CommunityEditor
01-19-2009, 11:19 PM
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — New Mexico’s National Guard is getting more of the equipment it needs, although the Guard’s commander doubts it will ever receive 100 percent.
Two years ago, the Government Accountability Office found the New Mexico Guard had only about a third of the dual-use equipment it needed — the lowest percentage of any Guard in the nation.
Dual-use equipment is authorized for war missions but also can be used in responding to domestic needs, such as natural disasters.
New Mexico’s equipment needs have since improved, Maj. Gen. Kenny Montoya said last week.
Historically, he said, National Guard units throughout the country haven’t gotten the equipment they need because money flows from Congress through the Department of Defense to the Army and Air Force, which give the Guard what they have left.
But in recent budgets, Congress has included funds specifically for the Guard, allowing units to build up, Montoya said.
“The essential equipment we need is the equipment for everyday missions, not just the combat missions,” he said.
In New Mexico’s case, that’s largely equipment for engineers, military police and truck drivers, he said. Around 800 New Mexico Guard members will be deployed this year to Iraq and Afghanistan.
Montoya takes the blame for much of the state’s equipment shortages because he switched the Guard’s mission from largely air defense six years ago to the mix it has now — light infantry, military police, transportation and medical.
When New Mexico was largely into air defense, “we probably had one of the highest equipment percentages of anybody in the nation,” Montoya said. But those systems were a Cold War legacy not useful for peacekeeping, homeland defense or national disasters.”
The New Mexico Guard adjusted to its new mission quickly, which meant starting anew with equipment needs, Montoya said.
The state’s units now have about 70 percent of their equipment needs, he said.
In the past year, Montoya said, the Guard acquired engineering equipment because those units will be among troops being deployed this year. When that unit goes overseas, its equipment will remain in New Mexico and the New Mexico soldiers will use equipment already in Afghanistan.
“The truck units that I first sent to war (a few years ago) left their trucks overseas,” Montoya said, which contributed to the equipment shortages. Over the past 18 months, those trucks have been replaced.
The state also is starting to see more equipment for military police, “which is crucial to peacekeeping both here at home and border missions and combat,” Montoya said.
Today, he said Guard units in New Mexico and across the nation are in better shape for equipment.
“We’ll never hit the hundred percent ... but for New Mexico I would be happy if we had 100 percent of the essential equipment and 50 percent of the combat equipment,” Montoya said.
Article: http://www.armytimes.com/news/2009/01/ap_guardequipment_011909/
Two years ago, the Government Accountability Office found the New Mexico Guard had only about a third of the dual-use equipment it needed — the lowest percentage of any Guard in the nation.
Dual-use equipment is authorized for war missions but also can be used in responding to domestic needs, such as natural disasters.
New Mexico’s equipment needs have since improved, Maj. Gen. Kenny Montoya said last week.
Historically, he said, National Guard units throughout the country haven’t gotten the equipment they need because money flows from Congress through the Department of Defense to the Army and Air Force, which give the Guard what they have left.
But in recent budgets, Congress has included funds specifically for the Guard, allowing units to build up, Montoya said.
“The essential equipment we need is the equipment for everyday missions, not just the combat missions,” he said.
In New Mexico’s case, that’s largely equipment for engineers, military police and truck drivers, he said. Around 800 New Mexico Guard members will be deployed this year to Iraq and Afghanistan.
Montoya takes the blame for much of the state’s equipment shortages because he switched the Guard’s mission from largely air defense six years ago to the mix it has now — light infantry, military police, transportation and medical.
When New Mexico was largely into air defense, “we probably had one of the highest equipment percentages of anybody in the nation,” Montoya said. But those systems were a Cold War legacy not useful for peacekeeping, homeland defense or national disasters.”
The New Mexico Guard adjusted to its new mission quickly, which meant starting anew with equipment needs, Montoya said.
The state’s units now have about 70 percent of their equipment needs, he said.
In the past year, Montoya said, the Guard acquired engineering equipment because those units will be among troops being deployed this year. When that unit goes overseas, its equipment will remain in New Mexico and the New Mexico soldiers will use equipment already in Afghanistan.
“The truck units that I first sent to war (a few years ago) left their trucks overseas,” Montoya said, which contributed to the equipment shortages. Over the past 18 months, those trucks have been replaced.
The state also is starting to see more equipment for military police, “which is crucial to peacekeeping both here at home and border missions and combat,” Montoya said.
Today, he said Guard units in New Mexico and across the nation are in better shape for equipment.
“We’ll never hit the hundred percent ... but for New Mexico I would be happy if we had 100 percent of the essential equipment and 50 percent of the combat equipment,” Montoya said.
Article: http://www.armytimes.com/news/2009/01/ap_guardequipment_011909/