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National Guard argues against federalizing for coronavirus response, 2,000 now under governors' control
[Washington Examiner] The chief of the National Guard Bureau argued vehemently today against federalizing the 450,000-member force and keeping units under the control of governors.

"With COVID-19, it’s like we have 54 separate hurricanes in every state, territory, and the District of Columbia," Guard leader Air Force Gen. Joseph L. Lengyel said at a Pentagon briefing this morning, equating the pandemic response to the typical role of the Guard in supporting natural disaster responses.

Lengyel said Guard members are administrating COVID-19 tests directly in Colorado, New York, and Rhode Island and providing transportation, equipment delivery, and command-and-control support in other areas, including distributing 500,000 swabs for test kits.

Lengyel said about 2,000 National Guard members have been activated by 27 governors across the country, a number he expects will double by the weekend, with units available "in a matter of hours."

"States need the National Guard to react to this pandemic. Governors have the authority to bring them on active duty as there are tasks and purpose for them to be used," he explained.

"I’m expecting tens of thousands to be used inside states as this grows," he said, noting that under governors’ direction, Guard members can be deployed faster and more efficiently than if the president were to invoke Title X and bring Guard members under federal control. Lengyel equated such a decision with that of responding to a war with a peer adversary, such as during World War II.

The chief of the National Guard said the service provides a unique advantage in assisting state emergencies because its members do not have to deploy from military installations but already live in affected communities.

Lengyel warned that calling on medical and law enforcement Guard members was a "zero-sum game," which governors are studying closely because Guard members are taken out of their civilian functions.
Posted by: Besoeker 2020-03-20
http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=566436