United States National Guard
The United States National Guard is a significant component of the United States armed forces military reserve. The National Guard draws from state guard forces, but should not be confused with the reserves of the various services which serve primarily as training units for replacements to active component forces, nor with the militia in general.
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 organisation. The Air National Guard is part of the United States Air Force.
Duties
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 servicemembers, National Guard members cannot be mobilized individually (except through voluntary transfers), but only as part of their respective units.
History
Throughout the 19th century the regular Army was small, and the militia provided the majority of the troops during the Mexican 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 US peacekeeping forces in Somalia, Haiti, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bosnia, and Kosovo as well as for natural disasters, strikes, riots and security for the Olympics when they have been in the states.
The National Guard while under state command is not subject to the Posse Comitatus Act and can engage in law enforcement activities. These law enforcement powers generally disappear when the National Guard is federalized.
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 both New York and Maryland have incorporated Naval Militia units.
Current status
The Air National Guard has more than 106,000 personnel and the Army National Guard (ARNG) around 350,000 personnel (2001).
