There was so much going on last week, I didn’t have a chance to report on Maj. Gen. Timothy Orr’s Condition of the Iowa National Guard address to the General Assembly. Since I know we have several National Guard families in the district, I wanted to highlight a few points he made. 

With the wars in the Middle East winding down, Orr reported that only 260 Iowa National Guard soldiers have deployed overseas, the lowest number since 9/11. He also cautioned that looming budget cuts as a part of the sequestration instituted by Congress could have a significant impact on the military. 

But with more soldiers here at home, Orr said the Guard is prepared and ready to respond to any natural disaster or if they are needed in any domestic assistance. In December, 80 Guardsmen were activated to support the Department of Transportation during the winter storms in central Iowa and just a few weeks ago, 120 Guardsmen were deployed to assist with President Obama’s inauguration in Washington, D.C.