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Florida National Guard

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Florida National Guard
Seal of the Florida National Guard
Active1861–present
CountryUnited States
Allegiance United States
 Florida
Branch United States Army
 United States Air Force
National Guard of the United States
TypeJoint
RoleFederal Reserve Force
State Militia (Militia Act of 1903)
SizeApproximately 12,000 Soldiers and Airmen.
Garrison/HQSt. Augustine, Florida
Commanders
Commander-in-Chief (Title 10 USC)President of the United States (federalized)
Commander-in-Chief (Title 32 USC)Governor of Florida
Adjutant GeneralMajor General John D. Haas
Assistant Adjutant General – ArmyMajor General Robert G. Carruthers, III
Assistant Adjutant General – Air ForceBrigadier General Richard L. Coffey III
Command Senior Enlisted LeaderCommand Sergeant Major James B. Kendrick

The Florida National Guard is the National Guard force of the state of Florida. It comprises the Florida Army National Guard and the Florida Air National Guard.

The United States Constitution charges the National Guard with dual federal and state missions. Ordinarily under the control of the state government (in which the governor is the commander-in-chief) pursuant to Title 32 of the United States Code, National Guard troops may also be called into active federal service with the United States Army or the United States Air Force (in which the president serves as commander-in-chief) and deployed worldwide with their active duty Army and Air Force counterparts.

The Florida National Guard, like those of other states, provides trained and equipped units for prompt mobilization in case of war or national emergency. Guardsmen may take part in functions ranging from limited actions in non-emergency situations to full-scale law enforcement (martial law) in cases when the governor determines that ordinary law enforcement officials can no longer maintain civil control. The state mission assigned to the National Guard is "to provide trained and disciplined forces for domestic emergencies or as otherwise provided by state law." The Florida National Guard serves as the state's "defense force".

Florida currently has a State Defense Force (SDF), reactivated as of 2022. During World War II, the Florida State Guard served as the official state defense force of Florida, and was organized as a stateside replacement for the Florida National Guard and executed the stateside duties of the National Guard for the duration of the war.[1] National coordination of various state National Guard units are maintained through the National Guard Bureau.

Commanders

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  • Theodore W. Brevard, 9 June 1860 to 8 July 1861 (resigned)
    Theodore W. Brevard, 9 June 1860 to 8 July 1861 (resigned)
  • William H. Milton, 1861, to 1863
    William H. Milton, 1861, to 1863
  • Hugh Archer Jr., January 1863 to 1868
    Hugh Archer Jr., January 1863 to 1868
  • Horatio Jenkins Jr., 9 July 1868 to 4 August 1868
    Horatio Jenkins Jr., 9 July 1868 to 4 August 1868
  • Georgi B. Cane, 5 August 1868 to 20 February 1870 (resigned)
    Georgi B. Cane, 5 August 1868 to 20 February 1870 (resigned)
  • John Vamum, 21 February 1870 to 4 March 1877
    John Vamum, 21 February 1870 to 4 March 1877
  • John J. Dickison, 5 March 1877 to 16 January 1881
    John J. Dickison, 5 March 1877 to 16 January 1881
  • James E. Yonga, 17 January 1881 to 16 January 1885
    James E. Yonga, 17 January 1881 to 16 January 1885
  • David Lang, 17 January 1885 to 4 December 1893
    David Lang, 17 January 1885 to 4 December 1893
  • Patrick Houstoun, 5 December 1893 to 6 May 1901 (died in office)
    Patrick Houstoun, 5 December 1893 to 6 May 1901 (died in office)
  • William A. MacWilliams, 7 May 1901 to 28 June 1901 (resigned)
    William A. MacWilliams, 7 May 1901 to 28 June 1901 (resigned)
  • J. Clifford R. Foster, 29 June 1901 to 9 January 1917
    J. Clifford R. Foster, 29 June 1901 to 9 January 1917
  • J. B. Christian, 10 January 1917 to 29 March 1919
    J. B. Christian, 10 January 1917 to 29 March 1919
  • James McCants, 30 March 1919 to 31 August 1919 (resigned)
    James McCants, 30 March 1919 to 31 August 1919 (resigned)
  • Sidney J. Catts Jr, 1 September 1919 to 3 January 1921 (resigned)
    Sidney J. Catts Jr, 1 September 1919 to 3 January 1921 (resigned)
  • Charles P. Lovell, 4 January 1921 to 25 January 1923 (died in office)
    Charles P. Lovell, 4 January 1921 to 25 January 1923 (died in office)
  • J. Clifford R. Foster, 23 February 1923 to 18 June 1928 (died in office)
    J. Clifford R. Foster, 23 February 1923 to 18 June 1928 (died in office)
  • Vivian Collins, 29 June 1928 to 15 April 1947
    Vivian Collins, 29 June 1928 to 15 April 1947
  • Mark W. Lance, 16 April 1947 to 27 April 1962
    Mark W. Lance, 16 April 1947 to 27 April 1962
  • Henry W. McMillan, 28 April 1962 to 12 August 1975
    Henry W. McMillan, 28 April 1962 to 12 August 1975
  • Kennedy C. Bullard, 13 August 1975 to 31 December 1981
    Kennedy C. Bullard, 13 August 1975 to 31 December 1981
  • Robert F. Ensslin Jr., 1 January 1982 to 29 February 1992
    Robert F. Ensslin Jr., 1 January 1982 to 29 February 1992
  • Ronald Harrison, 1 March 1992 to 3 November 2001
    Ronald Harrison, 1 March 1992 to 3 November 2001
  • Douglas Burnett, USAF, 3 November 2001 to 26 June 2010[2]
    Douglas Burnett, USAF, 3 November 2001 to 26 June 2010[2]
  • Emmett R. Titshaw Jr., USAF, 26 June 2010[3] to 29 March 2015
    Emmett R. Titshaw Jr., USAF, 26 June 2010[3] to 29 March 2015
  • Michael A. Calhoun, 29 March 2015 to 6 April 2019
    Michael A. Calhoun, 29 March 2015 to 6 April 2019
  • James O. Eifert, 6 April 2019 to 22 April 2023
    James O. Eifert, 6 April 2019 to 22 April 2023
  • John D. Haas, 22 April 2023[4] to present
    John D. Haas, 22 April 2023[4] to present

