A Study Of The US Army National Guard After The Cold War

The U.S.Army National Guard is both an armed force under the state government,and a reserve force of the Federal Army.When the country faces a war or enters a state of emergency,it can be quickly mobilized and transferred to active service.This dual attribute is not only a product of the historical development of the United States,but also a special arrangement adapted to the national conditions of the United States.Since the end of the Cold War,the Army National Guard has effectively improved its combat readiness through downsizing,resturcturing,and integragion.Especially after the September 11 attacks,“war on terrorism” waged by the United States quickly spread across the globe.When the regular army forces were soon stretched out,they had to mobilize their reserve forces and transfer them to active service.The Army National Guard has gradually transformed from a strategic reserve force to a combat reserve force,from a homeland defense force to a global operational force,capable of providing the U.S.Army with well-trained soldiers and ready troops.The U.S.Army National Guard is nominally a reserve force in name,but in essence it is a standing armed force.It has distinctive features in terms of organization,nature and tasks,leadership,command,and training and mobilization.After the Cold War,the Army National Guard made outstanding contributions to the United States in such areas as direct participation in overseas operations,filling vacancies in active forces,performing combat support and guarantees,responding to domestic emergencies,and developing international exchanges and cooperation.This article conducts a more comprehensive and systematic study on the development,transformation,building,and employment of the US Army National Guard,summarizes its successful experience and bottlenecks,and explores the trends of future development.On this basis,it puts forward the main idea of "four changes" and the realistic design of "five reductions and five increases" for the readjustment and reform of the PLA Army Reserve forces.