Military Officer - August 2008 - (Page 79)

scholarshipdonors BLUM [CONTINUED FROM PAGE 76] ately under-resourcing reserve components. We would call them up [as war approached] and have plenty of time to buy equipment and get it in their hands. That’s not the way we’re operating today. Lt. Gen. Clyde Vaughn, director of the Army National Guard, testified that his stateside units have only 61 percent of equipment needed to conduct training and prepare for future deployments Yes, in the domestic units, because everybody deployed overseas has everything they need and then some. What we need to do is make sure we’ve got essential items to respond back here at home. That doesn’t mean we need everything authorized. We don’t need tanks back here at home, thank goodness. We’re not going to be shooting artillery on the American people or using attack helicopters. So we don’t have to have everything. But we must have radios, medical sets, engineer equipment, trucks, and utility helicopters to save lives when we get called. What percentage of those necessities do you have? That’s the basis for [Vaughn’s] 61-percent ﬁgure. Vaughn said if you don’t count unacceptable and non-deployable substitutes, actual equipment available at home falls even lower. That’s true right now. But in less than 12 months, we won’t have any of those unacceptable substitute items, because we’ve worked very hard with the Army to come to an accommodation on that. Besides recognizing an equipment shortage, you’ve testified that at any given time 17 governors are asking for assistance. How satis- fied have those governors been in recent years with the response of the National Guard? In February of ’03, I met with the governors and made a commitment that I would always leave half of their capabilities in their state. We have not violated that. In fact, most governors have had about 70 percent of their force available. But the real issue is equipment levels are so low they can’t optimize that 70 percent. The Army recognized this for the ﬁrst time, and Gates, the Joint Chiefs, the joint staff, and Army staff all are committed to improving the situation. I am reasonably conﬁdent that, if we stay on course, we will be at acceptable levels by 2011. We’re getting better every day. We had 40 percent of required equipment at home in ’06, 49 percent in ’07, [and] we’re at 61 percent today. We’ll move into the 70s in ’09, and by 2013 we expect to be fully modernized and at about 77 percent, assuming no resources are added beyond our planned budgets. Do you meet with Guard families all the time? Unfortunately, I meet with a lot of families who have lost loved ones or have seriously wounded members. They want to know what we’re going to do for them, how we are going to treat them. I’m very proud that the system has stepped up to deliver what those families deserve and expect. Do families say, “This operational Guard is not what we signed up for?” No. I got that in 2001. By 2002, everyone knew. This is a volunteer force. We haven’t had compulsory service for the Guard ever. What those who came in before 2001 expected might have been different. Those people who didn’t want to stay have left. Those who replaced them know what they’re facing and are willing to stand up and do what the nation needs. MO The association expresses its gratitude for the generosity of the following who have donated gifts of $100 or more. We will acknowledge other donors in future issues of Military Ofﬁcer. Maj Myrwin H. Anderson, USAFR-Ret. Maj Loin D. Barker, USAF-Ret. Frances N. Bower CAPT Richard L. Brown, USCG-Ret. CAPT John A. Byrne Jr., USN-Ret. LTC Virginia A. Camp, USA-Ret. CWO3 John M. Corothers, USN-Ret. Lt Col David A. Dredden, USAF Bea Fuhrman Capt John R. Garrett, USAF-Ret. CDR Raymond A. Grandon, USN-Ret. Col Ronald A. Henrikson, USAF-Ret. Margaret E. Holton LTC Donald J. Ivey, USA-Ret. LTC Robert G. Jordan, USA-Ret. CAPT Daniel G. Merkel, USN-Ret. COL Franklin L. Metcalf, USA-Ret. LCDR Francis L. Miller, USN-Ret. LTC William C. Mills Jr., USA-Ret. BG Daniel F. Perugini, USA-Ret. Mary Jo Powell Capt John M. Quinn, USAFR-Ret. LTC Steven A. Rank, USA-Ret. MG William E. Read, USA-Ret. CW3 William E. Reich, USAR-Ret. Col Phillip L. Reynolds, USAF-Ret. LTC Ralph E. Reynolds, USAR-Ret. LTC and Mrs. Harold Richards, USA-Ret. LTJG Robert W. Richards, USNR-Ret. Lt Col Leonard W. Riley III, USAF-Ret. COL Charles A. Rodgers, USAR-Ret. LTC Sherman G. Rollins, USAR-Ret. Maj Harvey J. Royer, USAF-Ret. CAPT Edward K. Sanders, USN-Ret. BG Robert G. Sausser, USA-Ret. Col Henry J. Schmitt Jr., USAF-Ret. CAPT Norman V. Scurria Jr., USCG-Ret. Donna K. Shattuck COL Thomas C. Shaylor, USA-Ret. Fern K. Shellhase Col John D. Shoup, USMC-Ret. Silver Strand (Calif.) Chapter Mrs. LaVon M. Skoog Dr. David D. Smith CAPT Robert C. Smith, USN-Ret. LtCol Francis M. Snow, USMC-Ret. South Alabama Chapter of MOAA South Coast (Calif.) Chapter LTC Thomas A. Spencer, USA-Ret. Col Thomas J. Springob, USAF-Ret. Anne V. Steigelman LCDR Charles H. Stephens, USN-Ret. Elizabeth J. Sutton LTC Thomas W. Talbert, USA-Ret. GEN John H. Tilelli, USA-Ret. CAPT Jeremiah R. Toomey, USPHS-Ret. LTC Creighton J. Trahan, USA-Ret. United Way — California Capital Region CDR Carl W. Utterback, USN-Ret. 1st Lt Richard A. Veach, USAF-Ret. Ventura County (Calif.) Chapter MOAA CDR Edward W. Vogel, USN-Ret. GEN Louis C. Wagner Jr., USA-Ret. Maj William G. Weppner, USAF-Ret. West Suburban Chicago Chapter, MOAA Maj Craig A. White, USMC-Ret. Janet C. Wilke Col Donald A. Williams, USAF-Ret. COL Kenneth R. Wilson, USA-Ret. CWO4 Donald B. Winegard, USN-Ret. Marilyn Witcomb CW4 Kenneth W. Wittman, USAR-Ret. CAPT Eugene J. Wolski, USN-Ret. RADM Charles B. Young, USN-Ret. LTC Harold G. Young, USA-Ret. COL James H. Youngquist, AUS-Ret. MAJ Julius J. Zebehazy, USA-Ret. AUGUST 2008 MILITARY OFFICER 79

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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