.Guard readies for largest deployment in generation
DES MOINES, Iowa - The Iowa National Guard is facing its largest deployment in a generation but will still be able to handle domestic emergencies, the guard's adjutant general said Tuesday.
Brig. Gen. Timothy Orr told a joint session of the Legislature that officials from nine Midwestern states have met to coordinate efforts should a domestic emergency require assistance.
"This meeting resulted in a regional assessment of available manpower and equipment, agreements to support mutual aid requests and a decision to make this meeting an annual event," Orr said during an annual report on the condition of the Iowa National Guard.
He said guard units throughout the region are facing the same pressure, with deployments likely to grow this year as the nation's commitment to Afghanistan increases.
More than 3,000 Iowa National Guard troops are scheduled to be deployed later this year, the largest single deployment since World War II. That has some worried about the ability of the guard to respond to domestic emergencies because so many are overseas.
Orr said officials have taken steps to deal with the deployment.
"Additionally we are training retired Iowa National Guard members to provide expertise in key areas where we may need assistance as a result of the deployment," he said. "By taking these steps now, I am confident that the Iowa National Guard will have a robust emergency response force available should the need arise."
The latest deployment involves the 2nd Brigade Combat Team and a smaller unit of about 60 soldiers and airmen that will focus on the revitalization of the agriculture infrastructure in Afghanistan.
"The 2nd Brigade Combat Team deployment would be the largest single unit call-up of its type since World War II," Orr said. "Almost every community in Iowa will be affected in some way by this deployment."
That unit is full of veterans of multiple deployments, he said.
"These leaders have proven themselves in previous deployments and challenging leadership assignments," Orr said.
The agricultural assistance team is aimed at rebuilding Afghanistan's infrastructure for the longer term, he said.
Units from Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, Texas, Oklahoma, Tennessee and California have been deployed since 2007 for the task, and the Iowa units will add to that effort, Orr said.
Members of the team have agricultural backgrounds and will partner with officials from Iowa State University and other farming organizations to provide technical assistance, he said.
"One of our ... priorities is the development of soldiers, airmen and leaders who are technically and tactically proficient and can operate in complex environments," Orr said.
With the guard increasingly involved in combat operations, he said there's a new focus on the families of those who are killed, including helping families gain access to benefits, counseling and other assistance.
More than 14,000 Iowa residents have been deployed. Seventy-three, including 20 guard members, have been killed in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Orr said there's also a new focus on mental health, aiding troops in dealing with the stress of deployment.
"We recognize that the mental health of our force is as important as the other aspects of health," he said. To deal with that, the guard has hired three additional family support specialists, bringing the number to seven.
"These specialists assist individuals with family issues, helping them connect to military, community and veterans resources," Orr said.
Sen. Steve Warnstadt, D-Sioux City, a colonel in the Iowa National Guard, said he was pleased with Orr's speech.
"He did a good job of outlining all that the Guard faces," said Warnstadt, who said he agreed the Guard would be ready for a domestic emergency despite big deployment.
"The Guard has taken the steps needed to be ready" including coordinating with other states, he said.
Chicago Tribune
Brig. Gen. Timothy Orr told a joint session of the Legislature that officials from nine Midwestern states have met to coordinate efforts should a domestic emergency require assistance.
"This meeting resulted in a regional assessment of available manpower and equipment, agreements to support mutual aid requests and a decision to make this meeting an annual event," Orr said during an annual report on the condition of the Iowa National Guard.
He said guard units throughout the region are facing the same pressure, with deployments likely to grow this year as the nation's commitment to Afghanistan increases.
More than 3,000 Iowa National Guard troops are scheduled to be deployed later this year, the largest single deployment since World War II. That has some worried about the ability of the guard to respond to domestic emergencies because so many are overseas.
Orr said officials have taken steps to deal with the deployment.
"Additionally we are training retired Iowa National Guard members to provide expertise in key areas where we may need assistance as a result of the deployment," he said. "By taking these steps now, I am confident that the Iowa National Guard will have a robust emergency response force available should the need arise."
The latest deployment involves the 2nd Brigade Combat Team and a smaller unit of about 60 soldiers and airmen that will focus on the revitalization of the agriculture infrastructure in Afghanistan.
"The 2nd Brigade Combat Team deployment would be the largest single unit call-up of its type since World War II," Orr said. "Almost every community in Iowa will be affected in some way by this deployment."
That unit is full of veterans of multiple deployments, he said.
"These leaders have proven themselves in previous deployments and challenging leadership assignments," Orr said.
The agricultural assistance team is aimed at rebuilding Afghanistan's infrastructure for the longer term, he said.
Units from Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, Texas, Oklahoma, Tennessee and California have been deployed since 2007 for the task, and the Iowa units will add to that effort, Orr said.
Members of the team have agricultural backgrounds and will partner with officials from Iowa State University and other farming organizations to provide technical assistance, he said.
"One of our ... priorities is the development of soldiers, airmen and leaders who are technically and tactically proficient and can operate in complex environments," Orr said.
With the guard increasingly involved in combat operations, he said there's a new focus on the families of those who are killed, including helping families gain access to benefits, counseling and other assistance.
More than 14,000 Iowa residents have been deployed. Seventy-three, including 20 guard members, have been killed in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Orr said there's also a new focus on mental health, aiding troops in dealing with the stress of deployment.
"We recognize that the mental health of our force is as important as the other aspects of health," he said. To deal with that, the guard has hired three additional family support specialists, bringing the number to seven.
"These specialists assist individuals with family issues, helping them connect to military, community and veterans resources," Orr said.
Sen. Steve Warnstadt, D-Sioux City, a colonel in the Iowa National Guard, said he was pleased with Orr's speech.
"He did a good job of outlining all that the Guard faces," said Warnstadt, who said he agreed the Guard would be ready for a domestic emergency despite big deployment.
"The Guard has taken the steps needed to be ready" including coordinating with other states, he said.
Chicago Tribune
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