Army depends heavily on National Guard aviators.

• Author: Colucci, Frank
• Position: National Guard

Although they are busier than ever, Army National Guard aviation units are not likely to see mass resignations, according to officials. If these predictions prove to be accurate, it would be good news for the Army, which is struggling to meet growing demands for rotary pilots in Iraq and Afghanistan.

"They said they'd be there, and they are," said Col. George Gluski, division chief for aviation and safety in the National Guard Bureau. "We haven't seen any really negative impact ... The guys seem to be hanging in there."

Meanwhile, the heavy use of" Guard helicopter pilots and maintainers in both conflicts is likely to solidify their clout within the Army

Army National Guard and reserve units constitute about half of the aviation force in Iraq. Depending on the aircraft type, up to 80 percent of the reserve units come from the Guard. Simultaneously, National Guard aviation units account for a quarter of the force deployed in Afghanistan.

Mobilized Guardsmen fly Chinook, Black Hawk and Apache helicopters alongside the active units, while Guard aviation intermediate maintenance units support their own aircraft and those of the active-duty force.

The Guard relies on experienced aviators and maintainers to field units interchangeable with the active force. On short notice, for example, G Company, 140th Aviation Regiment of the California National Guard deployed eight CH-47 Chinooks to support special operations in preparation for the Iraq invasion.

The Army mobilized 67 Apache pilots, 28 Chinook pilots and six OH-58D Guard pilots to fill active-duty units in Iraq.

Flying hours for the Guard, nevertheless, were significantly cut in the fiscal year 2005 budget. "Everyone is doing the infamous 'more-with-less,'" said Gluski. As a result of the flying cuts, the aviation and safety division chief believes mobilized aviators will require more pre-mobilization and pre-deployment training.

Under current law, reserve component units can be mobilized for up to two years. Including the work-up preceding deployments, Army Guard aviators can be away from home for up to 20 months. Connecticut and Pennsylvania Guardsmen of the split-state G Company, 104th Aviation Regiment left for Iraq in February 2003 and returned from Afghanistan in April 2004.

The Guardsmen from the two states had trained together only infrequently, and their two-month pre-deployment training in New Jersey hardly was representative of the combat environment.

"They had no mountain, desert...