 1.

Regards,

Lt. Col. Robert (Jake) Jakubek (Ret.)
NGAUS Chief of Staff
cos@ngaus.org

NGAUS Urges DoD to Offer Transitional Health Care to Guardsmen after
COVID-19 Missions NGAUS 

WASHINGTON (April 8, 2020) — National Guardsmen returning from overseas missions receive transitional TRICARE medical coverage for six months to help cope with possible post-deployment health issues.

The voice of more than 40,000 Guard officers is urging the Defense Department to provide the same to Guard soldiers and airmen once they begin demobilizing from the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Retired Brig. Gen. J. Roy Robinson, the NGAUS president, has written Matthew P. Donovan, the undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness, asking the Pentagon for a “preemptive determination” to make transitional TRICARE available to Guardsmen once they leave Title 32 active duty.

“Federal law is clear in its intent to provide all service members with transitional medical coverage after they serve during a war or national emergency,” he said. “The problem is, Guard soldiers and airmen are mobilized under language — section 502(f) of Title 32 — that does not specifically mention such coverage.

“We are asking DoD to look beyond this particular provision, follow the intent of Congress and make the determination to support the health of these troops, not just when they are on duty, but also in the weeks that follow. This is critical given the unknowns of this virus.”
Robinson said the issue highlights the need for Congress to revise 502(f).

“Putting our soldiers and airmen on federally funded orders that keep them under the control of governors is best the way for the Guard to respond to a regional or national emergency,” he said. “But 502(f) has long been flawed. The Pentagon doesn’t like to use it out of fear of not being reimbursed in the timely manner by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and it doesn’t spell out adequate protections for the troops.”

NGAUS has previously advocated for the use of Title 32 orders. The association also lobbied the president to extend those orders beyond 30 days in order to provide Guardsmen with TRICARE coverage.

More than 30,000 Guardsmen are on duty nationwide to help state and local authorities respond to the outbreak.

Write to Congress to Support Federal Legislation That Will Benefit The Guard. NCNGA 

Write to Congress to support federal legislation that will benefit the Guard. Be on the lookout for something similar at the state level in weeks to come.

In an effort to get the word out and to enable Guard members to become more involved NGAUS developed a write to congress feature. Here individuals can click and send a full letter with a message about one or more advocacy efforts to their representative. Current advocacy efforts include: equalize hazard-duty incentive pay for Guardsmen and Reservists, restore reprogrammed National Guard funds, and TRICARE Reserve Select Expansion.

Click here to write to Congress…

College Within Reach 2020: Applications Are Open NCNGA

The College Within Reach 4-H National Mentoring Program focuses on building relationships and college and workforce preparedness for military-connected youth between the ages of 12-17. Participants will be matched with mentors who share common experiences and interests while exploring topics such as college and career readiness, college application processes, academic and career goal setting, and creating sustainable plans leading to long-term success!

To find more detailed information regarding the College Within Reach program, participants can visit our program website.

Follow the links below to fill out an application for various roles in the College Within Reach Program.

Mentor and Site Liaison Application | Mentor and Parent Application

If your constituents would like more information you can refer them to the Program Manager, Cam Rutledge, at collegewithinreachnc@ncsu.edu or 919.513.2703.T

AFBA/NGAUS Scholarship Now accepting applications NCNGA

NGAUS Active Life Members and their dependents are eligible to apply for the AFBA (Armed Forces Benefit Association)/NGAUS scholarship, awarding two applicants, each with a $5,000 scholarship.

Now accepting applications through June 1, 2020.

Scholarship Application

Not a NGAUS Life Member? Become one today.

Please feel free to contact membership@ngaus.org with any questions you may have about the NGAUS and AFBA Scholarship or NGAUS Life Membership.

EANGUS Award Nominations Deadline: 15 MAY 2020 NCNGA

Just a reminder: Please review the EANGUS Awards SOP dated 11 November 2017, and consider nominating an EANGUS member from your State or Area to be recognized for their contributions or achievements at the 2020 EANGUS National Conference in Little Rock, Arkansas.

