Prairie State Wire

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] – Combat Veteran and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), member of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee, met with General Dan Hokanson, Chief of the National Guard Bureau, to discuss the National Guard’s legislative priorities ahead of the Fiscal Year 2024 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). Duckworth and Hokanson discussed expanding healthcare coverage for Reserve component members as well as updates on the National Guard’s State Partnership Program. A photo from today’s meeting is available here.

“General Hokanson and I had the opportunity to discuss many issues today to ensure the strength of our National Guard and its members,” Duckworth said. “Maintaining focus on growing threats and making sure National Guard members uphold the highest standards of military service is critical, and I look forward to continuing to work with General Hokanson to support these goals.”

The National Guard Bureau serves as a communications channel between the 54 separate National Guard organizations (50 states, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the District of Columbia, the Virgin Islands and Guam) and the Army and the Air Force.

Since 1993, Illinois National Guard has facilitated a State Partnership Program with the Polish Armed Forces, one of 22 European partnerships that make up the U.S. European Command State Partnership Program. This successful partnership helped Poland emerge from the Warsaw Pact to become a member of NATO and one of the United States’ staunchest allies. In addition, Illinois Army National Guardsmen have co-deployed with Poland on every Polish rotation to Iraq and Afghanistan since 2003.

Senator Duckworth is a former Army Black Hawk pilot who served in the Reserve Forces for 23 years.

Original source can be found here.