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United States Army: National Guard
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Currently, the Army is divided into the Regular Army, the Army Reserve, and the United States National Guard. Prior to 1903 members of the National Guard were considered state soldiers unless federalized by the President. Since the Militia Act of 1903 all National Guard soldiers have held dual status: as National Guardsmen under the authority of the governor of their state and as a reserve of the U.S. Army under the authority of the President. Since the adoption of the total force policy, in the aftermath of the Vietnam War, reserve component soldiers have taken a more active role in U.S. military operations. Reserve and Guard units took part in the Gulf War, peacekeeping in Kosovo, and the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
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The Constitution of the United States was established, in part, to "insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity." (1) Written over two hundred years ago, the Constitution seeks to achieve these goals in ways that frequently reflect the times of a bygone era. Perhaps no other aspect of this document and the plan of government it established is more indicative of the unique time period in which it was drafted than those provisions that concern themselves with state militias and the presence of a standing army. (2) Although these provisions generated a great deal of debate at the time, (3) the rationale behind them is largely meaningless to modern Americans. (4) In fact, as will be discussed in this article, the present day organization and responsibilities of the National Guard, the modern equivalent of a state militia, directly contravene the principles and rationales of the framers.
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In the closing year of the American independence war, Washington wrote his views of a proper military (land forces) policy for the new United States of America. Washington's ‘Sentiments on a Peace Establishment’, completed in May 1783, not only reflected the experiences of the colonial period and the war for independence, but ... identified the enduring factors that would shape American armies well into the 20th century. From his experience in two North American wars, Washington did not believe that Americans would ever tolerate the cost or political threat of a large regular army raised and commanded by a strong central government. ‘Altho' a large standing Army in time of Peace hath ever been considered dangerous to the liberties of the Country, yet a few Troops, under certain circumstances, are not only safe, but indispensably necessary. Fortunately for us our relative situation requires but few.’ Washington knew that the state governors and assemblies jealously guarded their control of the militia, the citizen-armies of white male homeowners-voters-taxpayers that had defended their villages and farms since the early 17th century. He also knew that the state forces and his own Continental Army had great difficulty using any sort of conscription system.
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Created in 1784 as the First American Regiment, The Old Guard was established after the Paris Peace Treaty of 1783, which stipulated that the United States would maintain a military force to protect land west of the Appalachian Mountains. Today The Old Guard, which has proven its worth in battle, has a two-fold mission — to protect America’s capital and to pay final tribute to America’s heroes.
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