Guard equipment shortage worries N.M. delegation

The New Mexico congressional delegation today launched a push to get answers about why the New Mexico National Guard has the lowest level of available equipment of any Guard operation in the nation, and to find a solution.

Among the problems cited is that the state’s Guard is using outdated helicopters that need to be replaced.

U.S. Senators Pete Domenici and Jeff Bingaman, along with Reps. Heather Wilson, Tom Udall and Steve Pearce, issued a letter today to the secretary of the Army requesting a briefing on the equipment shortage and a plan to correct the situation.

In a study released in January, the General Accountability Office reported that as of November, non-deployed Army National Guard forces in New Mexico ranked last in the nation regarding equipment readiness, having only 33.8 percent of the total amount of dual-use equipment they are authorized to have for war-fighting missions.

“There is no good reason for the New Mexico National Guard to be dead-last in having the equipment required to carry out its mission,” said Domenici, who serves on the Senate Defense Appropriations Subcommittee. “We want answers and we want solutions, because the status quo is unacceptable.”

“National Guard units from across the country have played a major role in our efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan, and it is shameful that any of them would be under-equipped,” Bingaman said. “But it is particularly disturbing to learn that the New Mexico National Guard has just one-third of the equipment it needs. This situation must be remedied immediately.”

“Restoring and replacing equipment for all of the troops that come home – Guard, reserve, and active – is one of the major issues that Congress is looking at in the budget this year,” Wilson said. “The men and women of the New Mexico National Guard do an exceptional job of responding to crises in New Mexico, including the recent snow storms that isolated livestock. We need to support them and get them the equipment they need to be effective.”

“Today, the National Guard is being relied on at unprecedented levels,” Udall said. “It is therefore of even greater importance that our New Mexico guardsmen and women receive all the support necessary to perform their duties.”

“The GAO report raises serious concerns which demand a thorough response,” Pearce said. “We must do everything in our power to enable our brave men and women in uniform to complete their mission as efficiently and safely as possible, whether they’re serving us at home or abroad.”

The letter outlined specific issues the delegation wants addressed. The lawmakers expressed concern that the New Mexico National Guard is using outdated helicopters that need replaced. The delegation complained that the New Mexico aircraft have not received critical upgrades, which has been further complicated by repeated delays in funding needed for maintenance support.

“While recently serving overseas, New Mexico National Guard units had to obtain waivers to use their helicopters because the aircraft did not meet doctrinal requirements. We were disturbed to learn that the medical evacuation units have to take medical equipment out of their helicopters to make them light enough to fly at the high altitudes required by their missions in both New Mexico and in support of Operation Enduring Freedom,” the delegation letter states.

“We request that the staff briefing include information on the Army’s plans to improve New Mexico National Guard aircraft in order to ensure that New Mexico guardsmen and women have the equipment they need to safely and effectively conduct their assigned missions,” the lawmakers state in the letter.