Results tagged “drawdown”

Some 150 National Guardsmen have been pulled from details patrolling the city's transportation hubs, as part of a restructuring that officials claim will actually make the soldiers more responsive to threats. Guard spokesman Richard Goldberg tells the Post, "We are at more locations now because we're not tied to specific facilities. You'll still see us at Penn Station and the airports, but you'll also see them at critical transport sites, like bus terminals." Last year the National Guard had 430 soldiers based in the city; now there are 280. Another spokesman asserts that because the troops are now stationed out of Fort Hamilton in Brooklyn instead of airports and train stations, they're better equipped to "selectively respond" to emergencies or as cops need reinforcements. Another bonus is that the drawdown will probably save the state over ten million dollars. But their absence has left some commuters, like administrative assistant Donna El-Maadawy, feeling very unguarded; she tells the Post, "I rarely see them anymore. Not having them present will makes me feel uneasy. You just never know when we may need them."