SHAHEEN MEETS WITH NATIONAL GUARD CHIEF NOMINEE GENERAL FRANK GRASS

(Washington, D.C.)—U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) today discussed several issues important to national security and New Hampshire National Guard members during a meeting with Lieutenant General Frank Grass, the President’s nominee to become the next General and Chief for the National Guard Bureau. Shaheen and Grass spoke about basing decisions for the Air Force’s new refueling tanker, proposed changes in military force structure that could affect the Guard, and the importance of National Guard reintegration programs.

Shaheen and Grass discussed the impact of the New Hampshire Deployment Cycle Support Program (DCSP) and invited General Grass for a visit to New Hampshire to see the program firsthand.

“General Grass has had a long history of service to our country and he certainly understands the challenges that face our returning Guard members and their families,” said Shaheen, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee. “The public-private partnership used in the New Hampshire Deployment Support Cycle Program has shown to be a cost-effective system for providing services to members of the Guard. This program can serve as a national model and I was glad to get a chance to personally invite General Grass to visit New Hampshire to see its impact directly.”

The New Hampshire DCSP prepares and supports service members and their families before, during and after deployment, and assists returning service members as they transition back to civilian life.  Through the DCSP, all New Hampshire National Guard members and their families are assigned a professional care coordinator who proactively checks in on family members. 

Shaheen has been a strong advocate for the New Hampshire DCSP and has worked with the Department of Defense to ensure continued funding. She has also pushed for the Air Force's new KC-46A refueling tanker to be assigned to the Pease Air National Guard Base in Portsmouth. In a letter sent to Air Force Chief of Staff General Norton Schwartz this past May, Shaheen emphasized that Pease was the optimal location to assign the new tankers.

Shaheen and Grass also discussed recent proposals from the Air Force to alter the military’s force structure by cutting Air National Guard programs.