The Alaska National Guard, which Republicans are pointing to as an important national-security credential for vice presidential choice Sarah Palin, is the most poorly staffed in the nation. Air Force Maj. Gen. Craig Campbell, the Alaska Guard's top officer, warned in an internal memo 6 months ago that that "missions are at risk." The lack of qualified airmen has reached a crisis level." That could result in missions and equipment being moved out of Alaska.
The Alaska Air Guard has only 84 percent of its assigned positions filled, the lowest rating in the country. Overall, the Alaska National Guard has about 3,800 troops in its air and ground units.
Under state control, the Guard's frequent duties are minor and routine operations. For example on Monday this week, Guard soldiers had to transport a woman with an eye injury to Nome for medical treatment. A few days earlier, Guard airmen rescued a man after his plane went down in a spruce bog 57 miles southeast of Galena. And in late July, the Guard was called in to a help a man who'd fallen off the roof of his cabin in the Brooks Range Mountains.
On the mainland US such duties are mostly handled by Fire Departments, volunteer firemen or Emergency Medical Technicians.
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The Alaska National Guard, which Republicans are pointing to as an important national-security credential for vice presidential choice Sarah Palin, is the most poorly staffed in the nation. Air Force Maj. Gen. Craig Campbell, the Alaska Guard's top officer, warned in an internal memo 6 months ago that that "missions are at risk." The lack of qualified airmen has reached a crisis level." That could result in missions and equipment being moved out of Alaska.
The Alaska Air Guard has only 84 percent of its assigned positions filled, the lowest rating in the country. Overall, the Alaska National Guard has about 3,800 troops in its air and ground units.
Under state control, the Guard's frequent duties are minor and routine operations. For example on Monday this week, Guard soldiers had to transport a woman with an eye injury to Nome for medical treatment. A few days earlier, Guard airmen rescued a man after his plane went down in a spruce bog 57 miles southeast of Galena. And in late July, the Guard was called in to a help a man who'd fallen off the roof of his cabin in the Brooks Range Mountains.
On the mainland US such duties are mostly handled by Fire Departments, volunteer firemen or Emergency Medical Technicians.