Twenty Questions for State Defense Force Leadership

摘要

This article presents a series of questions directed at the leadership of State Defense Forces (SDFs) in the United States. The questions posed here may make many SDF leaders a bit uncomfortable, but tough problems call for tough questions. The states and the nation simply cannot afford to waste such potentially valuable assets as their authorized State Defense Forces. SDF leadership must not tolerate being part of a process that does not address these issues. Rather than give up and just walk away, they must set about to create change. They must stimulate discussion, call for dialogue, and become part of the process to change how the SDF serves the states. The active force structure is strained, the National Guard has moved from a strategic reserve to an operational reserve if not to being part of the regular force structure. State missions are at higher risk than ever before. In case of a full Homeland Security crisis, governors will have almost no options for military assistance after the Guard is federalized, and this does not even account for those Guard units that are activated and deployed overseas. The SDF is a federally authorized, state approved, low-cost asset that can work, if it is trained and made ready. In light of these 20 Questions, can you say that your SDF up to filling the breach.