Governor Mike Pence joins 39 other governors in a bid to keep more National Guard military technicians from becoming non-uniformed federal employees.
Section 1053 of the 2016 National Defense Authorization Act states that a portion of uniformed employees would need to transition into civilian roles. That means there would be less National Guardsmen available in an emergency situation.
Pence joins governors that include representation from states including Ohio, Massachusetts, Hawaii. In the letter signed by the governors, they say, "We are gravely concerned about how this provision will affect overall National Guard readiness and out ability to use the Guard to respond to emergencies."
Neither Governor Pence nor the Indiana National Guard were available for comment.