[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 76 (Wednesday, May 9, 2007)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5862-S5863]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        NATIONAL GUARD EQUIPMENT

  Mr. NELSON of Florida. Mr. President, it is timely for me to make 
these remarks because there has been a conversation that has occurred 
in Kansas today between the Governor of Kansas and the President of the 
United States over the question of the adequacy of the National Guard 
and its equipment.
  The reason I am making these remarks is that this Senator from 
Florida has sounded this alarm bell several weeks ago on the basis of a 
GAO report of the inadequacy of the equipment of the National Guard in 
each of the States. In my State of Florida, the GAO report says they 
only have 53 percent of their equipment. In the State of New Mexico, 
they only have 33 percent of their equipment. You now heard the 
commentary from both the Governor of Kansas, as well as the head of the 
National Guard, the adjutant general of Kansas, who state they are 
short of equipment.
  I can tell you that, in Florida, we are 500 humvees short. We are 600 
trucks short--that is both 5 ton and deuce and a half. We are 4,400 
night vision goggles short. Why I am saying this today as a follow-on 
to sounding this alarm several weeks ago is we are not far from June 1, 
which is the beginning of hurricane season. The Florida National Guard 
is the best trained as a National Guard but especially so for taking 
care of the aftermath of a hurricane. If we only have category 1, 2, 
and 3 hurricanes, the Guard tells me they have the equipment. But if 
the big one hits--the big one being a category 4 or 5 hitting from the 
water--a highly densely urbanized area of the coast, they will be 
short. Then the Guard would rely on their compact with other Guard 
units to supply equipment.
  For example, Pennsylvania is one of those States in the compact. But 
Pennsylvania is short of equipment as well. We are trying to put 
additional appropriations in this war funding bill for equipment for 
our National Guard units, but as Lieutenant General Blum, the head of 
the National Guard for the country, said, they are $40 billion short of 
equipment. I will read you a statement from the Florida National Guard 
in case there is any doubt in anybody's mind:

       It is true that we are short of equipment. We need these 
     pieces of equipment to speed up our response to local 
     emergencies and to help save lives.

  And he continues:

       They can draw on these additional units and equipment 
     through that compact.

[[Page S5863]]

       But in the case of a major hurricane--

  And I continue to quote the Florida National Guard--

     we plan to have these other assets prepositioned prior to 
     landfall or moving to Florida as soon as possible. However, 
     we cannot afford any additional significant losses of 
     equipment. Losing more equipment from Florida to support our 
     active duty mobilization sites will put us at risk to respond 
     effectively to our State during a time of great need.

  We have to be serious all over this country about the equipment needs 
for our National Guard when it is called on to respond to that aspect 
of their job, which is to be activated by the Governor of the 
respective States under statewide emergencies.

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