page_title: Massachusetts State Defense Force
section_title: Current affairs
hierarchical_section_title: Massachusetts State Defense Force / History / Current affairs
caption_attribution_description: English: Brig. Gen. (Ret.) Gary Pappas, Commander, Massachusetts State Defense Force, holds his commands colors after receiving them from Brig. Gen. Paul G. Smith, Assistant Adjutant General, Massachusetts National, during the Massachusetts State Defense Force’s activation ceremony at the Massachusetts National Guard Museum and Archives, here, May 31, 2011.
context_page_description: The Massachusetts State Defense Force is the state defense force of the U.S. state of Massachusetts. The purpose of the Massachusetts State Defense Force is to augment the Massachusetts National Guard during emergencies in the state, especially when some or all of the National Guard is deployed. The MSDF is an all-volunteer state military force which reports directly to the State Adjutant General and is under the command of the Governor of Massachusetts. Like the National Guard, members have regular civilian careers and only meet for drills one weekend per month unless activated by the Governor during an emergency. The guard is headquartered at Milford, Massachusetts, in the same building as the National Guard. The director of the guard is appointed by The Adjutant General of Massachusetts. The Massachusetts State Defense Force is authorized by both the Constitution of Massachusetts and chapter 33 § 10 of the Massachusetts General Laws.
  The MSDF is composed of volunteers who operate solely within Massachusetts and may not be called into federal service.
context_section_description: The Guard was renamed the Massachusetts Military Reserve in June 1994; the State Guard name was restored during the group's reorganization after the September 11, 2001 attacks. The Massachusetts State Defense Force went on inactive status in Feb 2008. However, due to the need for additional assistance in emergency management, and the shortage of state resources due to frequent deployments of the National Guard, the Massachusetts State Defense Force was reactivated on May 31, 2011.
caption: Brig. Gen. (Ret.) Gary Pappas, Commander, Massachusetts State Defense Force, holds his command's colors during the Massachusetts State Defense Force’s activation ceremony at the Massachusetts National Guard Museum and Archives.
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