Nebraskans need to be safe at home

There's no free lunch, especially when it comes to national defense.

That seems to be a lesson the United States is slow in learning.

Witness the rapid reduction in military forces following World War II -- it wasn't long before we were scrambling to find an effective force to counter communist aggression in Korea.

The same for the post-Vietnam era and implementation of the all-volunteer armed forces.

Fortunately, thanks to advancement in technology, America can get by with a smaller number of troops. Just look at the difference between Gulf War I and Gulf War II, and the advent of one-target, one-bomb accuracy.

21st Century Systems, which has offices in McCook, is an example of the thousands of high-tech companies that are applying their expertise to the creation of a military force for the future.

It won't be long, in fact, before human soldiers are outnumbered by automated fighting machines, if the military brings its plans to fruition.

In the meantime, however, America is depending more and more on its "citizen soldiers," the National Guard and Reserve forces that work side-by-side with civilians in jobs throughout Southwest Nebraska and Northwest Kansas.

Few of us don't know someone personally who has been, is, or will be deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan. We miss them while they're gone.

And, it won't just be an emotional thing.

Sen. Ben Nelson noted that as governor in October 1997, he depended heavily on the National Guard to help cope with a blizzard that left 125,000 Nebraskans without electricity.

The problem is, those Guardsmen and Reserves who deploy overseas usually return without the equipment they may need for the next stateside disaster.

Nebraska Adjutant Gen. Roger Lempke and the Government Accountability Office recently reported to Nelson that "the Guard's ability to respond to domestic disaster relief is being weakened as more and more National Guard equipment is being left in Iraq by units that have been activated."

Nationally, Nelson said, the National Guard has only two-thirds of the Humvees, three fourths of the radios, half of the night vision devices and a fourth of the modern medium trucks it needs to be mission responsive. In Nebraska, he said, the Guard is short more than 1,700 pieces of equipment that would cost nearly $35 million to replace.

On Tuesday, the Senate gave unanimous approval to a resolution sponsored by Nelson and Sen. Lindsay Graham a Republican of South Carolina, calling on the Pentagon to fully fund the National Guard to make up for equipment shortages.

With the exception of a heavy snow early in the season, Nebraska's had one of the mildest winters on record -- but winter's far from over.

Nelson pointed out, correctly, that the state needs to be able to respond to national disasters, terrorist activities or other emergencies. "We need to be safe in our home towns in order to be safe in our homeland," Nelson said.