Gold9472
08-27-2009, 08:09 AM
S.D. National Guard leader: Pentagon control of local troops would create chaos
http://www.rapidcityjournal.com/articles/2009/08/26/news/local/doc4a930f8553305990110714.txt
By Journal staff and wire reports | Wednesday, August 26, 2009
The state’s adjutant general of the South Dakota National Guard and Gov. Mike Rounds are among state leaders opposed to a Pentagon proposal involving control of how part-time military troops are used in any state.
At the heart of the disagreement is who will command troops when they are sent to a particular state to deal with a hurricane, wildfire or other disaster.
The military justifies a change in law as a natural extension of its use of federal forces.
The governors see the Pentagon move as a strike at state sovereignty.
Rounds agrees with the National Governors Association’s opposition to the plan.
“When we’re dealing with natural disasters, we’ve got a response system in place that works,” Rounds said in an e-mail statement. “Sometimes you need more forces, such as reservists, as part of the existing structure to respond to emergencies. We do not want a separate Pentagon chain of command that would complicate response efforts.”
State adjutant, Maj. Gen Steven Doohen, who is also state secretary of military and veterans affairs, said having a commander who doesn’t know an area, its resources or people, would only add to the chaos of a flood, wildfire or aftermath of a tornado or blizzard.
“I think most of the states' governors feel the command of any military forces brought into their state should be handled under the control of the governor for unity of effort,” Doohen said. “They should be in charge of the military troops in their state. Federal troops should also be under their command.”
Doohen said a governor has all the contacts, knows the mayors and officials in the state and National Guard, who have been fighting fires and responding to other state disasters.
“It just doesn’t make much sense for others to oversee a state’s natural disaster,” he said.
The Pentagon argues a change is needed so the president, through his defense chief, would gain the ability to mobilize soldiers when a state seeks aid in a catastrophic natural disaster such as a hurricane.
The nation’s 380,000 reservists come under the control of the federal government.
Each state’s National Guard also can be activated for federal duty, as many have been for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Most often, the guardsmen are commanded by their governors through their home-state adjutant general.
When the military gets involved, questions arise about “who is in control and where the buck is going to stop. Governors take very seriously the responsibility of being in command and control of those responders,” said NGA spokesman David Quam.
“That’s where the discussion lies,” Doohen agreed.
“You need a clear chain of command even when you bring federalized troops. The governor needs to be in charge,” he said.
Defense Secretary Robert Gates said that he does not favor ceding control of federal forces to state governors.
In 2007, Gates rejected a proposal in an independent commission report that would to let governors command active-duty troops responding to disasters.
The debate about authority over deploying stateside troops comes as a Department of Defense initiative sends National Guard units new equipment to put them on the same level as active-duty Army units. Standardizing new equipment aims to make supply and maintenance easier.
The change-out will replace outdated vehicles but may not change readiness. Camp Rapid logistics director Lt. Col. Les Wermers said the state Guard’s equipment mission-capable rate already is well above the Army National Guard’s historical rate of 70 percent.
“Our operational readiness rate is well into the 90s; and we have a very robust maintenance program,” Wermers said.
And the Innovative Readiness Training program to hone troop equipment and teamwork skills. The field projects also help communities, ranging from maintenance on Hammerquist Baseball Field in Rapid City, reclamation of Black Hills National Forest sites and removing old school demolition debris at Faith.
http://www.rapidcityjournal.com/articles/2009/08/26/news/local/doc4a930f8553305990110714.txt
By Journal staff and wire reports | Wednesday, August 26, 2009
The state’s adjutant general of the South Dakota National Guard and Gov. Mike Rounds are among state leaders opposed to a Pentagon proposal involving control of how part-time military troops are used in any state.
At the heart of the disagreement is who will command troops when they are sent to a particular state to deal with a hurricane, wildfire or other disaster.
The military justifies a change in law as a natural extension of its use of federal forces.
The governors see the Pentagon move as a strike at state sovereignty.
Rounds agrees with the National Governors Association’s opposition to the plan.
“When we’re dealing with natural disasters, we’ve got a response system in place that works,” Rounds said in an e-mail statement. “Sometimes you need more forces, such as reservists, as part of the existing structure to respond to emergencies. We do not want a separate Pentagon chain of command that would complicate response efforts.”
State adjutant, Maj. Gen Steven Doohen, who is also state secretary of military and veterans affairs, said having a commander who doesn’t know an area, its resources or people, would only add to the chaos of a flood, wildfire or aftermath of a tornado or blizzard.
“I think most of the states' governors feel the command of any military forces brought into their state should be handled under the control of the governor for unity of effort,” Doohen said. “They should be in charge of the military troops in their state. Federal troops should also be under their command.”
Doohen said a governor has all the contacts, knows the mayors and officials in the state and National Guard, who have been fighting fires and responding to other state disasters.
“It just doesn’t make much sense for others to oversee a state’s natural disaster,” he said.
The Pentagon argues a change is needed so the president, through his defense chief, would gain the ability to mobilize soldiers when a state seeks aid in a catastrophic natural disaster such as a hurricane.
The nation’s 380,000 reservists come under the control of the federal government.
Each state’s National Guard also can be activated for federal duty, as many have been for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Most often, the guardsmen are commanded by their governors through their home-state adjutant general.
When the military gets involved, questions arise about “who is in control and where the buck is going to stop. Governors take very seriously the responsibility of being in command and control of those responders,” said NGA spokesman David Quam.
“That’s where the discussion lies,” Doohen agreed.
“You need a clear chain of command even when you bring federalized troops. The governor needs to be in charge,” he said.
Defense Secretary Robert Gates said that he does not favor ceding control of federal forces to state governors.
In 2007, Gates rejected a proposal in an independent commission report that would to let governors command active-duty troops responding to disasters.
The debate about authority over deploying stateside troops comes as a Department of Defense initiative sends National Guard units new equipment to put them on the same level as active-duty Army units. Standardizing new equipment aims to make supply and maintenance easier.
The change-out will replace outdated vehicles but may not change readiness. Camp Rapid logistics director Lt. Col. Les Wermers said the state Guard’s equipment mission-capable rate already is well above the Army National Guard’s historical rate of 70 percent.
“Our operational readiness rate is well into the 90s; and we have a very robust maintenance program,” Wermers said.
And the Innovative Readiness Training program to hone troop equipment and teamwork skills. The field projects also help communities, ranging from maintenance on Hammerquist Baseball Field in Rapid City, reclamation of Black Hills National Forest sites and removing old school demolition debris at Faith.