Joint Chiefs Chairman Navy Adm. Mike Mullen addresses 2500 Army and Air Guardsmen at the 2009 National Guard Joint Senior Leadership Conference at the Gaylord Center, National Harbor, Md., Nov. 19, 2009. (DoD photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Chad J. McNeeley/Released)
The National Guard's transformation from a strategic reserve to an operational force since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, should continue beyond the current conflicts, the nation's top military officer told Guard leaders yesterday.