California wants its National Guard gear back

WASHINGTON -- California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger told Bush administration officials this week that he is tired of the Pentagon treating the California National Guard like a stepchild by using its equipment in Iraq and Afghanistan without returning or replacing it.

The Republican governor, in a visit to Washington for the annual meeting of the National Governors' Association, said the California National Guard is missing about half of its equipment -- from humvees to radios. That could leave California at risk in an earthquake, fire or other emergency, Schwarzenegger said.

"It's not fair to the states for the federal government to go into a war and then to take from us the equipment," he said after meetings with President Bush and Cabinet officials. "Every time our National Guard leaves, they take with them equipment but they don't bring it back."

Other governors have also complained about the drain of equipment. Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, a Democrat, said last May that her state's response to a tornado in the town of Greensburg was limited because 15 of the Kansas National Guard's 19 Black Hawk helicopters were overseas, along with trucks, bulldozers and other equipment.

Adm. Michael Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told Schwarzenegger and other governors that the Pentagon plans to pay to replace some of the equipment that is damaged or destroyed, but the compensation could take several years because of budget constraints.

Schwarzenegger said states also face budget shortfalls and can't shoulder the burden indefinitely.

During the Southern California fires in October, some local officials complained about a lack of air support to contain the blazes, while state and federal officials criticized the U.S. military for failing to deploy some of its C-130 planes immediately after the fires broke out.

A few weeks later, when high winds threatened to worsen fires in Southern California, four of the planes were sent after state officials asked for help.

About 2,500 of the state's National Guardsmen are overseas out of a force of more than 20,000. The state estimates that $1 billion worth of equipment is being used, from diesel generators to trucks to GPS devices.

The California National Guard is also stretched thin because about 1,400 guardsmen are helping the federal government to secure the border with Mexico.

"There's only so long you can do that," the governor said. "We now are missing 50 percent of the equipment -- the equipment also (used) to train the National Guard."

Schwarzenegger used his trip to press several other key issues with federal officials -- although he left Washington with few firm commitments.

In a meeting with Bush and a small group of border governors from the United States and Mexico, he asked for more federal help in stopping drug smuggling, human trafficking and money laundering.

The governor is also leading a new effort to lobby the federal government to increase spending on infrastructure. The White House has been cool to the idea, although Democrats in the Senate are talking about a new stimulus package that would add more money for rebuilding highways, bridges and water systems.

"It doesn't need to be part of the stimulus package, it can be separate," Schwarzenegger said, suggesting the money could be inserted into appropriations bills.

E-mail Zachary Coile at zcoile(at)sfchronicle.com.

(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, www.scrippsnews.com.)