Swiss Cheese Units refer to National Guard units in the US that are not fully manned or equipped due to individual members being deployed. This creates a risk for national security as the remaining units may not be able to respond adequately to a terrorist threat or attack. The problem existed before the Iraq and Afghanistan wars and was exacerbated by new military policies requiring longer terms of service.
Swiss Cheese Units is a term popularized in 2006 to describe the state of National Guard military units in the United States. In general, a guard unit trains together and, when required, will be deployed together because they have developed the ability to work together as a team. In addition, a certain amount of equipment is assigned to the military unit.
However, in order to build up forces in Iraq, individual members of a guard unit may be deployed. This has led to the term Swiss Cheese Units to express that the remaining guard unit is full of holes because it is not fully manned.
Not only people, but equipment can also be levied from individual guard units to replace equipment lost in Iraq or to augment equipment needs. So not only might the Swiss Cheese Units lack people and weaker ones, but the Swiss Cheese Units might also lack important equipment that is vital to training and practice. This can create guard units that are ill-prepared to be deployed and would be completely unable to assist in military efforts within the United States.
Some of the problems associated with deploying some members of a National Guard unit existed before the invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan. The National Guard’s Swiss cheese units weren’t at full strength even prior to these military actions, making them vulnerable when they lost even one member.
Additionally, new military policies enacted by President Bush required longer terms of service for all military units. Service prior to 2006, in any military engagement, was essentially shelved, and all National Guard units were told they now had to serve one year in Iraq, or other active military engagement, every five years in the Guard. This allowed the government to immediately deploy more troops, leading to the Swiss Cheese Units effect.
What worries many national security workers and critics of the Bush administration is that the Swiss Cheese Units create more risk inside the United States. By not having fully staffed guard units with proper equipment, a terrorist threat or attack on the United States may not be met with the full strength of the National Guard. The Swiss Cheese Units are expected to compensate their deployed members, which could weaken the army’s response in an emergency situation.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
