United States National Guard
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The United States National Guard is a component of the United States Army (the Army National Guard) and the United States Air Force (the Air National Guard). The Militia Act of 1903 organized the various state militias into the present National Guard system. The Army National Guard is part of the United States Army, comprising approximately one half of its available combat forces and approximately one third of its support organization. The Air National Guard is part of the United States Air Force. Both are maintained through the National Guard Bureau, whose Chief is a Lieutenant General.
The United States Code reads, "(a) The militia of the United States consists of all able-bodied males at least 17 years of age and, except as provided in section 313 of title 32, under 45 years of age who are, or who have made a declaration of intention to become, citizens of the United States and of female citizens of the United States who are members of the National Guard. (b) The classes of the militia are— (1) the organized militia, which consists of the National Guard and the Naval Militia; and (2) the unorganized militia, which consists of the members of the militia who are not members of the National Guard or the Naval Militia."
Many states also maintain their own military forces. These forces are federally recognized, but are separate from the National Guard and are not meant to be federalized, but rather service the state exclusively, especially when the National Guard is deployed and unavailable.
Army National Guard units are trained and equipped as part of the United States Army; likewise, Air National Guard units are trained and equipped as part of the US Air Force. The same ranks and insignia are used and National Guardsmen are eligible to receive all United States military awards. The National Guard also bestows a number of state awards for local services rendered in a service member's home state.
Traditionally, National Guard personnel serve "One weekend a month, two weeks a year", although a portion serve in a full-time capacity. This slogan has lost some of its relevance since the Iraq War, when up to 40% of total US forces in Iraq and Afghanistan consisted of mobilized personnel of the reserve components.
Prior to the attacks against the United States on September 11, 2001, the National Guard's general policy regarding deployment was that Guardsmen would be required to serve no more than six months overseas at any time. Due to strains placed on active duty units following the attacks, the possible deployment time was increased to 18 months. Additional strains placed on military units as a result of the invasion of Iraq further increased the amount of time a Guardsman could be deployed to 24 months. Current Department of Defense policy is that no Guardsman will be involuntarily activated for a total of more than 24 months (cumulative) in one six year enlistment period (this policy is due to change 1 August 2007, the new policy states that soldiers will be given 24 months between deployments of no more than 24 months, individual states have differing policies). The Army National Guard is composed of 325,000 soldiers.
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[edit] Constitutional charter of the National Guard
The Army National Guard's charter is the Constitution of the United States.
Article I, Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution contains a series of "militia clauses", vesting distinct authority and responsibilities in the federal government and the state governments.
1) Article I, Section 8; Clause 15
- The Congress shall have Power ... To provide for calling forth the Militia to execute the Laws of the Union, suppress Insurrections and repel Invasions.
2) Article I, Section 8; Clause 16
- The Congress shall have Power ... To provide for organizing, arming, and disciplining, the Militia, and for governing such Part of them as may be employed in the Service of the United States, reserving to the States respectively, the Appointment of the Officers, and the Authority of training the Militia according to the discipline prescribed by Congress.
3) Article I, Section 8, Clause 12
- "The Congress shall have Power ... To raise and support Armies, but no Appropriation of Money to that Use shall be for a longer Term than two Years"
4) Article I, Section 10 Clause 3
- "No State shall, without the Consent of Congress, lay any Duty of Tonnage, keep Troops, or Ships of War in time of Peace, enter into any Agreement or Compact with another State, or with a foreign Power, or engage in War, unless actually invaded, or in such imminent Danger as will not admit of delay."
5) The Second Amendment
- "A well regulated Militia being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms shall not be infringed."
6) Article IV, Section 4
- The United States shall guarantee to every State in this Union a Republican Form of Government, and shall protect each of them against Invasion; and on Application of the Legislature, or of the Executive (when the Legislature cannot be convened) against domestic Violence.
