Changing of the Guard

No wonder governors are complaining about National Guard troops being over-committed and under-equipped. With half of its Guard troops busy in Iraq, Louisiana found itself short-handed in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. And that was before the Guard received orders to patrol the border with Mexico.

In highlighting the heavy demands on the Guard, North Carolina's Governor Easley made a strong case on Capitol Hill last week for more resources. The list of potential disasters is growing, from storms and pandemic flu to terrorism, and response plans count on Guard troops, Easley told the Commission on National Guard and Reserves on behalf of the National Governors Association. Piling on missions without more support causes stress that can affect preparedness.

The governor's complaint rings true. North Carolina sent computers, radios and other items purchased with state tax dollars to ill-equipped members of the state's 30th Brigade in Iraq last year. Yet, North Carolina troops are short of vehicles at the start of hurricane season because of equipment that had to be left behind in Iraq. On top of that, the Pentagon attempted to trim its budget on the Guard's back earlier this year by cutting 17,000 troops.

Sounds like a shortage of influence with the military brass, all right. In a world where such things matter, the Guard's top officer is a three-star general who depends on the Army for his budget while his troops are deployed by governors of the states where they are located.

Even so, giving the Guard a four-star general and a seat on the Joint Chiefs of Staff may not be the answer, as some in Congress have proposed. Competition between the services already at the table has led to more than one bloated budget.

For the Guard and the states relying on it, a better alternative may simply be more respect for the jobs these citizen-soldiers are doing. Congress can make that happen with its control of the national purse strings, and it should.