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National Guard struggles as troops leave at faster pace

FILE - A National Guard soldier walks past a barricade as security is ramped ahead of President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration ceremony Jan. 18, 2021, in Washington. Soldiers are leaving the Army National Guard at a faster rate than they are enlisting, fueling concerns that in the coming years units around the country may not meet military requirements for overseas and other deployments. Officials say the number of soldiers retiring or leaving the Guard each month in the past year has exceeded those coming in, for a total annual loss of about 7,500 service members. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum, File) FILE - National Guard members take a staircase toward the U.S. Capitol building before a rehearsal for President-elect Joe Biden's Presidential Inauguration in Washington, Jan. 18, 2021. Soldiers are leaving the Army National Guard at a faster rate than they are enlisting, fueling concerns that in the coming years units around the country may not meet military requirements for overseas and other deployments. Officials say the number of soldiers retiring or leaving the Guard each month in the past year has exceeded those coming in, for a total annual loss of about 7,500 service members. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File)