(Welcome Senator Dodd! I hope this will be the first diary of many. - promoted by Matt Browner Hamlin)
First, I’d like to thank the people of My Left Nutmeg for this opportunity to write to all of you.
I wanted to take a moment to tell you about some legislation I introduced this week in the Senate. Last Thursday, the Commission on the National Guard and Reserves released a report revealing that 88 percent of Army National Guard units are not adequately equipped for combat and unprepared for domestic emergencies. According to them, the National Guard is lacking the trucks, Humvees, generators, radios, night-vision goggles and other gear that is critical for responding to a major disaster, terrorist attack or other major crisis. I was outraged by these findings, and subsequently introduced a bill to allocate $38 billion to the National Guard over the next five years to address this serious problem.
According to the report, our National Guard faces significant equipment shortages because of – you guessed it -- their heavy deployment in the ongoing conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. Under orders by the Administration, National Guard troops have been forced to leave their state’s equipment in Iraq and Afghanistan for other troops rotating into combat zones. Many of their military vehicles and aircraft are being worn down and destroyed in battle. Any critical gear that may have survived is being transferred to other units coming into Iraq or Afghanistan. You can click here if you would like to read the report yourself.
First of all, this highlights the perpetual issue of our troops being deployed without being adequately prepared and protected for combat. Second, when National Guard troops do come home, they are finding their stock of equipment cleaned out. So we are faced with a frightening series of questions—what will happen when the next natural disaster like Hurricane Katrina strikes? Who will help restore order? Who will provide critical emergency response services? And what equipment will they use?
I’ve always felt that it is our duty to ensure that our troops have the equipment and support they need to successfully carry out their missions. Unfortunately, this is not the first time that Congress has had to intervene to support our troops when the Bush Administration came up short. In fact, since the very beginning of the war in Iraq, I have fought to provide critical equipment for our troops over the White House’s objections. In 2003, I offered legislation to address a $322 million shortfall in critical military equipment identified by the Army. But the Administration opposed my amendment and it failed along party lines. Click here to see the vote.
In 2004 and 2005, my amendments were finally enacted, requiring the Department of Defense (DoD) to reimburse military personnel for critical gear purchases they made for their combat missions when the Rumsfeld Pentagon failed to provide necessary equipment. And last year, I authored legislation to restock our Army’s fleets of tanks, trucks, and aircraft. The Army recently reported that two-thirds of its forces in the U.S. are not ready for duty – no doubt due in part to its war-battered equipment. (For a timeline detailing my struggle to equip the troops, please visit my site here)
More attention must be paid to our National Guard’s equipment needs. We rely on our citizen soldiers to perform important missions here at home and abroad. From providing critical support during national disasters like the tornadoes that swept through the South, to fighting on the battlefields of Iraq, these brave men and women work tirelessly for our nation. The very least we owe them is the necessary funding and equipment to complete their mission as safely and effectively as possible.
I hope you will join me in supporting this legislation and I look forward to reading your thoughts and comments. Members of my staff will also address any questions and concerns you might have. Thanks again to the people of My Left Nutmeg for allowing me reach out to their readers and my constituents.
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