We have developed a list of every State Defense Force across the country, and provided an evaluation of their level of training, quality of missions, if they do Joint Task Force missions with The National Guard. We also dive further providing an assessment of leadership of each State Defense Force as well as the performance of their Public Affairs Division.
Grades:
A = Gold Standard. Stellar Performance
B = Performing Great, Active and Functioning Properly
C = Working, but needs improvement
D = Barely functional, needs dramatic improvement
F = Broken down & non functional
Report Card 2023-20024
| State Defense Force | Valuable Training | Valuable Missions | Joint Task Force Missions With National Guard | Public Affairs Office Evaluation | Leadership Evaluation | Assessment | Public Affairs Assessment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska State Defense Force | Yes | Yes | Yes | B | B | The Alaska State Defense Force provides valuable training, conducts a wide variety of missions from communications, medical, shelter management, etc. They also work Joint Task Force Missions with The National Guard. In Fact one of their units works annual with US Army National Guard Special Forces on training missions. | The Alaska State Defense Force regularly posts to their social media page and responds to media requests. |
| California State Guard | Yes | Yes | Yes | F | F | Recent changed by the new commander, Colonel (CA) Darrin Bender that involved drastic uniform changed to every State Guard soldier, a massive reorganization of the California State Guard which eliminated all their Search & Rescue units, maritime units, and degraded their woodland firefighting capabilities. | The California State Guard PAO Department rarely updates their website. We gain our information of their training & information from The National Guard. They do respond to media requests. |
| Governors Guards (Foot Guard & Horse Guard) | Yes | Yes | Unknown | A | B | On the right path to becoming a valuable State Defnese Force, more missions & Joint Task Force Missions with The National Guard is needed. | The Governors Guards allows each of their units to host social media pages which are all regularly updated. They also respond to media requests. |
| Georgia State Defense Force | Yes | Yes | Yes | A | A | Operating one of the greatest State Defense Force. They perform a slew of Joint Task Force missions with The National Guard. From an Opposing Forces mission which help Army National Guard units sharpen their combat skills, to Search & Rescue missions which become very useful following natural disasters. The State Defense Force also performs a range of other missions such as medical support, debris cleaning following natural disasters, assistance in restoring electrical grids, etc. | The Georgia State Defense Force has one of the best Public Affairs Departments, they post frequently on their website of trainings, new missions. They also respond quickly to media requests. |
| Indiana Guard Reserve | No | No | No | F | F | We were informed that The Indiana Guard Reserve was transformed to a company sized element which drastically changed to size of the force to a small State Defense Force. They also eliminated their JAG, Medical and Engineering units. | The Indiana Guard Reserve maybe conducting missions but with little to no updates on their Social Media pages and limited to no communication via their Public Affairs Office we cannot recommend joining until it is worth the effort and time to join. |
| Maryland Defense Force | Yes | Yes | Yes | B | B | The Maryland Defense Force has been very active in training and assisting in a wide variety of missions from medical to cyber defense. | We would like to see The Maryland Defense Force post more on their social media accounts of training and missions. |
| Michigan Defense Force | No | No | No | F | F | No reported training or missions. | The last update we recevied was that The Michigan Defense Force was on temporary stand down. Their social media pages have not been updated recently with any new missions or trainings. |
| Mississippi State Guard | Yes | Unknown | Unknown | B | C | The Mississippi State Guard is constantly training but we do not hear of any missions they perform. | Mississippi State Guard Public Affairs Office has done a good job reporting on trainings but not on reporting on actual missions. We have difficulty finding any missions they perform. They also do not respond to media requests. |
| New Mexico State Defense Force | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown | F | F | There is little to no information regarding The New Mexico State Defense Force. The last recorded mission was during The Covid 19 Pandemic | There is no social media presence for The New Mexico State Defense Force. |
| New York Guard | Yes | Yes | Yes | F | F | Recently there have been multiple allegations from former and active New York Guardsmen that The New York Guard has been discharging a large number of enlisted and junior officers for a variety of reasons. From refusing to waiver medical conditions, not providing make up time for missed drills, to a broken administrative computer application that calculates drill attendance incorrectly. Due to this computer application soldiers who attend drill are not recorded properly in the system. Per our research we discovered the New York Guard troop strength dropped by nearly 200 soldiers within 1-2 years. We are still investigating. | No Presence on Social Media |
