A top general in the Iowa National Guard assured state lawmakers Tuesday an upcoming deployment of 3,500 guard soldiers to Afghanistan won’t leave the state short handed. Deputy adjutant General Greg Schwab told a legislative budget committee the soldiers that will go overseas usually play a big role at home.
“When it comes to highway assistance teams or flood response or Parkersburg response or little Sioux a big part of our force structure is the second brigade combat team,” Schwab says. With members of the second brigade overseas, General Schwab says the guard will use the 3,000 remaining Army guard soldiers as well as air guard personnel to handle any problems.
And he says Iowa has agreements with other states to get help from their guard units. “Should it be required we can bring them in if we exhaust the capability that we have here in Iowa,” Schwab says. The general was at the statehouse to make his case for funding.
Schwab says to make sure the soldiers are adequately prepared for deployment, the guard will need a budget next year the size of this year’s budget before the governor’s across the board cut.