One of the most valuable missions State Defense Forces can perform for their National Guard counterparts is serving as a realistic Opposing Force, or OPFOR, during military their training. Unlike static targets, scripted lanes or predictable training aids, a live OPFOR can react, maneuver, defend terrain, establish ambushes, exploit mistakes and force soldiers to adapt under pressure. The Georgia State Defense Force has demonstrated the value of this model for years through its dedicated OPFOR mission which has existed for nearly a decade with its sole intent to support The Georgia Army National Guard combat training and pre-deployment preparation. Georgia State Defense Force personnel have supported exercises with such revered units such as the Georgia Army National Guard’s 2nd Battalion, 121st Infantry Regiment, 48th Infantry Brigade Combat Team. These missions included demanding day and night squad live fire training. Georgia Senior Military Leadership, including Brigadier General Dennis Watts, have emphasized that realistic OPFOR training helps The Army National Guard identify and correct mistakes before their soldiers deploy and face those situations in combat.
Now The California State Guard is providing another strong example of how State Defense Forces can directly contribute to National Guard readiness. During a recent annual training exercise at Fort Hunter Liggett, California State Guard soldiers supported The California Army National Guard by serving as opposition forces across several tactical mission sets, including air assault operations, route reconnaissance, convoy operations and tactical battle drills. Coordinated with the 1-18th Cavalry, the exercise was designed around the unit’s annual training objectives. State Guard personnel portrayed hostile forces defending key terrain and communications sites, requiring California Army National Guard soldiers to maneuver against them, secure objectives and continue into follow-on missions rather than simply execute predetermined actions against passive targets. The California State Guard reported that its years of OPFOR experience allowed its soldiers to adapt quickly while maintaining the realism necessary to challenge the training unit, and California State Guard leadership emphasized the value of expanding force-on-force training in future exercises.
One Army National Officer mentioned:
I served in the California Army National Guard 1-18th Cavalry and got the honor of going to war against the California State Guard. We had a blast fighting over Atropia. Volunteering as OPFOR is an amazing training resource for us! Thank you!
The importance of the OPFOR mission is especially clear in an increasingly dangerous world. Russia’s continuing war against Ukraine remains the largest war fought in Europe since World War II, with tensions in and around the South China Sea continue to escalate and has the potential to create a major potential flashpoint, and The Middle East has entered another period of warfare. All of these conflicts increases the risks that The National Guard will be deployed overseas as they are the only Combat Reserve Element within The US Military Forces.
No one can predict where the next deployment will occur, but the National Guard is no longer simply a domestic emergency reserve. Army and Air National Guard formations are key and integral parts of the nation’s overseas force structure and have repeatedly mobilized for operations around the world. Every opportunity to make their training more realistic therefore has value. If State Defense Force soldiers can provide an intelligent, adaptive opposing force while allowing an entire National Guard formation to concentrate on its wartime mission, the result of these missions is a National Guard force that is better skilled, experienced and ready to deploy overseas.
That is one of the reasons StateDefenseForce.com exists. When we launched in 2024 as Home Guard Armory, one of our central objectives was to report what America’s State Guards / State Defense Forces are doing across the country so that Military Leaders in another state can see what one State Guard is doing and ask, “Why couldn’t we do that here?” Each state operates under its own laws, resources, military department and organizational culture, creating what can be viewed as 50 laboratories of ideas. South Carolina has demonstrated how State Guard personnel can help support their States’ Corrections Department when they experience staffing shortages, which a few years later inspired New York to do the same with their New York State Guard. The California and Washington State Guard’s have trained, certified and deployed hundreds of their State Guardsmen to fight wildfires throughout their state. Now other State Defense Forces / State Guards are considering or implementing such missions in their states where wildfires are becoming a serious threat. These types of mission capabilities by The State Guard has led legislators in States like Arizona to re-activate their State Guard so they can be trained, certified and deployed to fight wildfires augmenting local and state firefighters when needed. StateDefenseForce.com is working with an Arizona State Legislator to introduce such a bill for the 2027 Legislative session. You can view our progress here: Office of Government & Legislative Affairs
To conclude this is why StateDefenseForce.com exists, not only to spread great State Guard training and missions, but so each State can learn from the other. Georgia demonstrated how a State Defense Force could strengthen National Guard combat training through a dedicated opposing force. California is demonstrated it also works there, and we have heard that other State Defense Forces are considered or have already incorporated such a mission into their mission set.
Thank you to all you State Defense Force troops. You perform these crucial and important missions, while sacrificing time with your family and doing it all unpaid. Thank you,
To learn more about OPFOR -> Georgia State Defense Force OPFOR Exercise – Commanding General of Georgia SDF Discusses OPFOR Mission
Sources: California State Guard
