2/3rds of National Guard not combat ready

More good news about our military capabilities. It turns out that not only are none of the non-deployed Army units combat ready, but two thirds of the National Guard are not combat ready:

WASHINGTON - More than two-thirds of the Army National Guard's 34 brigades are not combat ready, mostly because of equipment shortages that will cost up to $21 billion to correct, the top National Guard general said Tuesday.

Lt. Gen. H. Steven Blum spoke to a group defense reporters after Army officials, analysts and members of Congress disclosed that two-thirds of the active Army's brigades are not ready for war.

The budget won't allow the military to complete the personnel training and equipment repairs and replacement that must be done when units return home after deploying to Iraq or Afghanistan, they say.

Don't I remember back in 2000 Bush charging that the Clinton administration had left the military in unsound condition? An echo from the past:

GOV. GEORGE W. BUSH: Our military is low on parts, pay and morale. If called on by the commander-in-chief today, two entire divisions of the army would have to report "not ready for duty, sir."