Saturday, April 30, 2005

Stretched Pretty Thin

How many times can we go the well without declaring war?
I have it on good authority from one of my readers in the California National Guard that they are almost tapped out of Army guardsman that can deploy in support of the Army. (this reader didn't know the Air Guard's status)
Of the 15,301 soldiers on California's books, 5,200 are currently deployed, almost 2,400 have already maxed out the two-year presidential callup, another 1,800 are on the way out the door...
and there are only 1,682 soldiers available for callup now.
(for you math whizzes, the rest are in school, medically unfit, or "vital to the day-to-day operation of the California guard" and can't be deployed)
If California, one of the largest National Guards in the nation, is only able to muster 10% of its soldiers for future deployments or state emergencies, how are the rest of the states and the Army Reserve holding up?
I'd like to know.