The article “Volunteer Military Organizations: An Overlooked Asset” by Lieutenant Colonel Brent C. Bankus (AUS-Ret.) argues that State Defense Forces (SDFs) and other volunteer military organizations represent an untapped solution to America’s growing homeland security and manpower challenges. Bankus traces their origins from colonial militias to modern SDFs, Naval Militias, the Civil Air Patrol, and
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This article recounts the creation and service of the New York Guard, formed on August 3, 1917, after the New York National Guard was federalized to fight overseas in World War I. With National Guard troops no longer available to protect key infrastructure such as railroads, aqueducts, canals, and power facilities, Governor Charles S. Whitmanauthorized
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The thesis “State Defense Forces: Past, Present, and Future” by Ronald Ray Armstrong and Alexander Philip Gisoldi provides a comprehensive study of the history, purpose, and challenges of State Defense Forces (SDFs) in the United States. It explains that as the Total Force Doctrine increasingly integrates the National Guard into federal operations, states lose access
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In his 1984 article, “State Defense Forces: The Missing Link in National Security” , George J. Stein argues that the U.S. militia system’s basic philosophy has become “self-contradictory”. He highlights the fundamental conflict between the Army National Guard’s (ARNG) traditional role as a state militia for disaster relief and constabulary duties and its modern, essential
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The article “The Georgia State Defense Corps and the Georgia State Guard, 1940–1947” by Captain Rich Elwell, Command Historian of the Georgia State Defense Force, provides a detailed history of Georgia’s state military organizations during World War II. It begins with the formation of the Georgia State Defense Corps in 1940 at the request of
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The article “State Defense Forces and Homeland Security” by Arthur N. Tulak, Robert W. Kraft, and Don Silbaughexplores how State Defense Forces (SDFs) can fill vital homeland defense roles for U.S. Northern Command (NORTHCOM) when the National Guard is unavailable due to federal mobilization. It explains that SDFs, composed of state-controlled volunteers, are already integrated
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The paper “Expanding the Use of State Defense Forces in Homeland Defense Missions” by Lieutenant Colonel Brent C. Bankus argues that State Defense Forces (SDFs) offer an underutilized and cost-effective solution for filling homeland defense and security gaps caused by the high operational tempo of active-duty and National Guard units deployed overseas. Bankus explains that
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The article “Homeland Defense: The Pennsylvania State Guard 1941–1953” by Lieutenant Colonel Brent C. Bankus (AUS-Ret.) provides a detailed historical account of Pennsylvania’s State Guard during World War II and the Korean War, illustrating its vital role in maintaining homeland security while the National Guard was federalized for overseas combat. It explains how, following the
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The paper “The State Guard Experience and Homeland Defense” by Colonel Andre N. Coulombe (USAR) provides a comprehensive analysis of the historical evolution and strategic importance of State Guards and State Defense Forces (SDFs) in ensuring America’s homeland defense and domestic security. Coulombe traces the roots of the U.S. militia system from the Militia Act
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The article “The Role of State Defense Forces in Homeland Security” by Colonel John R. Brinkerhoff (USA-Ret.)presents a detailed argument for the reestablishment and strengthening of State Defense Forces (SDFs) as critical components of America’s homeland security framework. Brinkerhoff explains that since the National Guard is now largely a federal operational force—with many of its
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