SB 1495 – Establishment of an Arizona State Guard – Bill

Highlights of The Bill:

-Authorizes the governor of Arizona to establish an armed force, which shall be known as the Arizona State Guard, for any of the following reasons (Sec. 1):
-The National Guard of Arizona, or a major portion thereof, is alerted for or called into active federal service; or
-For any other reason the governor considers necessary.

-Specifies that any funds appropriated to the National Guard are also considered to be appropriated to the State Guard, and that any unspent funds appropriated to the National Guard may be used for the State Guard (Sec. 1).

TIMELINE

FEBRUARY 1st 2011 – Bill calling for The Establishment of The Arizona State Guard is proposed by Senators Sylvia Tenney Allen & Jack W. Harper – Source

APRIL 18th 2011 – Arizona House Passes Bill to create The Arizona State Guard – Source

APRIL 28th 2011 – Bill is signed by Governor Janet Brewer – Source

MARCH 8th 2011 – Bill is signed by Arizona Senate – Source

JANUARY 11th 2012 - After Arizona passed SB 1495, which allowed for the establishment of a State Guard, Senator Sylvia Tenney Allen & Senator Steve Smith proposed legislation for the formation of The State Guard.  As part of the formation of this new state guard a change of name was proposed.  The State Guard would now be known as The Arizona Special Missions Unit.  Also included is a change in the change of command from which The Special Missions Unit would operate.  Instead of  being under the direction of The Adjutant General of Arizona (Responsible for Arizona Military Forces) it would be classified as a State Government agency and would report directly to The Governor & Legislature of Arizona.  It would not be included as part of The Arizona State Military Department.

SB 1083 – Formation of The Arizona Special Missions Unit (formerly known as The Arizona State Guard) – Bill

The Highlight of The Bill:

• Establishes that the Arizona Special Missions Unit’s duties may include, but are not limited to, the following activities (Sec. 4):
  • Responding to natural and manmade disasters;
  • Patrolling the border with Mexico;
  • Confiscating property; and
  • Arresting and detaining individuals until a law enforcement agency takes over.

• Establishes that members of the Arizona Special Missions Unit have the same immunity protections as public and law enforcement employees when performing the member’s duties (Secs. 1 & 4).

• Requires all Arizona Special Missions Unit volunteers to fulfill the following requirements prior to enlistment (Sec. 4):
  • Be a citizen or legal resident of the United States;
  • Present the following documentation:
    • A United States passport;
    • A birth certificate;
    • An Arizona driver’s license; and
    • A certificate of “honorable” discharge for former United States military members;
  • Submit a full set of fingerprints; and
  • Complete psychological and physical screenings.

• Appropriates $1.4 million dollars a year to the Arizona Special Missions Unit from the Gang and Immigration Intelligence Team Enforcement Mission Border Security and Law Enforcement (Sec. 4).

• Effective through July 1, 2022 (Sec. 5).

JANUARY 11th 2012 – Bill Proposed by Senator Sylvia Tenney Allen & Senator Steve Smith - Source

JANUARY 26th 2012 - Bill Passes Senate Border Security, Federalism and States Soverignty Committee – Source

FEBRUARY 14th 2012 - Bill Passes Senate Appropriations Committee - Source

MARCH 1st 2012 – Bill Passed by Arizona Senate - Source

MARCH 7th 2012 - MARCH 14th 2012 - Bill Referred & Passes The House Military Affairs and Public Safety Committee - Source

MARCH 29th 2012 – Bill Passes House Rules Committee - Source

MAY 2nd 2012 - Bill FAILS to be brought to Arizona House for a Vote by House Speaker Andy Tobin – Source

House Speaker Andy Tobin informed Bill Sponsor Sylvia Tenney Allen that he supported the bill, but wanted to make changes.  One of the changes was to transform The Arizona Special Missions Unit into The Arizona Joint Operations Intelligence Center, which would change the mission of The Unit.  Senator Allen wrote a letter to constituents about this:

Last night I got very disappointing news. SB1083 (creating the Arizona Special Missions Unit) will not be brought to the House floor due to opposition from the Speaker of the House, Representative Andy Tobin. He relayed the news to me yesterday through another person rather than speaking to me face to face.

This development is disappointing to say the least. For weeks I have been asking the Speaker to move this bill forward in the House. A month and half ago, in a meeting with him, he told me that he supported my bill but wanted to amend it. The Speaker wanted to put in statute what he called the “ Arizona Joint Operations Intelligence Center .” So, for weeks I have been waiting for this amendment to be prepared (usually a one- or two-day process) and for the bill go forward. During this time, I have asked repeatedly, “What is the hold-up? Is there a problem?” The answer from the Speaker’s staff was always that the amendment just wasn’t ready.

