Across the country, the State Guard & Defense Force Council (Also Known As StateDefenseForce.com) continues to advocate for the development and modernization of State Defense Forces through direct legislative outreach and policy engagement. In recent weeks, our Office of Government & Legislative Affairs has been actively communicating with lawmakers, committee staff, and policy advisors regarding the creation of new State Guard organizations. Two of our most recent initiatives have focused on efforts to establish the Arizona State Guard and the West Virginia State Guard.
In Arizona, our Director has held discussions with several members of the Arizona State Legislature regarding the possibility of introducing new State Guard legislation for the 2026 legislative session. One of the most significant conversations included an hour-long call with Representative Alexander Kolodin, who previously introduced Arizona State Guard legislation during the 2025 session. During that discussion we highlighted the strategic benefits of advancing the proposal sooner rather than later, explaining how a properly structured State Guard could provide Arizona with a trained, state-controlled military force capable of assisting during disasters, supporting continuity of operations, and reducing long-term costs associated with emergency response.
Our discussions also included engagement with Chairman John Gillette of the Arizona House Military Affairs & Public Safety Committee, where we provided policy concepts and organizational frameworks that could help shape future legislation. While legislative leadership ultimately decided to delay introduction until a future legislative cycle, these conversations laid important groundwork for future efforts and allowed us to present policy concepts that could shape the eventual structure of an Arizona State Guard.
To learn more about these discussions and the progress of our legislative efforts, visit our Patreon page where we provide more detailed updates: Click Here
Our advocacy efforts have also expanded to West Virginia, where legislation has been introduced to establish the West Virginia State Guard. House Bill 4879 and Senate Bill 491 propose the creation of a state military force operating under the authority of the Governor and the Adjutant General. Such a force would remain under state control and could not be federalized, ensuring West Virginia maintains a trained in-state military capability during emergencies, natural disasters, infrastructure protection missions, and other statewide contingencies.
Our office has conducted outreach to numerous lawmakers involved in the legislation, providing supporting materials that explain how State Guards operate nationwide and how they integrate with National Guard and emergency management operations. More recently, we conducted a coordinated outreach effort to members of the West Virginia Senate Military Committee encouraging discussion of Senate Bill 491 and highlighting the many ways State Guards provide value to their states. These examples include disaster response support, infrastructure inspection missions, such as the South Carolina State Guard inspecting more than 10,000 dams and saving the state millions of taxpayer dollars, medical outreach programs for underserved communities like the Texas State Guard’s involvement in Operation Border Health Preparedness, and maintaining continuity of operations when National Guard units are deployed elsewhere.
These efforts represent only a portion of the legislative advocacy work being conducted behind the scenes. Our team continues to communicate with legislators, provide policy research, and develop legislative frameworks that can help states establish or expand their State Defense Forces.
As part of our ongoing legislative advocacy efforts, we are working to expand our ability to meet directly with lawmakers and their staff. One of our goals is to send members of our team to the West Virginia State Capitol and other state legislatures to meet face to face with committee members and policy advisors. Direct conversations with legislators are often the most effective way to move legislation forward, allowing us to clearly explain the role of State Guards, answer questions from policymakers, and demonstrate how these organizations strengthen disaster response, continuity of operations, and statewide emergency preparedness. However, these efforts require resources, and we need your support to make them possible. You can support this work either through our Patreon community or through our upcoming fundraiser, which you can access by becoming a Free Patreon member.
To learn more about these discussions and the progress of our legislative efforts for West Virginia, visit our Patreon page where we provide more detailed updates: Click Here
To read the full details of these efforts, including our discussions with lawmakers, legislative strategy, and the next steps for both Arizona and West Virginia, we invite you to become a member of our Patreon community. Every contribution helps support the work of our staff as they make phone calls, send policy briefings, coordinate meetings with legislators, and advocate for State Defense Force legislation across the country.
You can learn more and support these efforts by visiting: https://www.patreon.com/StateDefenseForce
Your support through Patreon, or through our upcoming 2026 National Operations Fundraiser, which Patreon members will receive early access to, including free members, is essential to sustaining our advocacy efforts nationwide. Together we can continue working to establish and strengthen State Defense Forces across the United States.
