Bush Devotes a Day to Guard, Reserve Forces

CHARLESTON, W.Va. â€”  For the third day in a row, President Bush on Wednesday went to a military installation to praise the armed forces and extol his plans to improve their lot.

His audience on the final day of his tour of military bases was 1,200 reservists and National Guard members. And the message was that their service will become more important and their missions will be chosen more carefully.

The cheers and promises on Bush’s themed tour reflected the sunny side of the administration’s early encounter with the defense community. The visits focused attention on the military programs Bush plans to elevate or fund more generously.

Last week, when television cameras were not rolling, a disappointed military got a glimpse of the darker side--the programs and weapons that may get short shrift in a budget that is not as large as some had expected.

An objective of Bush’s public events this week is to keep the spotlight on the positive.

On Monday, the president visited the Army’s Ft. Stewart in Georgia and announced that he wants to spend $5.7 billion for military pay raises, expanded health care benefits and improved housing.

On Tuesday, he was in Norfolk, Va., where he announced that he would ask Congress to spend an additional $2.6 billion to develop high-tech weapons. That funding is intended to be a down payment until a thorough review of military needs is completed.

In Norfolk, Bush also called for cooperation among North Atlantic Treaty Organization members in confronting terrorism and the threats posed by weapons of mass destruction--an issue he cited Wednesday as one that might require the service of reservists.

Bush also told his audience Wednesday at Yeager Air National Guard base that the mission of reservists and the National Guard will continue to expand as the ranks of the active armed forces dwindle.

Although he did not get specific, the president suggested that “stepped-up challenges� will include not only continued deployment abroad but here at home as well, perhaps to combat terrorism on U.S. soil.

In his remarks, Bush, a former Air National Guardsman, barely touched on policy, instead lavishing praise on reservists and members of the National Guard. He called them “full-time patriots.�

The president also hailed their civilian employers, who, he said, “put love of country above love of profit.�

Guard and reserve personnel receive a variety of support from their civilian employers, including job security and some benefits, even when on active-duty deployment.

Before his formal address, Bush conducted a round-table discussion with a small group of part-time soldiers and their civilian employers.

In recent years, the mission of the National Guard and reserves has grown markedly, and they are now increasingly deployed on foreign peacekeeping missions.

Since 1995, for instance, more than 23,000 reservists have served in Bosnia and Kosovo. Ten years ago, about 228,000 reservists and Guard personnel served in the Persian Gulf War.

Bush took note of such service, but he also looked ahead.

“As threats to America change, your role will continue to change,� he said. “The National Guard and reservists will be more involved in homeland security, confronting acts of terror and the disorder our enemies may try to create.�

Despite the growing role that he envisions for Guard and reserve personnel, Bush hastened to add that he will not overextend them.