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Senator says National Guard not ready
By SUZETTE PORTER
| Article published on Wednesday, April 11, 2007 |
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U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Florida, is concerned that the National Guard won’t be able to respond adequately if a hurricane were to hit the state of Florida this season.
Nelson canceled a visit to the Pinellas Park Armory scheduled for Tuesday morning, opting to visit National Guard facilities in Jacksonville and Orlando. Nelson is touring the facilities to gather information for a plan to help improve accessibility of local Army Reserve equipment in the event of an emergency.
According to a press release from the Senator’s office, Nelson is considering measures that could include creating a memorandum of understanding between the Army and the Guard that would allow Gov. Charlie Crist to use Army Reserve trucks and generators if it became necessary to declare a state of emergency.
“Problems from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have stretched the Florida National Guard further than ever before, leaving it without all the resources it should have for responding to a domestic crisis,” Nelson said on April 6. “Hurricane season is coming fast – and, we need to make sure the Guard has what it needs.”
Nelson announced last week that he would be touring Florida’s National Guard facilities as speculation continued about a potential deployment of additional troops to Iraq and Afghanistan. Nelson was concerned that additional troops would be sent from Florida.
According to a report published by the American Forces Press Services on April 9, Florida was not on the recent list for deployment. However, 13,000 Guardsmen from four National Guard brigade combat units were told to be ready for deployment as early as December. The troops are based in Arkansas, Oklahoma, Indiana and Ohio.
Troop deployment is not the only thing worrying the Senator. A recent independent study that shows a depletion of the Guard’s equipment also has Nelson concerned about the National Guard’s ability to respond to an emergency.
Information provided by Nelson’s office shows that the Florida National Guard has about half the equipment it had before the start of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
“The Florida Guard has lost trucks, trailers, generators and other basic equipment since the start of the wars,” the information said. “Members of the Guard are sent overseas with their equipment, but when they come back, the gear often stays in the war zones.”
With the Guard shorter on trucks, radios and generators - and in anticipation of the loss of additional troops – the Senator is concerned over the prospect of a large-scale disaster, like hurricanes Hugo, Andrew or Katrina.
Hurricane season runs June 1 through Nov. 30, and experts predict that it could be more active than usual.
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Article published on Wednesday, April 11, 2007
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