7) Article II, Section 2
- The President shall be Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy of the United States, and of the Militia of the several States, when called into the actual Service of the United States; he may require the Opinion, in writing, of the principal Officer in each of the executive Departments, upon any Subject relating to the Duties of their respective Offices, and he shall have Power to Grant Reprieves and Pardons for Offences against the United States, except in Cases of Impeachment.
[edit] Laws covering the National Guard
The United states Congress has enacted various laws which control the National Guard
- The Militia Act of 1792
- Providing for the authority of the President to call out the Militia, and providing federal standards for the organization of the Militia.
- For the 111 years that the Militia Act of 1792 remained in effect, it defined the position of the militia in relation to the federal government. The War of 1812 tested this uniquely American defense establishment. To fight the War of 1812, the republic formed a small regular military and trained it to protect the frontiers and coastlines. Although it performed poorly in the offensive against Canada, the small force of regulars backed by a well-armed militia, accomplished its defensive mission well. Generals like Andrew Jackson proved, just as they had in the Revolution, that regulars and militia could be effective when employed as a team.
- The Militia Act of 1862
- Providing for the service of persons of African Descent in the Militia, and the Emancipation of Slaves owned by Confederates.
- -Title 18, U.S. Code, Section 1385: The Posse Comitatus Act of June 18, 1878
- Congress' suspension of southern states' right to organize a militia resulted in Posse Comitatus, a limiting of any person's use of the U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force in domestic law enforcement. The U.S. Navy and the U.S. Coast Guard, and the National Guard, when NOT in Federal Service, are specifically not limited by this act.
- The States revise the military codes - 1881 to 1892
- The Militia Act of 1903
- Affirmed the National Guard as the primary organized reserve force.
- The National Defense Act, 1916
- This act abandoned the idea of an expandable Regular Army and firmly established the traditional concept of the citizens' army as the keystone of the United States defense forces. It established the concept of merging the National Guard, the Army Reserve, and the Regular Army into the Army of the United States in time of war. The act further expanded the National Guard's role, and guaranteed the State militias' status as the Army's primary reserve force. The law mandated use of the term "National Guard" for that force, and the President was given authority, in case of war or national emergency, to mobilize the National Guard for the duration of the emergency. The number of yearly drills increased from 24 to 48 and annual training from five to 15 days. Drill pay was authorized for the first time.
- The National Defense Act Amendments of 1920
- This act established that the chief of the Militia Bureau (later the National Guard Bureau) would be a National Guard officer, that National Guard officers would be assigned to the general staff and that the divisions, as used by the Guard in World War I, would be reorganized.
- The National Guard Mobilization Act, 1933
- Made the National Guard a component of the Army.
- The National Defense Act of 1947
- Section 207 (f) established the Air National Guard, under the National Guard Bureau.
- The Total Force Policy, 1973
- Requires all active and reserve military organizations be treated as a single integrated force; reinforced the original intent of the founding fathers (a small standing army complemented by citizen-soldiers.)
- The Montgomery Amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1987
- provides that a governor cannot withhold consent with regard to active duty outside the United States because of any objection to the location, purpose, type, or schedule of such duty. This law was challenged and upheld by the Supreme Court of the United States in 1990 (see case in FindLaw [1])
[edit] Duties and Administrative Organization
National Guard units can be mobilized at any time by presidential order to supplement regular armed forces, and upon declaration of a state of emergency by the governor of the state in which they serve. Unlike Army Reserve members, National Guard members cannot be mobilized individually (except through voluntary transfers and Temporary DutY Assignments TDY), but only as part of their respective units. However, there has been a significant amount of individual activations to support military operations (2001-?); the legality of this policy is a major issue within the National Guard.
The National Guard Bureau is located in Arlington, VA and is a joint command operated by the United States Department of the Army and The United States Department of the Air Force to conduct all the administrative matters pertaining to the Army National Guard and the Air National Guard. The current chief of the National Guard Bureau is Lieutenant General H. Steven Blum. The chief is the senior uniformed National Guard officer, in charge of developing all policies and advising the Secretary and Chief of Staff of the Air Force on all National Guard issues. He is appointed by the president in his capacity as Commander in Chief.
