Sebelius: Guard equipment shortage leaves state vulnerable
Governor calls for replacement of National Guard equipment left in Iraq

The reliance on National Guard troops and equipment in Iraq is leaving states vulnerable.  That was the message delivered by Governor Kathleen Sebelius at a Capitol Hill news conference today.

Sebelius expressed strong concern that sending the National Guard on repeated tours through Iraq compromises states’ ability to respond to natural disasters, terrorist acts, and other threats to public safety. 

“Time and again, when the people of Kansas need help, the Kansas National Guard has responded without hesitation,” Sebelius said. “Now the Guard needs Washington’s help.  The President and Congress need to step up to the plate and give our Guard members the support they deserve.”   

It is estimated $3.1 billion worth of National Guard equipment will not return to the United States.  This figure may even be a low estimate, as more than $22 billion worth of equipment remains overseas at this time.

Currently, about 16 percent of the Kansas National Guard’s equipment, valued at over $117 million, will not return to Kansas.  With the potential for the amount of equipment left overseas to double, Sebelius is concerned about the impact this will have on the Guard’s primary mission back home. 

“The Guard cannot train on equipment they do not have,” Sebelius continued. “The more resources that are left behind, the less able our guardsmen are to prepare here at home. And in a state like Kansas, where tornados, floods, blizzards and wildfires can seemingly happen all at once, we need our Guardsmen to be as prepared as possible.”

While in Washington, Sebelius, along with Adjutant General Tod Bunting, visited three Kansas National Guard soldiers at the Walter Reed Medical Hospital, one of whom is a member of the Battery B, 161 Field Artillery unit. This unit consists of 114 soldiers whose tours were extended as part of President Bush’s troop surge. Several soldiers from this unit were wounded in the recent attack which claimed the life of Kansas Guardsman, Staff Sergeant David Berry of Wichita.

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