National Guard Chief Confirmed for Additional Two Years

[struggle4progress]

Courtesy of American Forces Press Service
and Department of Defense

1/29/07, Washington, DC—The U.S. Senate has confirmed the nomination of Army LTG H Steven Blum for a two-year extension as chief of the National Guard Bureau.

President Bush nominated LTG Blum for the extension in December. The Senate acted on the nomination Jan. 26. LTG Blum will have served as the chief for four years in April ...

http://www.gxonline.com/gxintelnews?id=37948


Beliefwatch: Foxholes
Newsweek

Aug. 21-28, 2006 issue - ... Just last month Lt. Gen. H. Steven Blum, chief of the National Guard Bureau, said, "Agnostics, atheists and bigots suddenly lose all that when their life is on the line." Atheist groups reacted swiftly, releasing a statement that "Nonbelievers are serving, and have served, in our nation's military with distinction!" The National Guard .. his comments were "intended to clearly illustrate the positive spirit of camaraderie, human understanding and inclusion of our fine men and women in the National Guard." ... http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14322117/site/newsweek/



US: National Guard Chief Says Private Military Contractors Stymie Recruitment
by Nathan Hodge, Defense Daily
July 13th, 2005

... In a meeting with the Defense Writers Group yesterday, Army Lt. Gen. Steven Blum said the government¹s outsourcing of certain security tasks to private firms had had "unintended consequences," making it more difficult for the Guard to recruit sought-after military personnel such as special operators and military police. In some cases, Blum said, Guard recruiters find themselves in a "bidding war" for highly skilled service veterans, who are being offered lucrative contracts to work as private security contractors in places like Iraq and Afghanistan. "We are offering them bonuses to stay with us, yet the other elements of the United States government are offering them more significant bonuses to go and do this and basically in a paramilitary civilian contractor capacity," Blum said ...

http://www.corpwatch.org/article.php?id=12499