Blum talks with a Guard Chemical, When will that happen? in history. Total reserve component
Biological, Radiological, Nuclear- I would rather not say, because there response to Katrina was about 70,000.
Enhanced Response Force Package are variables, such as whether force
Team member in Indiana (above). Lt. levels stay where they are. These are Will the pause in the drawdown in
Col. Kim Sencindiver, USAF, listens to not decisions made by the chief of the Iraq this summer and the switch
Blum at the Vigilant Guard ’08 Exer- National Guard Bureau. I only ensure back to 12-month deployments for
cise in Tennessee (facing page). that, if they need forces, we have active forces create a spike in reli-
them trained, equipped, and ready. ance on Guard deployments?
that we’ll just make [the] Guard and We also ensure for governors that It’s a question of supply and demand.
Reserve strategic forces again. the units left at home are trained, Our supply [of troops] is going up,
equipped, and ready. It’s a delicate and demand seems to be increasing,
Is that what the people in the balancing act, which we’ve managed too. [Chief of Staff of the Army Gen.
Pentagon think? very well. No governor in seven years George W.] Casey [Jr.] puts it this
Some, but they’re the same people of this confl ict has failed to send way: “We’re consuming our readi-
who thought we wouldn’t see the forces overseas or failed to send forc- ness as fast as we build it.”
National Guard doing two, three, and es to another state when needed. But I will tell you we will do
four turns in this war, using every one During the [Hurricane] Katrina whatever is necessary to meet the
of our combat units once and most catastrophe, governors of every state threat. We’re not going to break, and
being on their second and third tour. sent Army or Air Guard units and we’re not going to falter. That would
equipment. We had people as far have happened way before now if it
A few years ago, the National away as Guam going to Mississippi were going to occur.
Guard was providing more than and Louisiana. The result was 50,000 We have got to watch it very
half of U.S. ground forces in Iraq. people in less than six days. That was closely, however. What we do for
Very soon we will almost be at that the fastest, largest response to hu- [Guard] families, what we do for
level again. manitarian disaster by military forces employers, [CONTINUES ON PAGE 74]
PHOTO: SGT. JIM GREENHILL, USA AUGUST 2008 MILITARY OFFICER 55
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