WASHINGTON - The National Guard’s senior enlisted leaders, representing more than 430,000 Soldiers and Airmen, discussed their insights and priorities during a leadership panel Feb. 24.
“Our priorities are always evolving because leadership changes inevitably shift our focus,” said Senior Enlisted Advisor John Raines, senior enlisted advisor to the chief, National Guard Bureau. “But at the core of everything we do is one guiding principle: peace through strength. When you look at our priorities in detail, you’ll see they all stem from that idea.”
The panel featured Raines, Command Sgt. Maj. Brian Kendrick, the Army National Guard sergeant major, and Command Chief Joshua Moore, the Air National Guard command chief.
All three leaders, based out of the Pentagon, serve as top enlisted advisers to the chief of the National Guard Bureau and directors of the Army and Air National Guard. These positions represent Guard Soldiers and Airmen across 50 states, three territories and the District of Columbia.
“We aim to be the most formidable military force in history,” Raines said. “So, every one of our priorities is designed to push us toward that ultimate goal: being the strongest military.”
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has said his priorities are to restore the warrior ethos, rebuild the military and re-establish deterrence.
With each new administration, the Department of Defense’s overarching priorities shape every military component. Senior leaders must ensure these directives reach the lowest levels and are implemented.
“I know some may ask, ‘What exactly needs rebuilding?’ Well, our adversaries are always evolving, so we must adapt our forces accordingly. We must constantly assess the threat, upgrade our capabilities and seize every opportunity to improve,” said Raines.
Established in 1636, the Army National Guard is the oldest component of the U.S. Armed Forces. Its nearly 328,000 service members serve as the primary combat reserve of the U.S. Army.
Kendrick assumed his position as the 14th Army National Guard sergeant major less than two weeks ago. Building on Raines’s emphasis on peace through strength, Kendrick offered his focus on combat readiness.
“We need to develop Soldiers who are truly combat-ready,” said Kendrick. “We fight where we are told. We win where we fight,” said Kendrick. “To do that, our units have to be lethal. That means they have access to the collective training that they need to build collective level proficiency.”
The National Guard’s domestic mission is to protect communities, respond to emergencies and uphold the nation’s values.
Equally crucial is its role in defending the United States at home and overseas. On any given day, roughly 20,000 Guardsmen support missions for combatant commanders worldwide.
“The days of going to war alone are over; we’re going to do it with our partners around the globe,” said Kendrick.
The Army and Air National Guard make up roughly 20% of the total Joint Force, integrating under the Army and Air Force when ordered to federal service.
Command Chief Master Sgt. Joshua Moore, who assumed his role as the ANG’s senior enlisted leader in February, noted professional development and readiness are among his top priorities.
“The key question is, are we prepared?” Moore said. “We’re going to develop our people, beginning with our senior noncommissioned officers, to ensure they’re ready to lead Airmen in a wartime environment and maybe in a way we’ve never asked them to.”
The Air National Guard includes over 108,000 Airmen and civilians across 90 wings.
Moore emphasized the Guard’s overall priority is wartime readiness.
“The fundamental truth that will never change is our Airmen have to be prepared to go do their mission somewhere to make sure our lethality works, and we do that through a few different ways,” said Moore.
“This ensures those NCO leaders experience the full scope of operational challenges and can guide their people effectively through them,” he said.
Raines emphasized that, whether serving at home or abroad, success depends on trained and prepared troops at every level.
“It is our job as senior leaders to ensure the Guard remains an indispensable force in safeguarding our nation and its interests worldwide,” said Raines.