page_title: State defense force
section_title: Active state defense forces
hierarchical_section_title: State defense force / Active state defense forces
caption_attribution_description: English: Training
context_page_description: State defense forces; also known as state military, state military force, state guards, state militias, or state military reserves in the United States are military units that operate under the sole authority of a state government. State defense forces are authorized by state and federal law and are under the command of the governor of each state.
  State defense forces are distinct from their state's National Guard in that they cannot become federal entities. All state National Guard personnel can be federalized under the National Defense Act Amendments of 1933 with the creation of the National Guard of the United States. This provides the basis for integrating units and personnel of the Army National Guard into the U.S. Army and, since 1947, units and personnel of the Air National Guard into the U.S. Air Force.
  The federal government recognizes state defense forces, as per the Compact Clause of the U.S. Constitution, under 32 U.S.C. § 109 which provides that state defense forces as a whole may not be called, ordered, or drafted into the armed forces of the United States, thus preserving their separation from the National Guard.
context_section_description: There are currently twenty-one active state defense forces. A 2005 Department of Defense report reported twenty-three active SDFs in the United States. Since this time, New Jersey has suspended the New Jersey State Guard. Per Chief National Guard Bureau Instruction 5500.01: "The NG will not spend Federal funds, to include pay and allowances, subsistence, transportation, medical care and treatment, or use of Federal equipment for activities with the primary purpose of training or otherwise for the support of SDFs IAW section 109 of reference a."
  The Puerto Rico State Guard includes an air support component, the 1st Air Base Group, that support the operations of the Puerto Rico Air National Guard.
  The Texas State Guard's Air Component Command supports the Texas Air National Guard and provides Defense Support to Civil Authorities, (DSCA).
  State defense forces include:
  * Colorado does not operate an active state defense force, but rather has a statutory state defense force staffed by one individual appointed by the governor.
caption: California State Military Reserve members during annual training.
exif: {}