I told the Speaker that we already had such a center in place and functioning since 2002 but with a different name. It is called the “ Arizona Counter-Terrorism Information Center ” (ACTIC). But I was willing to let him amend my bill to include this and was led to believe that my bill would go forward with that amendment.

Now it seems that he wants to eliminate the Special Missions Unit and replace it with language for a “ Joint Operations Intelligence Center .” Right now, the existing ACTIC is being funded through federal Homeland Security dollars and the Arizona Department of Public Safety (DPS). In other words, the Speaker would swap out the Special Missions Unit for an “ Intelligence Center ,” then claim that the legislature did something about the border problem as we head toward the November elections. In effect, he will pass a bill that creates nothing new, because all he’s doing is changing the name of the Intelligence Center that already exists.

For years now, some politicians have used border security and illegal immigration as a political platform, making pretty speeches about the lack of response from our federal government but never actually doing anything. I didn’t want to just talk. I wanted to act. I wanted a solution that would help deter the cartels from entering our state.

I amended the bill to address many concerns, while still keeping the intent of the bill intact. A Senate Working Group composed of top experts spent their own time and money researching and drafting a bill that would provide a strong, organized, well trained Special Missions Unit to oppose cross-border criminal activity.

This bill should go to the House floor for a vote. If it is voted down by the members, that’s one thing. But to be held by House leadership, who still have not provided an explanation for not moving this bill forward, is politics at its worst.

I have sent out many updates about the danger the cartels pose for our state and our residents. SB1083 is an effort to protect our people. This is a priority for me, and should be a priority for every legislator at the state capitol. If SB1083 fails, then this legislative session will end with no changes to the status quo … no attempt by the legislature to defend the citizens of Arizona against the massive invasion on our southern border. Our state will continue to be the open front door into the U.S. with drugs, gangs, cartels, and illegal immigrants pouring through with little to no resistance. The Number 2 poppy grower in the world (the Mexican cartels) are happy they can smuggle their drugs into the United States with so little risk. Terrorist groups are thankful they can sneak terrorists into the U.S. so easily in partnership with the cartels.

There are still two days left before we sine die (finish the session). Please contact the Speaker at 602-926-5172 and atobin@azleg.gov. Ask him to release SB1083.

Source

So ended The Arizona Special Missions Unit.

There is a hope however another Senator may propose developing another bill and try again.  This time perhaps with a mission focusing on supporting, assisting & augmenting The Arizona National Guard.  Such a bill would be much easier to pass legislation.  Currently most State Defense Forces are engaging in this mission and making vital contributions to The National Guard.

We hope to see such legislation in the years to come.

CALIFORNIA – A few cheers for the coin of the realm – Link

GEORGIA – Colonel Lee Martin – Link

GEORGIA – 2013 GSDF Birthday Ball – Link

TEXAS – Texas Independence Day Message – Link

From The Texas State Guard Website:

4th and 19th Regiments Sharpen Skills in Major Training Exercise

CPT Esperanza Meza, PAO, 19th Regiment and CW2 Janet Schmelzer, PAO, 4th Regiment

STEPHENVILLE, Texas– A total of 175 soldiers from the Texas State Guard (TXSG) 4th and 19th Civil Affairs Regiments participated in a joint exercise and training at Tarleton State University (TSU) and Stephenville, Texas, on January 11-13, 2013, as if they were being deployed for a tornado. As part of the joint exercise, the DFW Medical Response Group, TXSG Medical Brigade, provided medical support.

“Training side-by-side with the 19th, our sister regiment in Dallas, and the DFW Medical Group is something we’ve needed to do for quite a while,” COL Howard N. Palmer, Jr., commander of the 4th Regiment, observed. “It gives us the opportunity to trade best practices, standardize our operations, and to develop professional relationships with the soldiers with whom we may serve in the future. When we are called to state active duty, the training partnership we have now will translate into better service to the citizens of Texas. That’s what we’re all about.”

COL Robert Hastings, commander of 19th Regiment, viewed the weekend as “a multi-faceted exercise that accomplished a number of goals, all directly supporting our mission and Mission Essential Tasks (METL). The ropes and water safety training was intended to build self-confidence and camaraderie. When people accomplish things that they think are impossible, they grow the self-confidence to take on even more difficult tasks.”

The first training mission was to conduct Wide Area Damage Assessment on the TSU campus and in areas of Stephenville including downtown, two city parks, and the local high school. Twenty-five TXSG teams were sent out into target areas to find articles which represented people, clothing, downed electrical lines, and other hazards caused by the tornado. When hazards and persons were located, each team called in the GPS coordinates to the Tactical Operation Center (TOC).

