MILITARY TORNADO

Last week’s tornado in Kansas reignited concerns that the National Guard does not have enough troops and equipment to adequately respond to domestic disasters. Beyond the debate over funding the war in Iraq, Congress must ensure that the military has the trained personnel and equipment it needs not only for current conflicts but for potential deployments around the world and at home. Part of the solution is redeploying American troops from Iraq.

After a tornado destroyed most of Greensburg, Kan., Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, a Democrat, said a lack of National Guard troops and vehicles slowed the response. The White House said the governor had not asked for what was needed.

The exchange comes after congressional testimony from military leaders that the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have hampered military readiness, whether for an international conflict or a natural disaster at home.

“We have a strategy right now that is outstripping the means to execute it,” Army Chief of Staff Gen. Peter Schoomaker told the Senate Armed Services Committee in March. Previously, Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told a House panel he was “not comfortable” with the readiness of the country’s Army units.

At a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on the 2008 defense budget, Sen. Susan Collins expressed concerns about the National Guard’s ability to respond to a domestic crisis, such as a hurricane, ice storm or terrorist attack.

Gen. Pace responded that about 40 percent of the military’s equipment inventory was deployed or being repaired, leaving units at home with 60 percent or less of their equipment. But, he said, the budget’s $51 billion – with $21 billion going toward Army Guard and Reserve – for equipment needs would address the problem.

Because of equipment shortages and a lack of trained troops ready for deployment, the Army has rated 88 percent of its National Guard units as “not ready.” Frequent redeployments to the Middle East have left units with little time to train, especially for anything other than an insurgency, which is the immediate need in Iraq.

Military leaders told Congress it will take at least $75 million and five years for the Army to rebuild its troop strength. The Marine Corps predicts up to three years and $17 billion a year. And, that’s after the Iraq war has ended.

Relieving the strain on the military must be part of the discussion as lawmakers and the president debate how much longer U.S. soldiers can remain in Iraq.