[edit] History
Throughout the 19th century the regular Army was small, and the militia provided the majority of the troops during the Mexican-American War, the start of the American Civil War, and the Spanish-American War. In 1903, part of the militia was federalized and renamed the National Guard and organized as a Reserve force for the Army. In World War I, the National Guard made up 40 percent of the U.S. combat divisions in France. In World War II the National Guard made up 19 divisions. One hundred forty thousand guardsmen were mobilized during the Korean War and over 63,000 for Operation Desert Storm. They have also participated in the U.S. peacekeeping forces in Somalia, Haiti, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bosnia, and Kosovo as well as for natural disasters, strikes, riots and security for the Olympic Games when they have been in the States.
The history of the National Guard began on December 13, 1636, when the General Court of the Massachusetts Bay Colony ordered the organization of the Colony's militia companies into three regiments: The North, South and East Regiments. The colonists had adopted the English militia system which obligated all males, between the ages of 16 and 60, to possess arms and participate in the defense of the community. The early colonial militia drilled once a week and provided guard details each evening to sound the alarm in case of attack. The growing threat of the Pequot Indians to the Massachusetts Bay Colony required that the militia be in a high state of readiness. The organization of the North, South and East Regiments increased the efficiency and responsiveness of the militia. Although the exact date is not known, the first muster of the East Regiment took place in Salem, Massachusetts. The 101st Engineer Battalion, Massachusetts Army National Guard, continues the East Regiment's proud heritage of 350 years of service.
The visit of the Marquis de Lafayette to the U.S., in 1824-25, was in every sense a triumphal procession. The 2d Battalion, 11th New York Artillery, was one of many militia commands turned out in welcome. This unit decided to adopt the title "National Guard," in honor of Lafayette's celebrated Garde Nationale de Paris. The Battalion, later the 7th Regiment, was prominent in the line of march on the occasion of Lafayette's final passage through New York en route home to France. Taking note of the troops named for his old command, Lafayette alighted from his carriage, walked down the line, clasping each officer by the hand as he passed. "National Guard" was destined to become the name of the U.S. militia.
The National Guard is not subject to the Posse Comitatus Act and can engage in law enforcement activities, except when federalized.
[edit] Twentieth Century
Following World War II, the National Guard aviation units became the Air National Guard. There is no Naval National Guard due to the constitutional provision against states having ships of war in time of peace, though Alaska, California, New Jersey, New York, Texas and Ohio have incorporated Naval Militia units.
Elements of the Ohio National Guard were ordered to Kent State University by Ohio's governor James Rhodes to quell anti-Vietnam War protests, culminating in their shooting into a crowd of students on May 4, 1970, killing four and injuring nine.
National Guard members and reservists now comprise a larger percentage of frontline fighting forces than in any war in U.S. history (About 43 percent in Iraq and 55 percent in Afghanistan). There are now 183,366 National Guard members and reservists on active duty nationwide who leave behind about 300,000 dependents, according to U.S. Defense Department statistics.
The oldest military units in the country are the 182d Infantry Regiment and 101st Engineer Battalion of the Massachusetts Army National Guard, which were first organized in 1636.
The National Guard came in during the Watts Riots to calm the city of Los Angeles down.
The LA Riots in 1992 sparked the city in chaos and when LAPD couldn't handle the situation, the National Guard were deployed to the Los Angeles area, at least 5 people were shot by the National Guard for not following the curfew that was imposed on the entire city.
[edit] Twenty-first Century
National Guard units played a major role in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, in September 2005.
The Air National Guard has more than 106,000 personnel, and the Army National Guard (ARNG) around 333,000 personnel (as of February 2006).
