Military Officer - August 2008 - (Page 55)

Blum talks with a Guard Chemical, Biological, Radiological, NuclearEnhanced Response Force Package Team member in Indiana (above). Lt. Col. Kim Sencindiver, USAF, listens to Blum at the Vigilant Guard ’08 Exercise in Tennessee (facing page). that we’ll just make [the] Guard and Reserve strategic forces again. Is that what the people in the Pentagon think? Some, but they’re the same people who thought we wouldn’t see the National Guard doing two, three, and four turns in this war, using every one of our combat units once and most being on their second and third tour. A few years ago, the National Guard was providing more than half of U.S. ground forces in Iraq. Very soon we will almost be at that level again. PHOTO: SGT. JIM GREENHILL, USA When will that happen? I would rather not say, because there are variables, such as whether force levels stay where they are. These are not decisions made by the chief of the National Guard Bureau. I only ensure that, if they need forces, we have them trained, equipped, and ready. We also ensure for governors that the units left at home are trained, equipped, and ready. It’s a delicate balancing act, which we’ve managed very well. No governor in seven years of this conﬂict has failed to send forces overseas or failed to send forces to another state when needed. During the [Hurricane] Katrina catastrophe, governors of every state sent Army or Air Guard units and equipment. We had people as far away as Guam going to Mississippi and Louisiana. The result was 50,000 people in less than six days. That was the fastest, largest response to humanitarian disaster by military forces in history. Total reserve component response to Katrina was about 70,000. Will the pause in the drawdown in Iraq this summer and the switch back to 12-month deployments for active forces create a spike in reliance on Guard deployments? It’s a question of supply and demand. Our supply [of troops] is going up, and demand seems to be increasing, too. [Chief of Staff of the Army Gen. George W.] Casey [Jr.] puts it this way: “We’re consuming our readiness as fast as we build it.” But I will tell you we will do whatever is necessary to meet the threat. We’re not going to break, and we’re not going to falter. That would have happened way before now if it were going to occur. We have got to watch it very closely, however. What we do for [Guard] families, what we do for employers, [CONTINUES ON PAGE 74] AUGUST 2008 MILITARY OFFICER 55

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Military Officer - August 2008

Military Officer - August 2008 Contents MOAA Online From the Editor From the President Your Views MOAA Directory Rapid Fire Washington Scene Chapters in Action Financial Forum Ask the Doctor MOAA Member Services Cover Story: A Stronger Voice Virtual Combat Mental Floss Steady as She Goes Pages of History Faces of MOAA Member Books Information Exchange Advertising Index MOAA Calendar Sounding Taps MOAA Scholarship Donors Encore

Military Officer - August 2008

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