States Depend on the National Guard

STATES DEPEND ON THE NATIONAL GUARD

Most Nebraskans will recall the blizzard that roared out of Colorado in October 1997 and slammed into Nebraska causing extensive damage that would take weeks to clean up.

It was fall and most trees still had their leaves. Branches snapped under the weight of more than a foot of heavy, wet snow and ice. The resulting power outages left 125,000 Nebraskans without electricity for days and even weeks.

As governor, it was the responsibility of my office to declare a state of emergency which activated the National Guard to help in clean up and rescue operations. The Guard responded with troops and equipment that made the effort proceed smoothly and efficiently.

This is one example of when a state must call upon the National Guard and it is essential for the safety and security of our citizens that states continue to have ready access to a well equipped Guard during times of emergency. Unfortunately, the Government Accountability Office reports that due to heavy demands on the Guard since 9/11 the Guard's preparedness to help in domestic disaster relief is being weakened.

Part of the problem is that when a Nebraska unit is activated for service in Iraq it takes some equipment with it. When the troops return home they often leave essential gear such as Humvees, trucks, communication and vision equipment behind due to combat wear, destruction, or inability to be returned.

How bad is the situation? Nationally, the National Guard has only 2/3rds of the Humvees, 3/4ths of the radios, half of the night vision devices and 1/4th of the modern medium trucks it needs to be mission responsive.

In Nebraska the shortfall totals more than 1700 pieces of equipment that would cost nearly $35 million to replace.

Senator Lindsay Graham (R-SC) and I are concerned enough that we have written a bi-partisan resolution that calls on the Pentagon to fully fund the National Guard to make up for equipment shortages and calls on them to confer with Congress on any proposed reduction in force structure or personnel.

Next month, the Pentagon will present its Quadrennial Defense Review on the status of the United States Armed Forces which will recommend changes to address new and existing threats. It is expected to designate the National Guard for force reductions. Our resolution will put the Senate on record supporting consultation with the Pentagon and the nation's governors who also have operational control of National Guard troops. I will oppose any force structure proposal that does not consider the National Guard's vital role in homeland defense and other state missions defined by governors.

The states need to have enough equipment to respond to blizzards, tornadoes, floods, hurricanes, terrorist activities or other emergencies. If we do not have the necessary equipment our security will be at risk. We need to be safe in our home towns in order to be safe in our home land.

Replacing equipment for the National Guard is one element of my proposed national security agenda which focuses on increa

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