The Army National Guard is reorganizing into 28 brigade combat teams and 78 support brigades as a part of the Army's transformation plan. When the reorganization is complete, brigades will have 3,000-to-4,000 soldiers whereas the former Army organization was principally organized around large, mostly armored, divisions of around 15,000 soldiers each. [2]
[edit] List of chiefs of the National Guard Bureau
| Name | From | To |
|---|---|---|
| Colonel Erasmus M. Weaver, Jr. | February 14, 1908 | March 14, 1911 |
| Brigadier General Robert K. Evans | March 15, 1911 | August 31, 1912 |
| Major General Albert L. Mills | September 1, 1912 | September 18, 1916 |
| Major General William A. Mann | October 26, 1916 | November 26, 1917 |
| Major General Jessie Mcl. Carter | November 26, 1917 | August 15, 1918 |
| Major General George C. Rickards | June 29, 1921 | June 28, 1925 |
| Major General Creed C. Hammond | June 29, 1925 | June 28, 1929 |
| Colonel Ernest R. Redmond (Actg) | June 29, 1929 | September 30, 1929 |
| Major General William G. Everson | October 1, 1929 | November 30, 1931 |
| Major General George E. Leach | December 1, 1931 | November 30, 1935 |
| Colonel Harold J. Weiler (Actg) | December 1, 1935 | January 16, 1936 |
| Colonel John F. Williams (Actg) | January 17, 1936 | January 30, 1936 |
| Major General Albert H. Blanding | January 31, 1936 | January 30, 1940 |
| Major General John F. Williams | January 31, 1940 | January 30, 1944 |
| Major General John F. Williams (Actg) | January 31, 1944 | January 31, 1946 |
| Major General Butler B. Miltonberger | February 1, 1946 | September 29, 1947 |
| Major General Kenneth F. Cramer | September 30, 1947 | September 4, 1950 |
| Major General Raymond H. Fleming (Actg) | September 5, 1950 | August 13, 1951 |
| Major General Raymond H. Fleming | August 14, 1951 | February 15, 1953 |
| Major General Earl T. Ricks (Actg) | February 16, 1953 | June 21, 1953 |
| Major General Edgar C. Erickson | June 22, 1953 | May 31, 1959 |
| Major General Winston P. Wilson (Actg) | June 1, 1959 | July 19, 1959 |
| Major General Donald W. McGowan | July 20, 1959 | August 30, 1963 |
| Major General Winston P. Wilson | August 31, 1963 | August 31, 1971 |
| Major General Francis S. Greenlief | September 1, 1971 | June 23, 1974 |
| Lieutenant General La Vern E. Weber | August 16, 1974 | August 15, 1982 |
| Lieutenant General Emmett H. Walker, Jr. | August 16, 1982 | August 15, 1986 |
| Lieutenant General Herbert R. Temple, Jr. | August 16, 1986 | January 31, 1990 |
| Lieutenant General John B. Conaway | February 1, 1990 | December 1, 1993 |
| Major General Raymond F. Rees (Actg) | January 1, 1994 | July 31, 1994 |
| Lieutenant General Edward D. Baca | October 1, 1994 | July 31, 1998 |
| Lieutenant General Russell C. Davis | August 4, 1998 | August 3, 2002 |
| Major General Raymond F. Rees (Actg) | August 4, 2002 | April 10, 2003 |
| Lieutenant General H. Steven Blum | April 11, 2003 | present |
[edit] National Guard Forces
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[edit] See also
- State Defense Forces
- Militia
- Home Guard
- Air National Guard Units
- Naval Militia
- Transformation of the Army National Guard
[edit] External links
- The National Guard Bureau
- The National Guard Bureau Heritage Collection
- The Army National Guard Recruiting Site
- Information about joining the guard
- Virtual Armory (login not required)
[edit] References
Donna Miles (2006-12-01). Concept Perfected in Iraq, Afghanistan Used Along U.S. Border. Retrieved on 2006-12-01.
- ^ FindLaw (June 27, 2004). "PERPICH v. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE, 496 U.S. 334 (1990)". FindLaw. Retrieved on 2006-05-13.
- ^ Transformation of the United States Army, accessed 21 Nov 2006
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