The Mississippi National Guard (MSNG), commonly known as the Mississippi Guard, is both a Mississippi state and a federal government organization, part of the

United States National Guard The National Guard is a state-based military force that becomes part of the reserve components of the United States Army and the United States Air Force when activated for federal missions.Mississippi Military Department The Mississippi Military Department is a state agency and part of the Mississippi executive branch. The Adjutant General (State adjutant general, TAG) of Mississippi serves as the executive director of the Mississippi Military Department. The TAG re ...

, a state agency of the government of Mississippi. The Adjutant General of Mississippi (TAG), Major General Janson Durr Boyles, serves as the executive director and is subordinate to the Commander-in-Chief, the

Governor of Mississippi A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political r ...

, in matters relating to the department and the state militia forces. The Mississippi Code of 1972, Title 33, Chapter 3, titled "Military Affairs", details the duties and responsibilities of the Adjutant General of Mississippi. The Adjutant General of Mississippi, via the Mississippi Military Department, is expressly authorized to "issue such orders, rules and regulations as may be necessary in order that the organization, training and discipline of the components of the militia of this state will at all times conform to the applicable requirements of the United States government relating thereto. Orders, rules and regulations issued hereunder shall have full force and effect as part of the military code of this state". The state militia forces formally break down into three broad classes: The Mississippi National Guard (MSNG), the

Mississippi State Guard The Mississippi State Guard (MSSG) is the State Defense Force, state defense force of Mississippi. It operates under the authority of the Mississippi Military Department alongside the Mississippi Army National Guard (Mississippi Army National Guard ...

(MSSG), and the unorganized militia.

Mission

The

Constitution of the United States The Constitution of the United States is the supreme law of the United States of America. It superseded the Articles of Confederation, the nation's first constitution, in 1789. Originally comprising seven articles, it delineates the natio ...

specifically charges the National Guard with dual federal and state missions. In fact, the National Guard is the only

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

military force empowered to function in a state status. Those functions range from limited actions during non-emergency situations to full-scale law enforcement of

martial law Martial law is the imposition of direct military control of normal civil functions or suspension of civil law by a government, especially in response to an emergency where civil forces are overwhelmed, or in an occupied territory. Use Marti ...

when local law enforcement officials can no longer maintain civil control. The National Guard may be called into federal service in response to a call by the

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of a ...

. When National Guard troops are called to federal service, the President serves as Commander-in-Chief. The federal mission assigned to the National Guard is: "To provide properly trained and equipped units for prompt mobilization for war, National emergency or as otherwise needed." The

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

may call individuals or units of the Mississippi National Guard into state service during emergencies or to assist in special situations which lend themselves to the use of the National Guard. 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." 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 A state of emergency is a situation in which a government is empowered to be able to put through policies that it would normally not be permitted to do, for the safety and protection of its citizens. A government can declare such a state du ...

by the

governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

of the state in which they serve. Unlike

Army Reserve A military reserve force is a military organization whose members have military and civilian occupations. They are not normally kept under arms, and their main role is to be available when their military requires additional manpower. Reserve ...

members, National Guard members cannot be mobilized individually (except through voluntary transfers and Temporary Duty Assignments TDY), but only as part of their respective

units Unit may refer to: Arts and entertainment * UNIT, a fictional military organization in the science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'' * Unit of action, a discrete piece of action (or beat) in a theatrical presentation Music * Unit (album), ...

. However, there has been a significant number of individual activations to support military operations (2001-?); the legality of this policy is a major issue within the National Guard.

History

During the Vietnam War, service in the National Guard was highly sought after. An enlistment in the Guard prevented a person from being sent to combat. In 1968, the Mississippi National Guard had 10,365 soldiers. At the time only 1% of them were Black. At that time, the population of the state was more than forty percent Black.

Command structure

The Mississippi National Guard consists of the: *

Mississippi Army National Guard The Mississippi Army National Guard is the Army National Guard component of the Mississippi National Guard. It was originally formed in 1798. It is a component of the United States Army and the United States National Guard. It is managed by the ...

Mississippi Air National Guard The Mississippi Air National Guard (MS ANG), commonly known as the Mississippi Air Guard, is the aerial militia of the State of Mississippi, United States of America. It is, along with the Mississippi Army National Guard, an element of the Missis ...

** 172nd Airlift Wing ** 186th Air Refueling Wing ** Combat Readiness Training Center ** 209th Civil Engineering Squadron ** 238th Air Support Operations Squadron ** 248th Air Traffic Control Squadron ** 255th Air Control Squadron

Mississippi State Guard

Mississippi's

state defense force In the United States, state defense forces are military units that operate under the sole authority of a state government. State defense forces are authorized by state and federal law and are under the command of the governor of each state. ...

, the

, is a military entity authorized by both the State Code of Mississippi and

executive order In the United States, an executive order is a directive by the president of the United States that manages operations of the federal government. The legal or constitutional basis for executive orders has multiple sources. Article Two of th ...

. The State Guard is the state's authorized militia and assumes the state mission of the Mississippi National Guard in the event the MS National Guard is mobilized. This force is federally recognized, but are separate from the National Guard and are not meant to be federalized. The SDF comprises retired active and reserve military personnel and selected professional persons who volunteer their time and talents in further service to their state.

References

External links

*
Mississippi Armed Forces MuseumNational Guard Association of Mississippi
* * {{Authority control 1798 establishments in the United States

National Guard National Guard is the name used by a wide variety of current and historical uniformed organizations in different countries. The original National Guard was formed during the French Revolution around a cadre of defectors from the French Guards. Nat ...

Military units and formations established in 1798 National Guard (United States) Organizations based in Jackson, Mississippi