European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - October 25, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Such As the Ahrns m-1 Lank. The Bradley lighting vehicles and the Roland a r Del Canso missile. The air Nii Lional guard which provides most o Ifica air defense of the United slalom. With two fight or interceptors on 24-hour Alert at each of 22 locations also has benefited irom the m Hilary buildup of the Reagan years. Today the air Guild is in basically the very same Lisl line equipment that the Active air Force is in f 15s. F-16i, Brand now c 130s." says Mai Gen John b Cona Vay. Director of inc air National guard like the army Guird. The air guard in a full partner in the total Force participating in global Sercios air guard lighters Are inc quintly scrambled to intercept soviet Bear bombers approaching us airspace air guard la Kors provider air to air dueling during the strikes at Grenada and Libya while he guard is Bellcar equipped than it Ever has been i hero arc Atill some shortages to need Mora of it. Just As the Active forces do and much of the Vietnam Era equipment is beginning to age says Dan Donahue spokesman or the Nal Ronal guard Bureau. Bui yes we get first Lino equipment Nghil Oil the Assembly  not Long Oil Iho Assembly line was a $5 million radar directing Iho Gator brigade s artillery lire at the 65.000 Aero National guard training base at Camp Blanding in a sparsely populated area of North Central Florida. The High Lech machine was in the care of chief warrant Allicer George Howard of plan City an ism technician in civilian life a korean Veteran who joined Iho guard at age 16, he s seen first hand the transformation of the guard Over the years brother there s no comparison he says. The training 15 so much More intense we used to meet once a week anal drink Beer and play cards. Now to hit the ground  How do the regular she professionals the West pointers. React to this partnership with part time soldiers army Gen. John r Galva. Who started Oul As a private in the Massachusetts National guard and is now supreme Allied commander Europe and european come commander had i his to say after observing a National guard unit at the certain Challenge exercise in West Germany in late september i really have conic to appreciate the guard and the Reserve to said i m really High on them alter what i have seen of hero. The Reserve components Are bigger in size than the Active components so they Are absolutely of Iho first importance to us " but Many regular army officers grumble of the record that guardsmen Are after All Only part Lime soldiers and they ate not ready to accept them As equals. A senior guard oficial who did t want to be identified by name Pul it this Way it s aka being Black and living Down South they May not like us. But there Are a lot of us and we Vegol a lot of votes i think there is genuine in specs Lor the ability of the guard says spokesman Donahue. I think on the other hand there is concern perhaps justifiable concern Over How Many missions you can shill to the guard just because it s an economical Way to do it " the army National guard s budget of $5 billion Lor 1968, excluding equipment is Only 64 percent of the total army budget. The army cannot go to War without the National guard and Hoy recognize this says Vlaj Gen Donald Burdick. Director of the army National guard. Specifically under the army s capstone mobilization plan which was first conceived in the late 1970s when Many guard urls were at less than 65 percent of their authorized strength the army National guard accounts Lor 10 of the total Force s 28 combat divisions. In addition upon mobilization