Chairman opposes adding National Guard boss to Joint Chiefs



{mosads}“I wanted you to hear it from me, before you saw it on CNN,” Dempsey told the Guard members, according to a news release from his office.



“Only one person can be in charge of the ‘brand,’” Dempsey said, according to the release.



“That person, who is accountable for that institution across the components, in my feeling, should be the service chief,” Dempsey said.



His comments came two days before he and the other service chiefs will appear before the Senate Armed Services Committee to testify on the same matter.



Dempsey also said he opposes making the National Guard chief a member of the Joint Chiefs because that individual lacks budget authority. The Guard and Reserve components of the military receive funding from each military service.



“The service chief,” Dempsey said, “along with the service secretary, has the responsibility to organize, train and equip the force using the resources given him by the Congress of the United States.”