The next day with gusting winds, 26-degree wind chill, and cloudy skies, soldiers braved winter weather to conduct a Search and Rescue mission near Stephenville at the Hunewell Ranch, a 1200-acre area covered with wooded thickets, scrub brush and bottom land. The mission was to find Boy Scouts who had gotten lost during the tornado.

MAJ Wendell Sadler, commander of the 2nd Battalion, 4th Regiment, planned the entire weekend of training. SSG Richard Schilling, Assistant S3, 4th Regiment, along with QRT soldiers from both regiments, set up the high value items, such as rocks, ribbons, campfires, clothing, trash bags, and water bottles, so that the soldiers could track the boys. Both regiments set up separate, fully-operational TOCs on the ranch under very sparse conditions, with the 4th Regiment in an old metal barn with a tractor and the 19th Regiment in an empty storage POD.

During the weekend, soldiers also participated in Water Survival training at the TSU pool. With the TSU ROTC assessing each survival technique, TXSG troops trained to tread water for 5 minutes, remove Load Bearing Equipment before surfacing, and utilize their ACU trousers as flotation devices. On the TSU Challenge Course, soldiers practiced problem solving, team building, and communication skills on both high and low ropes activities.

Several dignitaries participated with the regiments during the weekend. In attendance were TXSG Chief of Staff BG Charles Miller, Stephenville Mayor Kenny Weldon (U.S. Air Force Colonel, retired), Stephenville Fire Chief Jimmy Chew, Tarleton State University President Dr. F. Dominic Dottavio, Robert Comacho (Ombudsman for Congressman Roger Williams, Texas 25th Congressional District), and Donnie Bryant, embedded reporter for the Stephenville Empire-Tribune.

Source: Texas State Guard Website

CALIFORNIA - A Soldier more than able and ready to serve - Link

CALIFORNIA - Spec. Kevin Cox honored as CSMR Soldier of the Year – Link

CALIFORNIA - Decades of service; NCO says it’s time to retire – Link

GEORGIA – CPL Paul Soldier of The Year – Link

INDIANA - IGR Helps Boy Scouts to “Be Prepared” for Search and Rescue – Link

Here is a article posted on New York’s Division of Military & Naval Affairs Website by NYG Warrant Officer Ubon Mendie

NEW YORK CITY, NY – Three months after Super Storm Sandy, members of the New York Guard the state’s all volunteer defense force, continue to assist in hurricane relief missions.
The group are part of a crucial logistics team who are responsible for sustaining the ongoing response mission based at the New York Mets baseball home, Citi-Field.

“New York Guardsmen are responsible for all logistical support operations for the New York State Department of Homeland Security Sandy Mission,” said Col. George DeSimone, the commander of the New York Guard’s 88th Brigade.

“This is uncharted territory for our force and state civilian agencies. Until now, such a response has never been practiced or even thought to be needed,” DeSimone added.

Upon activation, soldiers were tasked with setting up a formidable response operation to address the urgent needs of some New York City residents.

Maj. Peter Morici, a Brooklyn native, was charged with overseeing the task and was named by New York City Office of Emergency Management and New York State Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Services (DHSES) operations section chief for the Citi-Field unified command logistical staging area, a first in New York Guard history.

“Since October 30th we have been on the ground 24-hours-a-day, 7-days-a-week,” said Morici. “We’ve been tasked to keep the response going.”

Morici and his team coordinate disaster equipment handling to include generators, light towers, fork lifts, cables and other heavy operating materials.

“We ensure state equipment is serviced and ready to be place anywhere it’s needed,” said Sergeant 1st Class Carl Majors. “I’m from the city, so I have friends and family that depend on the equipment. It’s a major responsibility. We have to do this job right.”

Before troop activation, there was no tracking system in place to account for the vast state owned and leased materials that were urgently needed in areas affected by the storm, Morici. said.

Without such a system, the state would be liable for lost equipment and damages, that may, or may not have occurred as a result of the mission, he explained.

We have millions of dollars of assets in the field,” said George Gibson, DHSES Deputy Incident Commander for Citi-field operations. “I can’t begin to come up with a number of what our possible losses could have been without this system. Their work has truly kept us ahead.”

Gibson also added that the New York Guard logistical system would be used in future DHSES response missions helping to ensure citizens receive the best possible assistance if another emergency were to occur.

“They give me peace of mind being here. They are 110 percent reliable and their expertise in security and logistical experience has helped tremendously,”said Thomas J. Barkowski, NYCOEM over night incident commander. “We are one unit.”

“The New York Guard will stand ready to serve the state, no matter the time length or incident,” added Majors added. “We train to respond, and we’re glad to help.”

Source: NY Division of Military & Naval Affairs