WASHINGTON, Feb. 27 (UPI) -- U.S. governors have asked U.S. President George Bush to addresses concerns over the use of the National Guard, an important state responder to emergencies.
The governors, meeting in Washington and with sessions scheduled with Bush and Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, put their National Guard concerns in a letter. It was signed by all 50 governors, including those not attending the current National Governors Association meetings.
Not only are the number of guard personal cut by deployment to Iraq -- about one-third of the 130,000 U.S. service personnel in Iraq, are National Guard -- but the overseas duty also means a loss of equipment, The New York Times reported Monday.
The Government Accountability Office said that since 2003 the Army National Guard has left equipment worth some $1.2 billion in Iraq and the Army apparently has no plans to replace it, the Times said.
The Pentagon has signaled a desire to cut the number of National Guard personnel by some 20,000 personnel to 330,000, but retreated after a political firestorm.
The governors say the National Guard performs vital functions in rescue and relief efforts following natural disasters.
