One of the traditional means that state governors have had to respond to natural disasters and other emergencies is the National Guard.
Now, however, with 40% of the occupation force in Iraq being made up of reserve and National Guard troops, some governors are worried that they may not have the resources they need to respond to those kinds of emergencies, and they made their concerns known at the National Governors Association meeting, this past weekend in Seattle, in a meeting with Undersecretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness David Chu and commander of U.S. Northern Command Gen. Ralph Eberhardt.
"This has had a huge impact," said Washington Gov. Gary Locke. 62% of Washington's National Guard is deployed, including the majority of the best-trained firefighters, just as the forest fire season is getting under way.
A spokesman for Idaho Gov. Dirk Kempthorne noted that, in the past, the state has been able to call on the National Guard, but "We may not be able to call on these soldiers for firefighting capabilities," this year, because they simply aren't there.
As of July 21, a total of 153,599 reservists and National Guardsmen are on active duty, of which, 126,856 are Army Reserve and Army National Guard.
[source: Seattle Times, July 21; DoD press briefing, July 21]
PENTAGON CONSIDERING EXTENDING NATIONAL GAURDSMEN BEYOND 24 MONTHS.
The Defense Department is reportedly considering extending the mobilization of National Guard soldiers beyond the federal limit of 24 months, as the first groups of soldiers activated after the 9/11 attacks near that limit.
The first soldiers effected would be about 450 from the Arkansas National Guard who are in Iraq as part of the 39th Infantry Brigade, but it could soon be extended to thousands of others.
Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld denied, during a press briefing this afternoon, that there were plans to extend anyone beyond the 24 months, but left the possibility open when he added, "the country's at war," and "the facts on the ground will determine what we do...."
One of the traditional means that state governors have had to respond to natural disasters and other emergencies is the National Guard.