In the United States, state defense forces (SDFs) 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.
The National Guard Bureau is the federal agency responsible for the administration of the National Guard established by the United States Congress as a joint bureau of the Department of the Army and the Department of the Air Force. It was created by the Militia Act of 1903. The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008, elevated the National Guard to a joint function of the Department of Defense. The 2007 NDAA, from the previous year, elevated the chief of the National Guard Bureau from a lieutenant general to a four-star general.
The Georgia State Defense Force (GSDF) is Georgia's State Guard. The GSDF is a professionally trained volunteer component of the Georgia Department of Defense, serving in support of the national and state constitutions under direction of the governor and the adjutant general of Georgia. As a State Defense Force (SDF), the GSDF serves alongside the Georgia Army National Guard and the Georgia Air National Guard. The mission of the GSDF is to provide volunteers to assist government agencies and civil relief organizations during emergencies.
The Mississippi National Guard (MSNG), commonly known as the Mississippi Guard, is both a Mississippi state and a federal government organization, part of the United States National Guard. It is part of the Mississippi Military Department, a state agency of the government of Mississippi. The Adjutant General of Mississippi (TAG), Major General Bobby Ginn, serves as the executive director and is subordinate to the Commander-in-Chief, the Governor of Mississippi, in matters relating to the department and the state militia forces.
The Maine Department of Defense, Veterans, and Emergency Management (DVEM) is a government agency in Maine. It comprises the two components of the Maine National Guard, the Maine Army National Guard and the Maine Air National Guard, the Bureau of Veterans' Affairs, the Maine Emergency Management Agency, and when it is active, the Maine State Guard. The Adjutant General of Maine, Brigadier General Diane L. Dunn, commands the Maine National Guard and serves as the State's Commissioner of Defense, Veterans, and Emergency Management (DVEM). The Maine Army and Air National Guard has responded to every call of the State and Nation since before the Revolutionary War. Their soldiers and airmen are trained to high standards and are ready to respond to combat missions, domestic emergencies, counterdrug efforts, reconstruction missions and more.
The Wisconsin State Defense Force (WSDF) is the currently inactive state defense force of the State of Wisconsin authorized by Wisconsin law. As a state defense force, the Wisconsin State Defense Force, alongside the Wisconsin National Guard, is organized under the Wisconsin Department of Military Affairs as a part of the military forces of Wisconsin. However, unlike the National Guard, the State Defense Force is a purely state-controlled organization and cannot be deployed outside the state of Wisconsin. When any part of the Wisconsin National Guard is called into service of the United States, the adjutant general may recruit volunteers to the WSDF to serve within the borders of Wisconsin.
The Tennessee Military Department is a department within the Executive Branch of Tennessee State Government with four major components. The Tennessee Army National Guard and the Tennessee Air National Guard constitute the National Guard in Tennessee. The Tennessee Emergency Management Agency (TEMA), and the Tennessee State Guard are the other major components of the Military Department.
The New Mexico State Defense Force, formerly the New Mexico State Guard, is part of the armed forces of the U.S. state of New Mexico. It is a reserve military force that works parallel to the state's National Guard. Authorized under the constitutions of the United States and New Mexico, the NMSDF is organized as an internal security and emergency services reserve force.
The Maryland Military Department (MMD) is a department of the State of Maryland directed by the adjutant general of Maryland.
Major General Donald P. Dunbar is Wisconsin's former Adjutant General. He commanded the Wisconsin National Guard and is in the United States Air National Guard. Dunbar was responsible for Emergency Management in the state. He also served as Wisconsin's Homeland Security Advisor, chairs the Homeland Security Council, and served as the senior state official for cyber matters. Dunbar also served on the executive committees of the Governor's Homeland Security Advisors Council (GHSAC) and the Adjutants General Association of the United States (AGAUS), and is a member of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) National Advisory Council. With the retirement of Major General Thaddeus J. Martin of the Connecticut National Guard on June 30, 2018, General Dunbar became the longest serving Adjutant General in the United States. At the request of Governor Tony Evers, Dunbar resigned his post in the Wisconsin National Guard on December 9, 2019, for intentionally ignoring orders requiring outside investigations into claims of sexual assault and harassment as required by state and federal law and U.S. Department of Defense regulations.
Each state in the United States has a senior military officer, as the state adjutant general, who is the de facto commander of a state's military forces, including the National Guard residing within the state, the state's naval militia, and any state defense forces. This officer is known as TAG, and is subordinated to the chief executive. They do not have authority over police forces, only military forces.
Judd Henry Lyons is a retired Army National Guard officer. After retiring from the military the rank of major general, he was appointed to the Senior Executive Service on August 7, 2017. Since 2018, he has served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense. In this role, he is the principal advisor to the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Manpower and Reserve Affairs in support of the ASD's role of providing overall supervision of manpower and reserve affairs for the Department of Defense. He is responsible for both the integration of reserve affairs across the United States Department of Defense and strategic engagement on all Reserve Component matters.
The Adjutant General of Connecticut is the highest-ranking military officer in the Armed Forces of the State of Connecticut which includes the Connecticut National Guard, the four units of the Governor's Guards, the Connecticut State Guard, the Connecticut State Guard Reserve and the Connecticut Naval Militia. The current Adjutant General is Major General Francis J. Evon, Jr. He was appointed to a four-year term effective July 1, 2018.
The Tennessee Emergency Management Agency (TEMA) is an agency of Tennessee government tasked with coordinating the state government's preparation for, response to, and recovery from natural and man-made disasters across the state of Tennessee. The agency is headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee, with four regional offices in Jackson, Nashville, Knoxville, and Chattanooga. TEMA is a component of the Tennessee Military Department, along with the Tennessee National Guard and the Tennessee State Guard.
Linda L. Singh is a retired major general of the Maryland Army National Guard.
The Texas Military Department (TMD) is an executive branch agency of the Texas government. Along with the Texas Department of Public Safety, it is charged with providing the security of Texas, which has the second largest population, border, and economy in the United States. It also provides administration of the Texas Military Forces (TXMF), the principal instrument through which it executes security policy. TXMF currently include the Texas Army National Guard, Texas Air National Guard, and Texas State Guard. It formerly included the Texas Rangers, Texas Army, Texas Navy, and Texas Marines.
The Adjutant General of Texas is the commander and chief executive officer of the Texas Military Department, the executive department of the Texas Military Forces. The adjutant general's position of authority over Texas Military Forces is second only to the commander-in-chief, the governor of Texas. This position is analogous to the United States secretary of defense. The adjutant general of Texas is appointed by the governor of Texas with the advice and consent of the Texas Senate from Texas Government Code Title 4, Subtitle C, Chapter 437.003.
Wisconsin Emergency Management (WEM) (also known as the Division of Emergency Management) is an agency of the Wisconsin state government responsible for preparing and carrying out state emergency response plans, and assisting local jurisdictions in developing their own emergency plans. The division is also responsible for administering the Wisconsin Disaster Fund, as well as private or federal emergency relief funds. Wisconsin Emergency Management is a subordinate division of the Wisconsin Department of Military Affairs.
