Lila Lipscomb asks: Does Jeb Bush really have 10,000 Natl Guard

troops available at any given time?

(Lila Lipscomb, who starred in Fahrenheit 9/11 and is the mother of the late Michael Pederson, was interviewed on our local AAR Mn show, The Wendy Wilde Show, this morning.)

Lila heard Jeb Bush make that statement after the recent hurricane - that he had, at any give time, 10,000 National Guard troops on the ground in Florida, at his disposal.

Lila wonders if Jeb is telling the truth and also if red states have a higher number of National Guard troops remaining at home than blue states.

How can we help her compile this info for each state?

Most of our National Guard has gone or is gone at any given time.

Don't know the exact numbers, but I do read the local newspapers and can come to this conclusion logically.

EXECUTIVE ORDER NUMBER
01-261
WHEREAS, the Florida National Guard has the statutory responsibility to provide support to law-enforcement personnel and emergency-management personnel in the event of civil disturbances or natural disasters; and

WHEREAS, the Florida National Guard has the responsibility to provide training support to law-enforcement personnel and community-based organizations relating to counter drug operations; and

WHEREAS, the Florida National Guard must train to meet such responsibilities; and

WHEREAS, the Florida National Guard is funded for any such training by budgetary appropriation or grants before any such training; and

<snip>

NOW, THEREFORE, I, JEB BUSH, as Governor of Florida, by virtue of the authority vested in me by Article IV, Section 1(a) of the Florida Constitution, and by Section 250.06(4), Florida Statutes, and all other applicable laws, do hereby promulgate the following Executive Order, to take immediate effect:

Section 1.

Based upon the foregoing, I hereby find that the public welfare requires that the Florida National Guard train to support law-enforcement personnel and emergency-management personnel in the event of civil disturbances or natural disasters and to provide training support to law-enforcement personnel and community-based organizations relating to counter drug operations.

Section 2.

I hereby delegate to The Adjutant General of the State of Florida all necessary authority, within approved budgetary appropriations or grants, to order members of the Florida National Guard into active service, as defined by Section 250.27, Florida Statutes, for the purpose of training to support law-enforcement personnel and emergency-management personnel in the event of civil disturbances or natural disasters and to provide training support to law-enforcement personnel and community-based organizations relating to counter drug operations.

Section 3.

The Florida National Guard may order selected members on to state active duty for service to the State of Florida pursuant to Section 250.06(4), Florida Statutes, to assist FDLE in performing port security training and inspections. Based on the potential massive damage to life and property that may result from an act of terrorism at a Florida port, the necessity to protect life and property from such acts of terrorism, and inhibiting the smuggling of illegal drugs into the State of Florida, the use of the Florida National Guard to support FDLE in accomplishing port security training and inspections is "extraordinary support to law enforcement" as used in Section 250.06(4), Florida Statutes.

Section 4.

The Adjutant General shall not place members of the Florida National Guard into active service for longer than necessary to accomplish the purposes declared herein.

Section 5.

This Executive Order supersedes Executive Order Number 01-17. Executive Order Number 01-17 is hereby revoked.

Section 6.

This Executive Order shall remain in full force and effect until the earlier of its revocation or June 30, 2003.

IN TESTIMONY WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and have caused the Great Seal of the State of Florida to be affixed at Tallahassee, the Capitol, this 7th day of September 2001.

http://sun6.dms.state.fl.us/eog_new/eog/orders/2001/september/eo2001-261-09-07-01.html

nt

...Florida highways it might be actually two or even three times that number.

more of his guard troops at home. Let your mind wander as to why!

a few months ago in 'Harper's: Index' that said TX had the lowest NG turnout of all states. BIG surprize? I think not!

Chance that a member of New York's Army National Guard was in Iraq in June : 1 in 4

Chance that a member of Texas's Army National Guard was : 1 in 31

http://harpers.org/HarpersIndex2004-08.html

n/t

http://www.govpro.com/SiteMap_500/strArticleId/103573/ViewArticle.asp

Governors are banking on the federal government to make good on a February pledge to even out the burden of Guard troop deployment among states. Still, some states in recent weeks have seen their Guard units drastically depleted. Idaho, for example, has gone from having 4 percent of its Army National Guard deployed or awaiting deployment --the lowest percentage in the nation - to 85 percent --the nation's highest percentage.

Meanwhile, states such as Missouri, North Carolina, South Dakota and Washington have hovered above 50 percent, while states such as Hawaii, Vermont and President Bush's home state of Texas have maintained a relatively low deployment percentage.

When it comes to the National Guard, questions of “how many” and “from where” are important to states because guardsmen serve at the direction of the governor except when called to federal duty, when they are released from the governor's control and instead serve at the direction of the president.


snip

In Idaho, where 2,600 Army National Guard members are slated for deployment, officials are confident that other states will provide assistance if a wildfire or other crisis demands more National Guard troops than the state can provide.


snip


AND



http://www.globalsecurity.org/org/news/2004/040711-death-toll.htm

The commitment in Iraq has been especially difficult for the 350,000-member Army National Guard, which also mobilizes under the command of state governors for homeland security duty, natural disasters and civil unrest.

Although the National Guard makes up 56 percent of the Army's total combat strength, it receives less than 12 percent of its budget and is chronically short of equipment, according to Defense Department figures.


snip


Federal call-ups of the National Guard left 15 states with fewer than 60 percent of their forces at home and available for emergencies. In Idaho, the hardest-hit state, 81 percent of the Army Guard has been mobilized for federal duty. In New Jersey, about 70 percent of the 6,300-member force will be serving overseas by the end of the fall, with the majority headed to Iraq.