DOD report urges increase in guard's civilian technicians Published Sept. 14, 2010 By Lt. Col. Ellen Krenke National Guard Bureau ARLINGTON, Va., (AFNS) -- Department of Defense officials recently submitted a report to Congress recommending an increase in the current legal limits on the number of civilian technicians who provide support to National Guard members and their units. About 52,000 technicians are spread across the across the U.S., while about 95 percent are deployable servicemembers, who hold dual status. Less than 5 percent form a small, but vital core of non-deployable civilian or non-dual status technicians. According to the study, "the ability to hire and place more non-dual status technicians in the states is not only advisable, it is critical to mission accomplishment." "What they provide for us are continuity services that are primarily governmental in nature and not military-inherent," said Col. William Kolbinger, the National Guard Bureau's head of technician personnel. Non-dual status technicians are employed in human resources, administrative services, financial services and information technology. "As the Army National Guard has transitioned from a strictly strategic reserve to more of a frequently and rotationally mobilized and deployed operational force, both at home and abroad, it has become clear that more of the supporting positions at the state level need to transition from being held by deployable military members of the National Guard to being held by non-deployable civilian technicians," said Army Maj. Gen. Raymond W. Carpenter, the acting director of the Army National Guard, told the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense. The fiscal 2010 National Defense Authorization Act directed Defense Department officials to conduct a study on whether an increase in the limit of non-dual status technicians should be recommended for the guard. Current law limits the number of non-dual status technicians to 1,950 -- a number that has not been increased since 1997. The DOD report recommends raising the limit to 5,110. "New missions and services also provide a critical need for non-dual status technicians," according to the report. "These areas include family support services, wounded warrior rehire programs, post mobilization services (like psychological health) and programs for surviving spouses."