[color="transparent"]Atlanta - Presidential candidate Chase Oliver supports Defend the Guard initiatives that reaffirm that Congress - not the president - has the sole power to declare war.[/color]

[color="transparent"]Three Army Reserve troops from Fort Moore, Ga. died, and 41 National Guard troops were injured when an Iranian-backed Shia group launched the lethal attack Jan. 28 on Tower 22, a U.S. military post in Rukban, Jordan. The injured troops came from Guard units from Arizona, California, Kentucky, and New York.[/color]

[color="transparent"]These deaths and injuries bring added cruelty - these deployments would not have happened if Defend the Guard had been in place.[/color]

[color="transparent"]Defend the Guard initiatives seek to enforce existing constitutional provisions requiring a formal declaration of war by Congress before National Guard troops are deployed into active combat zones overseas. These initiatives would restore state authority over their Guard troops, ensuring that the decision to send troops into harm's way is made with the utmost deliberation and accountability - through a declaration of war.[/color]

[color="transparent"]As of today 26 states, including Oliver’s home state of Georgia, have introduced Defend the Guard legislation.[/color]

[color="transparent"]According to a press release from the National Guard Bureau, more than 27,000 National Guard troops serve “in support of overseas operations, including 8,300 in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility.” [/color]

[color="transparent"]Oliver got his start in politics opposing the war under former President George W. Bush, and he describes himself as anti-war to the core. [/color]