Pro-Government Militias
State Defence Forces (United States)
Basic Group Information
| Name assigned by coder: | no |
| PGM ID Number: | 393 |
| Country: | United States |
| Date formed: | Jan. 1, 1980 |
| Accuracy of date formed: | decade |
| Details of Formation: | The group was established in the early 1980s as volunteer auxiliaries of state National Guards, amid fears that a state's entire National Guard could be sent to a conflict overseas, leaving the home front unprotected. The unarmed state "defense force" or "state guard" units were modeled after citizen brigades organized during the two World Wars to patrol armories and to handle the absent National Guard's duties in the event of a riot or natural disaster. Only the Alaskan forces are armed, although evidence suggests many units armed themselves. |
| Date dissolved: | Unknown |
| Accuracy of date dissolved: | day |
| Details of Termination: | The State Defence Force Improvement Act was introduced in the House of Representatives in June 2009 recognizing the group as an official military component of the United States, but was not signed into a law. Therefore, the group is not coded as terminated. |
| Termination Type(s): | unclear |
Former and Successor Group Information
| Predecessor group(s): | none |
| Successor group(s): | none |
| Private Military Company? | no |
| Former Group? | no information |
| Former Armed Group? | no information |
| Former Rebel Group? | no |
| Former Rebel Group UCDP ID: | none |
| PGM Becomes Rebel Group? | no information |
| Successor Rebel Group UCDP ID: | none |
Government Relation, Support, and Training
| Government Relation: | semi-official (type 2) |
| Created by the Government?: | no information | Main Creating Government Institution: | none |
| Government Link(s): | state (institution); sub-national government |
| If link to party, name of party: | None |
| Training and Equipment: | yes |
| Shared Information and Joint Operations: | yes |
| Shared Personnel: | no |
| Type(s) of Material Support: | domestic government |
| State Sponsor(s): | none |
| Other Connection(s): |
Group Characteristics
| Membership: | professional group; ex soldiers; workers |
| Primary Membership: | local |
| Alternative Primary Membership: | no information |
| Location: | Nationwide |
| Force Strength: | [11000, 11611] |
| Target(s): | no information |
| Purpose(s): | protect state, national or religious institutions; protect property and investment; self-defense and security |
Ethnic Characteristics
| Ethnic Target(s): | none |
| Quality of Information for Ethnic Targeting: | not applicable |
| Ethnic Membership: | none |
| Quality of Information for Ethnic Membership: | not applicable |
| Ethnic Purpose: | none |
| Quality of Information for Ethnic Purpose: | not applicable |
Other Information
| Other Information: |
New Variables from Meta-Analysis
Purpose
| Purpose: | The group’s main task is to assist the National Guard, especially to perform its duties when it is absent, in case of riots or natural disaster. When there is no such emergency situation, it is mainly responsible for public security (e.g. in the event of civil disturbances, by controlling crowds and protecting citizens) and guarding state armories. The PGM is only active on the state level. |
| Relative Benefit(s) of PGM Use | faster mobilization |
Treatment of Civilians
| Treatment of Civilians: | As a stated purpose, the group is meant to protect civilians, though there is no information about its effectiveness at doing so. |
| Type(s) of Violence against Civilians: | unknown |
Reasons for Membership
| PGM Members Coerced? | no |
| PGM Members Paid? | no |
| Reasons for Membership: | Members are mainly regular citizens. |
| PGM Members Killed? | no information |
PGM Size
| Size: | After previously decreasing in size, the group gained new momentum after September 11, with its membership growing to about 11,000. |
Weapons and Training
| Weapons and Training: | Members are usually not armed sometimes armed themselves. The group is normally trained one day per month. |
Organisation
| Organisation: | The State Defence Forces are controlled by the state governor and can only be deployed at the state level. They cooperate with the National Guard and sometimes local police. |
Reference(s) for Meta-Analysis
Evidence
- Examine the evidence for this coding.