The House and Senate are concerned that a “substantial shortfall” in equipment stocks will hurt the National Guard's ability to meet its dual missions of supplementing active-duty forces in Iraq and Afghanistan and responding to emergencies at home, according to the conference report on the fiscal year 2007 defense appropriations bill.

Lawmakers asked the Defense Department to submit a report -- due no later than nine months following the legislation's enactment -- outlining how DOD has allotted funds and provided equipment for the National Guard in the next budget submission.

The House and Senate approved the spending bill last week; at press time (Sept. 29), it had not yet been signed by the president.

The conferees, believing the equipment needs of the National Guard and reserves of all armed services are not covered by the amount provided in the budget request, provided an additional $290 million for these forces, according to the lawmakers' report. This financial boost will cover “miscellaneous equipment” including aircraft, missiles, tracked combat vehicles, ammunition and other weapons, the document reads.

Conferees asked the chiefs of the reserves and National Guard to submit priority assessments to the congressional defense committees about the modernization of their forces no later than 30 days after the legislation takes effect.

The conferees also directed that $2.94 billion of the procurement funds provided in an accompanying emergency supplemental should be available only for the National Guard and the Army Reserve, and that $500 million of this money should specifically fund National Guard and Reserve equipment identified by House lawmakers as essential requirements to fight the war on terrorism.

“Army Reserve's equipment issues have affected training and readiness as a result of equipment left in the theater to support ongoing operations,” John Lawkowski, an official with the directorate of resource management at the Army Reserve Command, wrote in a Sept. 29 e-mail to Inside the Army.

“The $2.94 billion of bridge supplemental funding, coupled with $500 million designated in the National Guard and Army Reserve equipment appropriation, are paramount to successful training and readiness,” he wrote. “In addition, the increase in emergency funding for reset will enable the Army Reserve to replace or repair equipment to support future training and deployments.”

The conferees want the chief of the National Guard Bureau to submit a report specifying the items to be procured with this funding, and a fielding plan for this equipment, no later than 60 days after the bill becomes law.

The Army National Guard's force structure plans also were discussed in the defense spending conference report. In particular, the House and Senate questioned DOD's decision to cut seven Army Guard combat brigades.

“The conferees' review of this proposal indicates that the National Guard will have difficulty meeting its force generation and state security requirements with only 28 combat brigades,” the report states. “As the Department of the Army continues its examination of combat brigade requirements, the conferees strongly urge that this examination be conducted with the full participation and cooperation of both active and Guard officials at all levels.”

Moreover, the conferees said they plan to follow this issue closely over the coming months, aiming to ensure sufficient funding is provided to field the number of Guard combat brigades necessary to meet requirements.