North Dakota Guard to drill despite budget cuts

Tens of thousands of Army National Guard members from New Hampshire to Hawaii have been idled because of a $101 million gap that has led to drills being postponed and travel being suspended.

North Dakota Guard spokeswoman Sgt. 1st Class Billie Jo Lorius said while other states are postponing drills because of federal budget cuts, North Dakota's Guard is looking for other ways to save money.

"We're looking to other areas that won't have as big of an impact on soldiers, where we can look to save money and do it with minimal impact to soldiers," Lorius told the Bismarck Tribune .

Lorius said it's important that training continue.

"It's the end of the fiscal year for a lot of soldiers and canceling drills impacts a lot of soldiers' lives" she said. "For us, it's really important to maintain that schedule and maintain our training as well," she said.

North Dakota has nearly 3,200 Army National Guard soldiers.

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