1Urging the President of the United States and the Congress to
2immediately consider and pass <-House Resolution H.R. 3930,
3which establishes the National Commission on the Structure of
4the Army.

5WHEREAS, The Preamble to the Constitution of the United 
6States reads in part, "We the People of the United
7States...to...provide for the common defence...and secure the
8blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity..."; and

9WHEREAS, Section 8 of Article I of the Constitution of the 
10United States reads in part, "The Congress shall have power...to
11raise and support armies...to provide and maintain a navy...";
12and

13WHEREAS, Peace and the search for it may be an utmost desired
14end, but the achievement of that end may be better obtained if
15we maintain our strength while advancing the goal of peace; and

1WHEREAS, It is the primary responsibility of government to
2ensure the public safety and public health of its citizens; and

3WHEREAS, Global uncertainty and security continue while the
4threat to freedom and liberty, both domestically and around the
5world remains; and

6WHEREAS, The Pentagon's fiscal year 2015 budget proposal for
7the United States Army outlines a plan to make budget cuts to
8both active duty Army and the Army National Guard personnel,
9which will effectively reduce the National Guard's end strength;
10and

11WHEREAS, Under the Pentagon's fiscal year 2015 budget
12proposal, the National Guard's end strength will be reduced to
13315,000 soldiers, a level that has not been seen since the 1950s
14and 35,000 fewer soldiers than pre-9/11 levels; and

15WHEREAS, Under the Pentagon's fiscal year 2015 budget 
16proposal, the National Guard stands to lose all of its attack 
17and reconnaissance capabilities, jeopardizing the National 
18Guard's mission readiness and support component to the active 
19forces in times of both war and domestic emergency; and

20WHEREAS, The National Guard has a unique dual mission, which
21includes both Federal and state responsibilities; and

22WHEREAS, The President of the United States may activate the
23National Guard to participate in Federal missions, such as
24overseas contingency operations, or the Governor may activate
25the National Guard to respond to disasters, emergencies and
26recovery efforts; and

27WHEREAS, The National Guard is ready, accessible and trains
28to the same standards as the Army, making it very versatile; and

29WHEREAS, <-House Resolution H.R. 3930, which establishes the
30National Commission on the Structure of the Army, will ensure

1that the regular and reserve components of the Army have the
2capacity needed to support homeland security and to participate
3in disaster response missions in the United States when needed;
4and

5WHEREAS, <-House Resolution H.R. 3930 will prohibit the Army
6from using fiscal year 2015 funds to divest, retire or transfer,
7or prepare to divest, retire or transfer, any aircraft of the
8Army assigned to units of the Army National Guard; and

9WHEREAS, <-House Resolution H.R. 3930 will further prohibit the
10Army from using fiscal year 2015 funds to reduce personnel below
11the authorized end strength levels of 350,000 for the Army
12National Guard; and

13WHEREAS, The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania maintains the
14oldest division in the United States Army which is the 28th
15Infantry Division, which proudly continues to serve this great
16country; and

17WHEREAS, The geographical location of Pennsylvania in
18relation to the entire northeast corridor, places the
19Pennsylvania National Guard in a strategically accessible
20position that can effectively respond at the Federal and state
21level when needed for domestic emergencies or armed conflicts;
22and

23WHEREAS, The United States has seen that war or aggression
24comes not when forces of freedom are strong, but when they are
25weak and tempting the forces of terror and tyranny; and

26WHEREAS, Since World War II, the United States has spent
27large amounts of money and much of our time rightly protecting
28and defending freedom all over the world and the United States
29should never abdicate the responsibilities of leadership to any
30other country whether ally or foe; and

1WHEREAS, The cost of liberty must be eternal vigilance; and

2WHEREAS, The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania owes much to all
3who serve in uniform; therefore be it

4RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the
5Commonwealth of Pennsylvania urge the Pentagon to explore
6alternatives to increase the cost-effectiveness of maintaining
7the Army National Guard in ways that do not adversely impact its
8mission readiness; and be it further

9RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the
10Commonwealth of Pennsylvania urge the President of the United
11States and the Congress to immediately consider and pass <-House 
12Resolution <-H.R. 3930, which creates the National Commission on
13the Structure of the Army and prohibits the Army from using
14fiscal year 2015 funds to change the structure and effectiveness
15of the Army National Guard; and be it further

16RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the
17Commonwealth of Pennsylvania urge the Army to examine other
18options to increase the cost-effectiveness of maintaining the
19Army National Guard in ways that do not jeopardize our homeland
20security and our mission readiness capabilities; and be it
21further

22RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to
23the President of the United States, to the presiding officers of
24each house of Congress and to each member of Congress from
25Pennsylvania.