Governor Rendell Says He Will 'Not Stand By' as Army Works on Plan Without Consulting States

    HARRISBURG, Pa., Jan. 20 /PRNewswire/ -- Pennsylvania Governor Edward G.Rendell today urged U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld to put aside the Army's plans to cut up to 24,000 National Guard soldiers nationwide. 

 "I will not stand by and let needed resources be cut from the Pennsylvania National Guard, and I daresay my fellow governors will have the same reaction," the Governor said in a letter to the secretary.  "I ask you to join me, my fellow governors and the Nation's adjutants general in putting aside this ill-conceived proposal to cut the National Guard.

 "Major changes to National Guard units require careful coordination with
the states and the consent of the governors."    Last year, Governor Rendell and Pennsylvania U.S. Senators Arlen Specter and Rick Santorum joined together in a lawsuit that resulted in the U.S.
District Court for the Eastern District affirming their argument.  The court ruled that the Department of Defense's attempt to deactivate the 111th Fighter Wing of the PA Air National Guard was "null and void" without the Governor's approval.
  
Under the Army's latest plan, one active duty and six National Guard brigades, primarily heavy (armor or mechanized), would be eliminated. Pennsylvania is home to two of the nation's heavy brigades.  The 28th Infantry Division, also known as the "Keystone Division," includes brigades that have fought in Iraq, helped Gulf Coast residents recover from Hurricane Katrina and were first to respond after the 9/11 attacks.

"These soldiers have answered the call and stood up for their nation and their commonwealth at great personal sacrifice," Governor Rendell said.  "The President sends these soldiers off to war, requires them to leave some of their valuable equipment behind when they redeploy, and now the Army is
planning to tell them we don't need them anymore."

"Just as these soldiers have answered the call to service, so I am calling on you to reconsider these unwise cuts targeting the National Guard."
  
Pennsylvania's Adjutant General, Maj. Gen. Jessica L. Wright, said the proposal is ill-timed.
  
 "It will have serious adverse consequences for military and emergency preparedness in this commonwealth," Wright said.  "I don't believe any state or any governor or any adjutant general will stand idly by and watch the Guard's force structure erode without protest."

    The Rendell Administration is committed to creating a first-rate public
education system, protecting our most vulnerable citizens and continuing
economic investment to support our communities and businesses.  To find out
more about Governor Rendell's initiatives and to sign up for his weekly
newsletter, visit his Web site at: http://www.governor.state.pa.us.

Click here for the Governor's Letter to Secretary Rumsfeld

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