Guard running low on equipment

[sabra]

Source: USAToday

National Guard units in 31 states say four years of war in Iraq and Afghanistan have left them with 60% or less of their authorized equipment, a USA TODAY review found.

Eighteen 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.

"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.

Read more: http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/news/20070615/1a_bottomstrip15.art.htm

[Rydz777]

1. The under-story of the Iraq debacle - which emerges from time to

time in stories such as this - is that Bush has frivolously wrecked our ground forces, both Army and Marines. If he decides to "surge" once more, there will be nothing to surge with.