Guard ‘under-equipped,’
general tells isle crowd

The National Guard is under-equipped and more money needs to be spent to ensure it can respond to emergencies at home or situations abroad, the agency's chief told more than 1,500 citizen-soldiers at a convention in Honolulu yesterday.

"We cannot continue to accept risk by under-equipping the National Guard," said Lt. Gen. Steven Blum, who is helping to oversee recovery efforts in the hurricane-ravaged Gulf Coast, in a video presentation prepared before the event. "Some critics will say we cannot afford it. The Guard's answer will be, we cannot afford not to do this."

He said the National Guard needs upgrades in vehicles, communications and medical supplies, but did not say whether the agency's response has been slowed because of equipment failures. For more than a year, reservists serving in Iraq and Afghanistan have been calling for better bullet-proof vests, armored vehicles and other safety equipment.

But much of the discussion at the opening session of the National Guard Association of the United States conference centered on Hurricane Katrina rather than the Middle East. Citizen-soldiers from all 50 states have provided relief to hurricane victims in Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi.

"The Guard family has shown up," said Blum, adding that deployments of thousands of reservists to Iraq and Afghanistan did not affect the guard's "unprecedented response" in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.

"Your National Guard will be seen for what it is -- a national treasure."

The conference at the Hawaii Convention Center continues through tomorrow, with Hawaii U.S. Rep. Ed Case set to speak today.

About 3,700 Army and Air National Guard officers are in Honolulu for the event; attendance dropped by about 150 after the hurricane hit. Blum, assistant secretary of defense for Reserve affairs, and Paul McHale, assistant secretary for Homeland Defense, canceled because they were helping to respond to the disaster.

Retired Brig. Gen. Ken Ross was the lone attendee from Louisiana.

The former commander of the Louisiana National Guard said he was able to see the devastation in New Orleans and nearby small towns while helping in the recovery efforts. He broke into tears as he addressed the audience yesterday afternoon during a "roll call of states," telling them to "keep us in your prayers."

He said the government's response to the disaster, which many have said took too long to get to devastated areas, should be looked at to determine how it can be improved. "There was so much confusion. Many people didn't fully appreciate what it was really like," he added.

The National Guard Association was established in 1878 and represents about 45,000 Army and Air National Guard officers, active or retired. Next year's convention was scheduled to take place in New Orleans, but has been moved to New Mexico because of the hurricane.