U.S. National Guard chief says funds lagging risks
Sun May 13, 2007 12:27PM EDT
By Kristin Roberts
MUSCATATUCK, Indiana (Reuters) - The National Guard is likely to see an unprecedented level of new funds to fix or replace equipment worn out in Iraq and Afghanistan, but that's still not enough to make the force ready for homeland missions, its chief said.
"The president's budget is unprecedented in the history of the Guard in providing money to the Army National Guard to reequip," said Lt. Gen. Steven Blum, chief of the National Guard Bureau.
But still, it leaves equipment gaps, especially in the area of Humvees, trucks and other transport gear, that do not match the level of risk Blum said he sees.
"There's a serious commitment to do this, but that still only takes us to a level I'd rather not talk about."
Walking through a fake nuclear attack scene during a training exercise in Muscatatuck, Indiana, Blum said the National Guard needs about $14 billion above the $21.9 billion the Bush Administration has already requested for that reserve force over the next five years.
"It depends on how much risk this nation wants to assume," he told reporters on Saturday in the midst of the May 7-18 exercise.
"It's roughly in the vicinity of $14 billion that would buy down the risk to what I think would be an acceptable level, above and beyond" what is already in the fiscal 2008 budget request, he said.
Clearly, as chief of the National Guard, it is part of Blum's job to lobby for more money. And in fact, many military and defense officials credit Blum's force of personality for the gains the Guard has made in funding. Continued...
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