BATON ROUGE — A leader of the state Military Department told lawmakers Monday that some of the 1,000 Louisiana soldiers deployed overseas are within striking distance of Iranian missiles.

Maj. Gen. Michael Greer, the assistant adjutant general of the Louisiana National Guard, told members of the House Appropriations Committee that 1 out of every 11 Guard members is deployed abroad, and that some of them are near Iran.

The United States and Israel opened a war with Iran during the weekend and killed its leader amid their quest for regime change. Iran has retaliated with drone and missile strikes in the region.

“I want to acknowledge the brave soldiers and airmen in the Louisiana National Guard who, as we speak, are serving within missile range of Iran,” Greer said at the start of his 10-minute appearance before the House panel.

Greer had gone to the Appropriations Committee to speak with lawmakers about the Military Department’s budget request. The department’s current budget is at $142 million but the Louisiana National Guard is slated to take over state Homeland Security matters in the next fiscal year, pushing the budget past $2.8 billion.

Greer also said that after members of the Guard were deployed to New Orleans amid tourist-heavy events, "force levels are being responsibly reduced." Gov. Jeff Landry said Monday that 120 Guard members would remain on duty in the city to "augment public safety operations."