Summary: Homeland Defense - A Dilemma for the National Guard
Raymond E. Bell Jr.
The US National Guard, which comprises two components, the Army National Guard and the Air National Guard, has its roots in the colonial militias of the 17th and 18th century. Until the First World War, these militias, each serving their respective governors, were only responsible for homeland defense. Since WWI they have also assumed combat tasks outside the continental USA.
Until 1948 the National Guard was uniform in nature, but when the Air Force was established as a separate branch, some states installed an Air National Guard which served the respective governor as well as the federal government. While the Air National Guard and the Air Force Reserve were completely integrated into the Air Force structure, the same does not hold true for the Army National Guard’s relationship to the active Army.
Until 11 September 2001 homeland defense was essentially an Air Guard task, as during the Cold War era it primarily focused on air defense against potential Soviet attacks. The Army National Guard, on the other hand, had proved its worth during the Second World War in which it participated with 19 divisions as well as during the Korean War and the Cold War. With the end of the draft in 1972, the Army Guard was substantially reduced in size, and during the Gulf War in 1990 it only contributed combat support units but no combat units as such.
While the Air National Guard flew combat missions over Kosovo and Afghanistan, it seems that homeland defense is developing more and more into the only remaining task of the Army National Guard. The Guards’ frustration with being limited to a noncombat role is therefore understandable, according to the author.
The Army National Guard whose main task had been homeland defense until the 1920s, when it started to participate in transnational wars, sees its combat role being increasingly marginalized and is afraid of being reduced to a mere combat support organization.
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