The Texas National Guard is sending fewer soldiers to combat than it has in years. And with the Iraq war over and Afghanistan winding down, troops will spend more time at home, including 3,000 who were to deploy this year.
That's great news for the 31,000 Texans who have left families, friends and jobs to fight insurgents over the past decade, but the prospect of a peace dividend is unnerving commanders.
They fear the guard will get inferior equipment and fewer chances to prove its troops are as good as their active-duty counterparts — just as it did during the Cold War.
“I'm just concerned that the active duty is going to take all the deployments, and then the guard, instead of being an operational reserve, really, will go back to being a strategic reserve, and that's bad for the country,” said Texas Army National Guard Brig. Gen. Joyce Stevens.
The problem isn't just the exit from Afghanistan. As America leaves there, the Army and Marine Corps will cut thousands of troops. President Barack Obama's new defense strategy pivots from a reliance on ground troops to a greater emphasis on naval and air forces, prompting Stevens and others to worry.
Read more: http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/military/article/Troop-reduction-concerns-2573690.php#ixzz1ykeIAZX4
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