National Guard Lacks Equipment

Monday, March 26th 2007, 12:58 pm

By: News On 6

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -- Oklahoma's adjutant general says state National Guard troops who are preparing for a deployment to Iraq are unable to train properly because of a lack of equipment. 3,500 Oklahoma Guard soldiers likely will head to Iraq in the spring of 2008.

Major General Harry Wyatt III says the guard needs body armor, about 2,400 M4 rifles and 2,000 sets of night vision goggles, as well as armored Humvees and other heavy equipment, to properly train the soldiers.

Wyatt says the guard needs an official alert order before the equipment will be sent to Oklahoma. He says he has spoken with Lieutenant General Russell Honore about the problem. Honore leads the First US Army, which trains and mobilizes state National Guard units for deployments.

Two members of Oklahoma's US House delegation, Democrat Dan Boren and Republican Tom Cole, also say they are working on a solution to the problem. Boren and Cole both serve on the House's Armed Services Committee.

For more information on Oklahoma's National Guard, click here.