Guard gear at 60 percent or less in 31 states - Military News | News From Afghanistan, Iraq And Around The World - Military Times

Guard gear at 60 percent or less in 31 states

National Guard units in 31 states say that after four years of deployment in Iraq and Afghanistan, they have 60 percent or less of their authorized equipment, a USA Today review has found.

Nineteen of those 31 states report having half or fewer of the vehicles, aircraft, radios, weapons and other items they are authorized to have for home-front uses, the 50-state review found.

Guard leaders say the shortfalls raise concerns about whether some state units would be able to help other states as they did when Hurricanes Katrina and Rita devastated the Gulf Coast in 2005.

“There is going to be a point at which, if the percentage of equipment [continues to fall], we may well be in the same situation as some of the other states in not being able to answer the call,” Ohio National Guard spokesman Mark Wayda said.

Still, Guard leaders in East Coast and Southeastern states vulnerable to hurricanes say they are able to meet anticipated emergency needs within their states. And a few others, such as Wisconsin, say they, too, are ready for emergencies.

“We’re in especially good shape in the kind of equipment that would be used to respond to a natural disaster,” Lt. Col. Tim Donovan, Wisconsin National Guard spokesman said.

Some of the Guard’s equipment has been destroyed, left behind or is still in use in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, the review found.

The shortage is reaching a crisis in Pennsylvania, Maj. Gen. Jessica Wright said. Pennsylvania has 49 percent of equipment available, she said, and much of that is old — including trucks that are 35 to 40 years old.

“We are stretched to capacity,” Wright said.

In Kansas, the National Guard “is stretched pretty thin,” said Maj. Tod Bunting, the top military commander in the state, who says 50 percent of its authorized equipment is available.

Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius voiced alarm about the state’s Guard capabilities in a letter to President Bush after the town of Greensburg, Kan., was destroyed by a tornado May 4.

Guard leaders in New Mexico reported the lowest equipment level, 34 percent, mirroring a Government Accountability Office report in January that looked at equipment available for use both on the battlefield and at home.

Sen. Pete Domenici, R-N.M., warned in April that a lack of equipment “leaves the Guard in a situation that affects their ability to fight a war or respond effectively to emergencies at home.”

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Kansas governor says war depleted Guard