The SOP includes the criteria, eligibility, and details for each award. If you would like to nominate an individual please contact the North Carolina National Guard Association by the 1st of May or sooner for full instructions. You can reach them at Larry@ncnga.org or 984-664-0308

Space Force Refining Doctrine, Deterrence Documents AF Magazine 

The Space Force is working on its capstone space doctrine publication as well as a new deterrence strategy to shape its way forward, Chief of Space Operations Gen. Jay Raymond said in an April 7 discussion with AFA’s Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies.

New doctrine will reflect that space is increasingly crowded and possibly dangerous, with more entities developing ways to damage and confuse U.S. satellites and ground stations. The Space Force is standing up a space doctrine center as well, to act as a hub for policy on how to act in space, likely more defensively and perhaps more aggressively when needed than in the past.

“We put together a draft that’s being coordinated as we speak,” Raymond said. “Hopefully we’ll be able to publish this in the next two or three months going forward. It will be the capstone document, if you will, and then there will be other document volumes that will fall under that.”

Read More…

NGAUS Applauds President’s Move to Provide Troops in COVID-19 Fight with Medical Coverage NCNGA 

WASHINGTON (April 8, 2020) — Retired Brig. Gen. J. Roy Robinson, the NGAUS president, issued the following statement:

“We applaud President Trump’s action last night that will provide many Guard soldiers and airmen with the medical coverage they need to fight the nation’s greatest public health crisis in more than a century.

“The executive order he signed authorizes state and territory officials for the next two weeks to mobilize Guardsmen under federal Title 32 for increments of up to 31 days. This is just enough for those mobilized to receive the military’s TRICARE medical coverage.

“President Trump had previously authorized the use of Title 32 funds for some Guardsmen mobilized by their states and territories to respond to the COVID-19 outbreak.

“This action covers the troops’ pay, while keeping them under the command of their governor, who knows best how to employ them in this crisis. Unfortunately, that authorization alone did not provide them TRICARE medical coverage.

“To be eligible for TRICARE, they needed to be on orders of more than 30 days. Until last nights’ executive order, federal authorities were only allowing states and territories to put their Guardsmen on federal orders in increments of 30 days — or one day short of TRICARE eligibility.

“Under those orders, Guard soldiers and airmen could go to military treatment facilities if they are hurt or fear they are infected with the coronavirus, but most are not serving near such a facility. Only TRICARE enables them to go to local doctors and hospitals without using their private insurance or digging into their pockets.

“NGAUS pressed hard for the president to add at least one more day to those orders.

“The move of Guardsmen from state active duty to federal Title 32 status has been slow and uneven. But thanks to this executive order, Guardsmen who do receive Title 32 orders now know they can get the medical coverage they need.

”One added day makes a big difference.”

https://www.ngaus.org/legislation/write-congress

NGAUS Capitol Summit Nominations Due April 24th for 19-21 July event NCNGA

NGAUS Capitol Summit: This event that occurs three times during CY2020 and is a NGAUS professional development program for company-grade officers. The program brings Air and Army Guardsmen from each state and territory to the nation’s capital for a close look at how the government works and the role NGAUS plays in the legislative process. This should be performed in a non-duty status and funding for transportation, lodging, and meals is provided by NGAUS. North Carolina authorized one attendee per event. If you are a company grade officer and interested in attending please contact the North Carolina National Guard Association at Larry@ncnga.org or 984-664-0308.

New NGAUS Rates! NCNGA 

At the NGAUS Conference in Denver, there was a majority vote that our dues structure would be reduced from 15 different price points to three. This rate change will be going into effect on October 1, 2019 for the 2020 membership year.

• Company Grade – $40
• Field Grade – $80
• Flag Grade – $130

You can renew or join for the year 2020 here.

April 9th — Today in Guard History National Guard 

1865
Appomattox Court House, – Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrenders those men, about 25,000 in all, still in the Army of Northern Virginia to Union commander, General Ulysses S. Grant. While some fighting would continue in places such as Alabama and Texas for the next month, with Lee’s surrender, the war is effectively over. Grant, who commanded the 21st Illinois Volunteer Infantry at the start of the war, would become the 18th president of the United States in 1869.

Read More…