Editorial: Making a sacrifice

Monday, May 14, 2007 | 7:05 a.m.

As wars drag on in Iraq and Afghanistan, the numbers on which most Americans focus, rightly, are those involving the 3,393 soldiers who have died and the 25,245 who have been wounded. It is sometimes easy to forget that these wars, which have placed a heavy burden on service members and their families, are taking other types of tolls that could affect thousands or even millions of Americans.

The United States could be in danger of being inadequately prepared to handle major disasters or terrorist attacks at home because nearly half of the equipment used by state National Guards has been deployed to the wars in the Middle East, most of it ending up in Iraq.

This is not good news, as the first named storm of the hurricane season - which doesn't officially start until June 1 - emerged in the Atlantic Ocean earlier this week. Wildfires are devouring acres of land in California and Florida. And residents of Kansas still are struggling to dig out from under the wreckage left by the massive May 4 tornado that obliterated Greensburg, a town of 1,500.

A story by the Associated Press earlier this week reports that the California National Guard alone has only half of its required number of Humvees and high-water vehicles and less than a third of its required weapons stockpiles.

Arkansas, Maryland, Connecticut, Illinois, Oregon and Nevada all have reported critical National Guard equipment shortages or have expressed concerns about future shortages, AP says. Nevada Senate Democrats, worried about the upcoming wildfire season, urged Gov. Jim Gibbons to petition President Bush to bring Nevada's Guard home by November. Gibbons has refused, and a spokesman for the governor has said that Nevada's guard isn't faced with such shortages.

Equipment deficiencies aren't just occurring on the home front. For example, Gen. Ronald Keys, head of the U.S. Air Force Air Combat Command, says the nation's aging fleet of warplanes is rapidly deteriorating because of the demanding use in Iraq and Afghanistan.

In a USA Today story last week , Keys spoke of cracked wings on attack planes and frayed wiring in spy aircraft and said that he is concerned that policymakers will not take the problem seriously until "a wing falls off."

The service's average aircraft is 23.5 years old, compared to 8.5 years old in 1967, USA Today reports. Keys said it will cost about $400 billion to lower the fleet's average age to 15 years.

The Bush administration's failure to adequately prepare for the Iraq war is well-documented. But this botched effort also is draining resources that are needed in domestic emergencies. And when the next monster hurricane, wildfire or tornado hits this country, the war's sacrifices may be closer to home, thanks to the president.