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| Lawmakers Demand Pentagon Answers on NM Guard Equipment Shortages, Aircraft Deficiencies |
February 23, 2007 |
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WASHINGTON – The New Mexico congressional delegation today launched its push to get answers and solutions from the Pentagon on the alarming fact that the New Mexico National Guard has the lowest level of available dual-use equipment of any Guard operation in the nation.
U.S. Senators Pete Domenici and Jeff Bingaman, with Representatives Heather Wilson, Tom Udall and Steve Pearce have issued a letter to Francis J. Harvey, Secretary of the Army, requesting a briefing on the equipment shortage and a plan to correct the situation.
In a study released in January, the General Accountability Office (GAO) reported that as of November 2006, non-deployed Army National Guard forces in New Mexico ranked last in the nation regarding equipment readiness, with only 33.8 percent of the total amount of dual-use equipment they are authorized to have for war-fighting missions.
“There is no good reason for the New Mexico National Guard to be dead-last in having the equipment required to carry out its mission. We want answers and we want solutions, because the status quo is unacceptable. I understand the Defense Department is under a lot of pressure, but letting this problem fester serves no one’s best interest,” said Domenici, who serves on the Senate Defense Appropriations Subcommittee.
“National Guard units from across the country have played a major role in our efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan, and it is shameful that any of them would be under-equipped. But it is particularly disturbing to learn that the New Mexico National Guard has just one-third of the equipment it needs. This situation must be remedied immediately,” Bingaman said.
“Restoring and replacing equipment for all of the troops that come home—Guard, Reserve, and Active—is one of the major issues that Congress is looking at in the budget this year,” said Wilson. “The men and women of the New Mexico National Guard do an exceptional job of responding to crises in New Mexico—including the recent snow storms that isolated livestock. We need to support them and get them the equipment they need to be effective.”
“Today, the National Guard is being relied on at unprecedented levels. It is therefore of even greater importance that our New Mexico guardsmen and women receive all the support necessary to perform their duties. The recent GAO report is alarming and I look forward to receiving additional information from the Army and working with the delegation and General Montoya to improve the readiness of the New Mexico National Guard,” said Udall.
“The GAO report raises serious concerns which demand a thorough response,” Pearce said. “We must do everything in our power to enable our brave men and women in uniform to complete their mission as efficiently and safely as possible, whether they`re serving us at home or abroad.”
The letter to Secretary Harvey outlined specific issues the delegation wants addressed, and highlighted ongoing inadequacies with the aircraft assigned to the New Mexico National Guard. They said the Army should be ready to answer these questions:
Why domestic equipment levels for most National Guard forces is less than half of the amount authorized?
What the United States Army is doing to remedy this situation?
How this equipment shortage affects the National Guard’s readiness levels for both domestic and international missions?
What the impact of this equipment shortage is on the National Guard’s ability to perform its domestic missions?
How does the equipment shortage in New Mexico affect the New Mexico National Guard’s ability to respond to a regional or national disaster?
What is the current amount of dual-use equipment for the New Mexico National Guard’s war-fighting missions?
What amount of the Army’s FY2008 budget request will be utilized to fund dual-use equipment for National Guard use?
What is the state of New Mexico’s statutory role in providing such equipment? and,
Why is there such a disparity between different state`s dual-use equipment levels?
The lawmakers also expressed concern that the New Mexico National Guard currently uses UH-60A model helicopters despite demonstrating a need for the more suitable UH-60L. The delegation complained that the New Mexico aircraft have not received critical upgrades from the Aviation and Missile Command. This is further complicated by repeated delays in funding needed maintenance support, such as construction of the Army Aviation Support Facility originally slated for this year.
“While recently serving overseas, New Mexico National Guard units had to obtain waivers to use their helicopters because the aircraft did not meet doctrinal requirements. We were disturbed to learn that the medical evacuation units have to take medical equipment out of their helicopters to make them light enough to fly at the high altitudes required by their missions in both New Mexico and in support of Operation Enduring Freedom,” the delegation letter said.
“We request that the staff brief include information on the Army’s plans to improve New Mexico National Guard aircraft in order to ensure that New Mexico Guardsmen and women have the equipment they need to safely and effectively conduct their assigned missions,” the lawmakers said.
The New Mexico National Guard uses its UH-60 helicopters in support of operations ranging from local search and rescue, firefighting, and the transport of Department of Homeland Security personnel, to Global War on Terrorism-related missions abroad.
The GAO report, “Reserve Services: Actions Needed to Identify National Guard Domestic Equipment Requirements and Readiness,” is available at this site: http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d0760.pdf
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