AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) - Gov. Paul LePage says he doesn’t want to reduce the number of National Guard personnel in Maine but acknowledged that the decision is ultimately out of his hands.
LePage said Tuesday that Congress is setting up a commission to study the staffing levels and reassignment of units like the Maine Army National Guard’s 133rd Engineer Battalion.
Last month, the Portland Press Herald reported that the National Guard was nearing the final stages of a plan to send the battalion to Pennsylvania and replace it with an infantry unit.
LePage said Maine National Guard Brig. General James Campbell probably “jumped the gun” in preparing for contingencies in the event a national reduction in force. He said any decision is two to three years away.
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