Army units

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Headquarters of the Florida National Guard
St. Francis Barracks

Air Force units

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Duties

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National Guard units can be mobilized at any time by presidential order to supplement regular armed forces, and upon declaration of a state of emergency by the governor of the state in which they serve. Unlike Army Reserve and Air Force Reserve members, National Guard members cannot be mobilized individually (except through voluntary transfers and Temporary Duty Assignments TDA), but only as part of their respective units. However, since 11 September 2001 there have been a significant number of individual activations under Title 10 USC to support military operations (2001–Present); the legality of this policy has been a major issue within the National Guard.

Active duty callups

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A young boy says goodbye to his dad before the father's deployment

For much of the final decades of the twentieth century, National Guard personnel typically served "One weekend a month, two weeks a year", with a portion working for the Guard in a full-time capacity as either Active Guard and Reserve (AGR), Army Reserve Technicians or Air Reserve Technicians (ART). This changed dramatically during the 1990–91 Gulf War, and continued on to present day, with both the Federal Reserve Components and the National Guard increasingly utilized as an "operational" force for worldwide deployment.

The current forces formation plans of the US Army call for the typical Army National Guard unit (or Army National Guardsman) to serve one year of active duty for every three years of service. The US Air Force applies a similar utilization model for Air National Guard units (and Air National Guardsmen).

More specifically, previous Department of Defense policy was that no National Guardsman would be involuntarily activated for a total of more than 24 months (cumulative) in one six-year period. This policy has changed 1 August 2007, with the new policy stating that National Guard soldiers and airmen will be given 24 months between deployments of no more than 24 months; individual states have differing policies but remain subordinate to DoD policy).

As of 2020, the Florida National Guard was composed of approximately 10,000 soldiers and 1,900 airmen.[5][6]

See also

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References

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General sources

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Citations

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  1. ^ "Civil Defense: Florida Defense Force". Palm Beach County History Online. Retrieved 15 June 2014.
  2. ^ "Major General Douglas Burnett Retires After 47 Years".
  3. ^ "Biographies : MAJOR GENERAL MICHAEL a CALHOUN". Archived from the original on 3 October 2015. Retrieved 28 April 2015.
  4. ^ Quinones, Neysa Huerlas (22 April 2023). "New adjutant general welcomed by Florida National Guard". DVIDS. Starke, Florida: 107th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment. Retrieved 23 April 2022.
  5. ^ "About | the Official Home Page of the Florida National Guard".
  6. ^ Florida Army National Guard
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