The New National Guard

"This new direction indicates an emphasis on active military duty for members of the National Guard, a concept quite different from the traditional “one weekend a month, two weeks a year” slogan of the organization."

“At This Moment” is an advertisement for the National Guard. Both a promotional and a recruitment tool, it is playing in movie theaters across the country. At first glance, the trailer is shocking in its blatantly militaristic depiction of the National Guard. In contrast, a previous National Guard promotional video featured a song called “Citizen Solider” by 3 Doors Down, with lyrics that focused on the citizen rather than the solider. That trailer had countless images of the National Guard helping in the aftermath of natural disasters, reuniting families, and responding to domestic emergencies. Interspersed throughout the video were shots of National Guard participation in historical battles, but not many of the National Guard on active service. Yet this new trailer appears almost solely concerned with active military service. It is quite telling that the song for the new promotional trailer is titled “National Guard – Call of the Warrior.”

So is this new trailer promoting new and different values for the National Guard? Clearly, it is targeting a specific audience, namely the kind of person who would not be averse to joining the Army, Navy or Marines. This new direction indicates an emphasis on active military duty for members of the National Guard, a concept quite different from the traditional “one weekend a month, two weeks a year” slogan of the organization. Perhaps the most interesting question this new trailer raises is whether the video is encouraging a trend toward the militarization of the National Guard or responding to a change that has already occurred.

The National Guard as it is known today was officially created by the National Defense Act of 1916. This law called for the organization of various state militias, which are overseen by their respective state governors. The governors are the leaders of the state National Guard and may call up the members of these militias for active service in response to domestic emergencies and disasters. Inactive service traditionally includes drills and training several times a month. The members of the state National Guard may also be called up for service at a federal level in the case of a national emergency, to fend off invasion, or for duty during times of war. This federal branch of the National Guard is known formally as the National Guard of the United States.

However, local militias existed in the United States in as far back as the 17th century. In 1636 the Massachusetts Bay Colony formed groups of roaming militias to protect themselves against attacks from the Native American tribes in the area. These early groups eventually evolved into the presence of state militias when the United States gained its independence in the late 18th century. The term “National Guard” arose when a New York regiment honored the Marquis de Lafayette by adopting the name of his celebrated French force, the Garde Nationale de Paris. In the 20th century the Guard provided 140,000 men during the Korean War, 180,000 men to aid West Berlin in the 1961 Berlin Crisis, and more than 63,000 soldiers for Operation Desert Storm.

In recent years the number of National Guardsmen called up to federal service has increased dramatically. According to the National Guard website, in 2005 “half of the U.S. combat brigades in Iraq were composed of Guard Soldiers.” Indeed, according to the Department of Defense, 698,100 members of the National Guard have been activated to federal service since September 11. This is an astonishing increase relative to National Guard participation in U.S. wars in the past.

The increasing militarization of the National Guard reflects the strange nature of U.S. fighting forces in general. The National Guard was created partially as a concession to states’ rights and partially as a force that could respond quickly and efficiently to individual states’ emergencies. The units are supposed to be used as a federal force only as a last reserve. Yet the distinction between the Guard and the U.S. Army, Navy and Marines is blurring. Without a draft, military-trained personnel are scarce and volunteers are difficult to come by. However, the source of recruits for the National Guard usually comes from a slightly different pool of applicants, who want less of a commitment than serving in the other military branches would require of them. This provides a ripe opportunity to gain more soldiers for combat, especially with recent increases in troops in Afghanistan. The National Guard trailer, with its blunt promotion of military service, is an especially potent indicator of that fact. And until the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are over, it seems unlikely that this militaristic approach will cease. Members of the National Guard, grab your guns.

(Article by Anna Applebaum. She can be reached at a.applebaum@wustl.edu)

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