Scuttlebutt 10 Released! What Led To The Disbandment of 4 State Defense Forces in Only 10 Years?

Major (GA-Retired) Beverly Shepard, one of the best Public Affairs Officers in The Country. Together, they break down how the Massachusetts State Defense Force, Missouri State Guard, Alabama State Defense Force, and Oregon Defense Force were disbanded within roughly a decade, while the Connecticut Governor’s Guards narrowly avoided disbandment in 2025. Rather than treating these cases as isolated failures, the discussion identifies common structural, political, and mission-related weaknesses that left these forces vulnerable to leadership changes, budget pressure, and shifting priorities within state governments.

The conversation explores why State Defense Forces are often viewed as expendable, emphasizing the absence of clearly defined mission scopes, weak legislative protection, and failures to demonstrate tangible value to governors, Adjutants General, and state agencies. Major General Woods highlights the Texas State Guard as a model for survivability, pointing to disciplined leadership, consistent mission execution, strong public affairs visibility, and a clear focus on absorbing domestic missions so the National Guard can concentrate on warfighting readiness. The episode also warns against civilian’ization efforts, unclear command relationships, and symbolic changes that are not backed by operational capability. Episode 10 concludes that disbandment is not inevitable but without deliberate structure, protected authority, and a clearly communicated purpose, State Defense Forces that fail to prove their relevance risk being quietly eliminated, while those that do become indispensable to their states.

The Scuttlebutt Podcast are only available to our Patreon members – Corporal $5 Tier and above. We provide this to them as a thank you for keeping StateDefenseForce.com online and running. Thanks to their generous support, we’re able to cover essential expenses such as website hosting, domain fees, and compensating our podcast hosts and authors who create in-depth historical features. Their funding also helps power our new lobbying initiative, which plays a critical role in advancing the State Defense Force mission across the nation.

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The Scuttlebutt Podcast are only available to our Patreon members – Corporal $5 Tier and above. We provide this to them as a thank you for keeping StateDefenseForce.com online and running. Thanks to their generous support, we’re able to cover essential expenses such as website hosting, domain fees, and compensating our podcast hosts and authors who create in-depth historical features. Their funding also helps power our new lobbying initiative, which plays a critical role in advancing the State Defense Force mission across the nation.

About Scuttlebutt:

Scuttlebutt is hosted by Jean Marciniak, one of the directors of StateDefenseForce.com, also known as The State Guard & Defense Force Council. Jean oversees the daily operations of the organization, spearheading legislative efforts, recruitment initiatives, and managing a team of authors who contribute timely and impactful editorial content. He is also responsible for the operation of StateDefenseForce.com, State Defense Force Online Store, State Guard Administration, The Center for State Defense Force History, Legislative Advocacy Department, and The Quartermaster Department. Jean brings strategic insight and a deep commitment to strengthening and promoting State Defense Forces nationwide.

Joining him is co-host Major Beverly Shepard (GA – Retired), one of the most accomplished Public Affairs Officers in the State Defense Force community. As the architect of the Georgia State Defense Force’s Public Affairs Department, she transformed it into a premier operation that now rivals full-time active military public affairs teams. Her exceptional leadership and communication skills have significantly elevated the public image of the Georgia State Defense Force, directly contributing to increased recruitment and awareness. With her extensive knowledge and experience, Major Shepard brings valuable perspective and professionalism to every episode, and we are honored to have her as a core member of the Scuttlebutt team.

In this episode we have a special guest who will become our permanent cohost to Scuttlebutt, Major General (TX – Retired) Anthony Woods. Major General Anthony Woods is a highly experienced military leader whose career spans more than three decades of service in both the U.S. Army and Texas State Guard. He received his commission as a Second Lieutenant through ROTC in 1984 and has held key leadership positions throughout his career, including Battalion Executive Officer and Commander of the 1st Battalion, 112th Armor Regiment. Early in his career, he served during Operation Noble Eagle, the post-9/11 homeland security mission mobilizing forces to protect U.S. infrastructure. He also served as Deputy Commander for Operation Jump Start, supporting border security efforts along the Southwest United States. Woods later deployed to Kandahar, Afghanistan, where he commanded the Security Forces Assistance Task Force (SFAT), mentoring and overseeing brigade and Kandak staff in combat environments.

In addition to his combat and operational experience, Woods has led major interagency initiatives like the Joint Interagency Task Force in Texas, designed to support civil authorities during disasters. As Commanding General of the Texas State Guard, he oversaw significant force growth and capability improvements, expanding readiness for a wide range of missions including disaster response, search and rescue, and border support operations. His awards reflect extensive service in both combat and operational roles, including the Bronze Star and Legion of Merit.

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