Sherpas And Spartans

The National Guard Association of the United States is touting the use of a pair of aircraft in hurricane relief efforts in New York that the Pentagon says it doesn't need in the future.

In a statement released this afternoon, NGAUS said a Florida Army National Guard C-23 Sherpa had delivered emergency supplies from the mid-Atlantic to New York and New Jersey, while Maryland, Mississippi and Ohio Air National Guard C-27J Spartan aircraft had flown personnel and equipment to New York:

The C-23 and C-27J are small fixed-wing cargo planes capable of landing on runways that may prohibit other military aircraft. The C-23 has been in the Guard for more than 20 years; the C-27J for two years. Both also have seen duty overseas, where they have been praised for their flexibility, reliability and cost-efficiency.

Yet both are on the Pentagon chopping block.

The Army is scheduled this month to take both of the Florida Army Guard’s C-23s and two aircraft from the Texas Army Guard. And the Air Force planned to divest the C-27J in its fiscal 2013 budget request.

Congress thought it put those plans on hold in the continuing resolution that currently funds the federal government through the end of March, but the Army is moving forward with its plans.

"This is a case where the Pentagon simply doesn't like small cargo aircraft, even if they demonstrate their value to the nation every time out," said retired Maj. Gen. Gus L. Hargett Jr., the president of the National Guard Association of the United States.

"The Army and the Air Force say these planes are unneeded, but there are thousands of ground troops who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan who would disagree, and now, so would tens of thousands of people in New Jersey and New York," he added. "But the Pentagon remains determined."

The Army's determination has caught the attention of the governors of Florida and Texas and some lawmakers.

Gov. Rick Scott, R-Fla., and Gov. Rick Perry, R-Texas, wrote President Barack Obama on Oct. 11 asking him to intervene.

In Congress, Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Calif., is asking colleagues to sign a letter to Army Secretary John McHugh requesting his "commitment to ensure that the C-23 fleet remains operational until a viable alternative is identified."

Hunter, a member of the House Armed Services Committee and co-chair of the House National Guard and Reserve Components Caucus, is asking that the letter be signed and delivered to McHugh this week.

For some more background, check out this May 21 Inside the Army story.