July 16, 2015 (Arlington, VA) - Local 1776 Business Manager Ben Banchs appeared before the National Commission on the Future of the Army today on behalf of Army Technicians everywhere to let panel members know that the secret to the National Guard's success is the affordability and experience of its small yet knowledgeable technician workforce.

The conference room was packed with representatives from the Army, the National Guard, and many other areas within the defense community, as well as members from the press. In addition to Banchs the Commissioners heard testimony from Assistant Secretary of the Army for Manpower and Reserve Affairs, Debra Wada, and retired Major General Arnold Punaro, USMCR.

The Commission was established by Congress to study what the Army of the future will look like as it emerges from nearly 15 years of continuous combat, a period which saw the Army's reliance on the National Guard and Reserve increase significantly.

While the Commission's task is to look at the entire Army, its existence is largely due to the Army's controversial proposal to remove all Apache helicopters from the National Guard, a move Army Chief of Staff General Ray Odierno initially blamed on budget shortfalls, but later said it was also due to the Guard's sub-par capability. The latter claim caught many in the Guard community by surprise and became the catalyst for a grass roots effort to stop the Army's proposal. 

Read Banchs' full written testimony here. Also, make sure to tell Congress to Keep the AH-64 Apache in the National Guard .