Guard needs more troops, general says

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- The Missouri National Guard lacks sufficient manpower to indefinitely carry out the additional duties placed on it by the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, the state's adjutant general said Thursday.

Brig. Gen. Dennis Shull said the Guard is fully capable of carrying out the missions it has been asked to perform in recent weeks, but the increasing demands being placed upon it will at some point require an upgrade in troop strength.

"If the National Guard is going to become more and more engaged in homeland defense issues, then we're going to have to be willing to provide some additional force structure," Shull said.

The state Army Guard's authorized strength is 8,250 members. As of Thursday, the total force was actually slightly above that with 8,265 members. The smaller Air Guard's 2,523 members also put it above its authorized strength of 2,502.

Down from 1991 level

The U.S. Department of Defense determines the size of each state's force. Missouri actually lost some Army Guard units in the mid-1990s after topping out at 9,681 members in 1991.

Shull said military officials in Washington, D.C., are already reviewing the strength levels of each state's Guard. While Shull predicted Missouri's authorized levels will be raised, he said it won't happen soon.

"It's a very time-consuming process, so any significant addition to our force structure is probably a year off," Shull said.

About 250 Air Force Guardsmen and a like number of Army Guardsmen from Missouri are on federal duty, Shull said. Many others are carrying out special missions in the state, such as providing additional security at airports and nuclear power facilities.

Exactly how much manpower the Guard will need in coming years will depend on what role state and federal homeland defense officials want it to play in protecting citizens from terrorism. As with much else in the country since the attacks, those details are continuously evolving.

"This is new ground we're plowing," Shull said.

mpowers@semissourian.com

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