| Ohio Military Reserve | Yes | Yes | Unknown | B | B | The Ohio State Defense Force which is composed of The Ohio Military Reserve, Ohio Cyber Reserve and Naval Militia performs a wide range of missions. The unit has been quite active in expanding their mission scope including creating a new unit such as The 7th Unmanned Aerial System which can provide reconnaissance of areas that may have sustained damage following a natural disaster or to locate stranded individuals. Their Cyber Reserve Unit recently has been working with The National Guard to secure the States Infrastructure from outside penetration from nefarious actors. | The Ohio State Defense Force regularly updates their social media pages with new training and missions. They also respond to media requests. |
| Puerto Rico State Guard | Yes | Yes | Yes | C | C | The Puerto Rico State Guard has a large array of missions. We were informed by The Puerto Rico National Guard that they perform many Joint Task Force Missions as well. | The Puerto Rico State Guard social media pages are sparsely updated. The lower grades are reflected due to the poor communication. They rarely respond to media requests as well. |
| South Carolina State Guard | Yes | Yes | Yes | B | B | The South Carolina performs a wide range of missions from Search & Rescue, Maritime Search & Rescue, and a unit that assists The South Carolina Corrections Department with perimeter security of facilities. They also assist local law enforcement on certain missions. | The South Carolina Public Affairs Department responds to media requests and posts on social media. We would however recommend more frequent postings on their social media pages of trainings and missions. |
| Tennessee State Guard | Yes | Yes | Yes | B | B | The Tennessee State Guard does a great deal of training, have worked Joint Task Force Missions with The National Guard. Their Medical unit especially works with multiple National Guard units providing medical evaluations and assistance. | The Tennessee State Guard has been very active on social media and responds to media requests. |
| Texas State Guard | Yes | Yes | Yes | A | A | The Texas State Guard provides incredible and very valuable training to their soldiers. They perform a wide variety of missions from Search & Rescue, Maritime Search & Rescue, Shelter Management Operations, Medical missions, etc. They also have hundreds of soldiers on permanent State Active Duty missions, as well as full time Active duty recruiters. | The Texas State Guard has the BEST Public Affairs Department in the nation. They allow each Brigade to have their own social media pages which are frequently updated. They respond to media requests. They are the gold standard for State Defense Forces in regards to Public Affairs. |
| Vermont State Guard | Unknown | No | No | F | F | No reported training or missions. | The Vermont State Guard has just started to post on their social media pages. Much of the information however does not report trainings or missions. They do not respond to media requests. |
| Virginia Defense Force | Yes | Yes | Yes | B | B | The Virginia Defense Force conudcts very valuable training, conducts a variety of missions from Communications, Point Of Distribution Missions and conducts Joint Task Force missions with The National Guard. They also have a cyber division that augments a National Guard Cyber Unit. | The Virginia Defense Force PAO posts regularly on their website and responds to media requests. |
| Washington State Guard | Yes | Yes | Yes | B | B | The Washington State Guard is one of the smallest State Defense Forces but it provides valuable training in a wide range of missions from communications to develop an Unmanned Aerial Unit to assist in disaster recovery. The Washington State Guard also works hand in hand with The National Guard doing wildland firefighting. | The Washington State Guard PAO Department posts to their social media a few times a month. They also respond to media requests. |
To secure an A Rating, it is essential for Public Affairs to ensure that the majority of their Brigades establish a robust presence on social media platforms, mirroring the commendable examples set by The Texas State Guard and the Georgia State Defense Force.
The role of the Public Affairs Department is pivotal. It stands at the core of our assessments, influencing the evaluation of leadership, the effectiveness of training programs, the execution of missions, and the comprehensive grading of Joint Task Force operations. Their contribution is not merely supportive but foundational to their State Defense Force collective success and external perception.
We are proud to present that The Texas State Guard, under the Command of Major General Anthony Woods, has once again become State Defense Force of The Year (2023-2024)
The Texas State Guard was chosen this year as State Defense Force of The Year due to their incredible accomplishments, from growing their force from 1500 to over 4,000 troops, having at minimum 500 soldiers on continuous State Active Duty participating in multiple operations throughout the state to having full time active duty recruiters. They also advanced the skills and experience of their Search & Rescue Teams to becoming one of the best in the nation. Along with land based Search & Rescue teams they also have maritime Search & Rescue Teams to rescue stranded Texans during flooding or severe weather events, as well as an underwater salvage team. This along with a slew of other developments such as the development of a Cyber Defense Team, participating in multiple Joint Task Force Missions with The National Guard. They have truly represent the gold standard of State Defense Force.
