Gen.: Army Nat'l Guard not combat ready (AP)

By LOLITA C. BALDOR, Associated Press Writer 1 hour, 58 minutes ago WASHINGTON - More than two-thirds of the Army National Guard's 34 brigades are not combat ready due largely to vast equipment shortfalls that will take as much as $21 billion to correct, the top National Guard general said Tuesday. The comments by Lt. Gen. H. Steven Blum came in the wake of disclosures by Army officials, analysts and members of Congress that two-thirds of the active Army's brigades are not rated ready for war. The ...