An official website of the United States government
A .mil website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States.
A lock (lock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Home : News : Article View
NEWS | Feb. 24, 2010

Army: Guard equipment readiness still a work in progress

By Air Force Lt. Col. Ellen Krenke National Guard Bureau

ARLINGTON, Va., - Equipment readiness in the National Guard and Reserve is still a work in progress, the secretary of the Army told Senate lawmakers on Tuesday.

"We've made some successful steps," said John M. McHugh in a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing. "The personnel readiness ratings have improved about 4 percent this year over last. The equipment right now is at about 79 percent readiness. If you (count) substitute equipment, that raises to about 89 percent, but what that tells us is we - we have a long way to go."

Sen. Ben Nelson of Nebraska asked McHugh and Gen. George W. Casey Jr., the chief of staff of the Army, about the significant funding increases in the Defense Department's fiscal 2011 budget to replace aging facilities for both reserve components.

"The investment is critical, considering the Guard and Reserve personnel comprise some 51 percent of your end strength," Nelson said. "But your request for Guard and Reserve (military construction), while $1.2 billion, is less than 1 percent of your total base budget and only a fifth of your total MILCON requests."

"Certainly, if I were in a Guard or Reserve unit, I'd feel as though I wasn't getting ... what I needed, and we have to admit that," McHugh said.

Nelson said some of the Nebraska Guard's units are currently lacking adequate space to store reset and new equipment.

For example, he said, Nebraska units lack 33 acres for improved and unimproved parking to store new trucks, tractors and trailers, as well as 8,000 square feet of heated storage and 3,500 square feet of security vault storage.

McHugh said there have been "significant challenges" in operationalizing the Guard and Reserve.

"Well, that's why in taking them to an operational reserve, it has to be thorough with respect to not only equipment, but to their facilities so that the facilities management is capable of taking care of the equipment and keeping them an operational-ready reserve," Nelson said. "So that's my concern, and obviously, it's your concern as well."

"As I said, we're making progress, but it's incremental at best," said McHugh. "I would agree with you."

Nelson concluded that if progress is not made, the readiness of the Guard and Reserve will suffer.

"What we'll see happen is ... what would be fairly obvious," Nelson said. "That would be a sliding back of the … capabilities of the Guard and Reserve."

 

 

Related Articles
Maj. Gen. Thomas Friloux, adjutant general of Louisiana, discusses briefing details with Col. Augusto Villalaz, director of the Joint Staff for the Louisiana National Guard, during the annual Hurricane Rehearsal of Concept (ROC) Drill at the Armed Forces Reserve Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, May 21, 2025. The drill helps synchronize plans and strengthen coordination across LANG’s senior leadership ahead of hurricane season.
Louisiana Guard Rehearses Emergency Plans for Hurricane Season
By Capt. Peter Drasutis, | May 28, 2025
NEW ORLEANS – The Louisiana National Guard conducted its annual Hurricane Rehearsal of Concept (ROC) Drill at the Armed Forces Reserve Center in Baton Rouge May 21, uniting key personnel across multiple commands to refine...

U.S. Soldiers assigned to 3rd Battalion, 197th Field Artillery Regiment, New Hampshire Army National Guard, sling load a reduced range practice rocket to a Moroccan CH-47 Chinook during a multinational sling load operation at African Lion 2025 (AL25), May 17, 2025, in TanTan, Morocco. AL25, the largest annual military exercise in Africa, brings together over 50 nations, including seven NATO allies and 10,000 troops to conduct realistic, dynamic and collaborative training in an austere environment that intersects multiple geographic and functional combatant commands. Led by U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF,) on behalf of the U.S. Africa Command, AL25 takes place from April 14 to May 23, 2025, across Ghana, Morocco, Senegal, and Tunisia This large-scale exercise will enhance our ability to work together in complex, multi-domain operations - preparing forces to deploy, fight, and win.
New Hampshire Guard Teams with Morocco for Sling Load Training at African Lion 2025
By Sgt. 1st Class Jessica Forester, | May 28, 2025
TAN TAN, Morocco – Soldiers assigned to the 744th Forward Support Company (744TH FSC), 3rd Battalion, 197th Field Artillery Regiment, New Hampshire Army National Guard partnered with the Royal Moroccan Armed Forces (FAR), for...

From left, Sgt. Edward Acda, Lt. Col. Vern Perez, Sgt. 1st Class Celine Taitano, Capt. Ryan Arellano, Staff Sgt. Jovencio Mortera, and Sgt. Avery Tyquiengco of the Guam National Guard participate in Balikatan Cyber Defense Exercise, Manila, April 27, 2025. Balikatan is a longstanding annual exercise between the U.S. and Philippine armed forces designed to strengthen the alliance, showcase the capable combined force, and demonstrate the commitment to regional security and stability. (Courtesy asset)
Guam Guard Participates in Balikatan 2025 Cyber Defense Exercise
By Mark Scott, | May 28, 2025
MANILA, Philippines – A team of cyber professionals and an intelligence analyst from the Guam National Guard attended Balikatan 2025, participating in the three-week Cyber Defense Exercise alongside teams from various...