I never heard this said while following Hurricane Katrina’s aftermath on CNN and MSNBC. But, a friend (who is loyal to Rush Limbaugh), but didn’t quote a source says the LA National Guard couldn’t respond due to a lack of State funds? Huh? If true, then who put “National” in National Guard! So, is this true? (Ideally, do you haev a cite?) Thanks!
The National Guard Bureau is appropriated funding in the Defense budget, but the state is also responsible for a portion of the funding. For instance, we have AGRs (Active Duty Guardsmen) under Title 10 orders (Federal), and these are supplemented by Technicians, who are state employees who are nonetheless obligated to wear uniforms to work and are still subject to the chain of command. Also, we have people on Title 32 (State, mostly but not entirely funded by the NGB) orders for the purposes of training and are subject to the state Code of Military Justice rather than the UCMJ (although for all intents and purposes they are pretty much the same).
It’s really complicated, and a lot of the funding problems come from the fact that everybody pays a little bit here and a little bit there and there always has to be the determination of which pot of money is going to be tapped for any given mobilization. Some are obvious, like Iraq. When I go to Iraq I’m under Title 10. When I do my UTAs I am under Title 32. When I went to Tech School I was Title 10 but my OJT was Title 32. Right now I am under Title 10 because the federal government is funding the program I am participating in.
Like I said, a big mess. And Louisiana fell smack dab into it. If the Governor had immediately relinquished control to the Feds they could have been Federalized and the Active Duty could have participated immediately. For whatever reason (and this is just what I heard) she was reluctant to do so and it cost a lot of time.
Again, it’s just not as simple as throwing on your uniform and going. A lot has to happen when you’re in the Guard before you suit up and get to work.