The Ohio Military Reserve (OHMR) is one of three separate volunteer organizations that make up the State Defense Force (SDF). The SDF shares some similarities with the OHARNG (OHMR) and US Navy (ONM) in rank and organization, but are not part of the Reserve Component nor affiliated with any Active Component organization. The Ohio Military Reserve as well as the other SDF organizations fall under the Adjutant General's Department for command and control purposes but are not members of the Ohio National Guard. State Defense Forces are not eligible for federal funding and must request their assets from the state. However, like most other SDFs, the Ohio Military Reserve is almost entirely self-funded. Personnel are unpaid for their training and must provide their own uniforms and equipment. The Ohio Military Reserve serves under the Adjutant General and is headquartered at the Haubrich Armory in Columbus, Ohio. The OHMR has a "sister service", the

Ohio Naval Militia The Ohio Naval Militia (Ohio Navy) is the naval militia of the State of Ohio. It is the naval arm of the State of Ohio's Adjutant General's Department, and is part of Ohio's military forces. Their operational headquarters are on the Camp Perry Joi ...

which operates out of Camp Perry, located near Port Clinton, Ohio.

History

20th century

During

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, 120 companies of

Home Guard Home guard is a title given to various military organizations at various times, with the implication of an emergency or reserve force raised for local defense. The term "home guard" was first officially used in the American Civil War, starting wi ...

were organized across the cities and towns of Ohio to replace the Ohio National Guard, which was sent overseas. Organized at a local level, members were classified as policemen or deputy sheriffs by local authorities. In 1918, the

Governor of Ohio 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 ...

recognized the units officially, reclassifying them as the Ohio Home Guard under authority of the governor, so that they could receive rifles and other equipment from the federal government. The Ohio Home Guard was reactivated during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

under the name "Ohio State Guard." The Ohio State Guard reached a strength of over 4,000 by June 1944. Among other responsibilities, the Ohio State Guard staffed a mobile gas warfare demonstration school which instructed more than 25,000 civil defense workers in addition to its own units. Ohio maintained its state defense through the

Cold War The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because the ...

as well. The Ohio Defense Corps was established in May 1949; a minimum cadre for five regiments was recruited within a month.

Reorganization

In 2009, the OHMR underwent a reorganization which changed its mission to

emergency management Emergency management or disaster management is the managerial function charged with creating the framework within which communities reduce vulnerability to hazards and cope with disasters. Emergency management, despite its name, does not actuall ...

. The OHMR began a transformation process that took it from its former mission as a cadre state defense force held in reserve to its current mission as an active force. The current mission focuses on FEMA Emergency Support Functions (ESF) 6 and 7. This includes aiding in operating mass care facilities (ESF 6) and warehouses, distribution centers, and support facilities (ESF 7). The transformation took part in three phases. The first phase was integration, which ended in September 2010. In the second phase, the OHMR became initially operational capable during the

Fiscal Year A fiscal year (or financial year, or sometimes budget year) is used in government accounting, which varies between countries, and for budget purposes. It is also used for financial reporting by businesses and other organizations. Laws in many ...

2011, and the third resulted in the OHMR becoming fully operational capable in Fiscal Year 2012.

Modern era

On 25 October 2019, Governor

Mike DeWine Richard Michael DeWine (; born January 5, 1947) is an American politician and attorney serving as the 70th and current governor of Ohio. A member of the Republican Party, DeWine began his career as a prosecutor before being elected to the O ...

signed into law a bill which created a volunteer Ohio Cyber Reserve (OhCR) made up of trained civilians and organized as a part of the Ohio Military Reserve. The stated purpose of the unit is to be available for the governor to assist eligible municipalities with cybersecurity vulnerabilities and provide recommendations to reduce cyber threats. The first teams are expected to be created by the end of January 2020. Beginning in March 2020, members of the Ohio Military Reserve were activated as a part of Operation Steady Resolve, as part of Ohio’s response to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

. The initial mission was to assist twelve food banks across Ohio with packaging, transporting and distributing food and other essential items to vulnerable populations across Ohio. In

Columbus Columbus is a Latinized version of the Italian surname "''Colombo''". It most commonly refers to: * Christopher Columbus (1451-1506), the Italian explorer * Columbus, Ohio, capital of the U.S. state of Ohio Columbus may also refer to: Places ...

, the National Guard and Military Reserve packed boxes and served meals to men staying at the Downtown YMCA, including those who have been relocated from homeless shelters.

Personnel and training

Enlistment is voluntary, however all soldiers swear an oath of enlistment or appointment. Officers hold state, not federal, commissions. Units are co-located in state-owned readiness centers (armories) with National Guard units across the state. Most units drill one weekend a month and all troops must attend one week of training annually (annual training, or AT). In the past, troops trained with pistols and shotguns, however, the cost of maintenance and annual re-certification has caused this training to be dropped. Although they are covered by the State’s insurance and workers’ compensation program, soldiers are not paid for their training time or AT period. However, if mobilized, they would be compensated. §5903.02 of the

Ohio Revised Code The ''Ohio Revised Code'' contains all current statutes of the Ohio General Assembly of a permanent and general nature, consolidated into provisions, titles, chapters and sections. However, the only official publication of the enactments of the G ...

provides OHMR personnel protection under the

Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Act The Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994 (USERRA, , codified as amended at ) was passed by U.S. Congress and signed into law by U.S. President Bill Clinton on October 13, 1994 to protect the civilian employment of act ...

(USERRA) which addresses military leave from employment for both training and deployment. In 2010, as part of its shift to an emergency management mission, the OHMR sponsored training on

National Incident Management System The National Incident Management System (NIMS) is a standardized approach to incident management developed by the United States Department of Homeland Security. The program was established in March 2004, in response to Homeland Security Presidentia ...

(NIMS) compliance and Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT) for all soldiers in the OHMR. The OHMR maintains a military training academy to conduct state versions of standard Army professional development courses such as Basic Entry Level Training (required for all non-prior service personnel), Primary Leadership Development Course, Basic Non-commissioned Officer Course, and the Basic Officer Course. In addition, the OHMR Academy offers a series of Army Institute for Professional Development (AIPD) correspondence courses. OHMR members can earn the

Military Emergency Management Specialist Badge The Military Emergency Management Specialist Badge(s) (MEMS Badge) are earned through the State Guard Association of the United States (SGAUS) Military Emergency Management specialist Academy (MEMS Academy). The various skill badges are authoriz ...

from the State Guard Association of the United States, The badge includes Basic, Senior and Master level qualifications.

Uniform

The current uniform of OHMR is the OCP (Operational Camouflage Pattern) with tan name tags, the Ohio

flag patch A flag patch is a piece of fabric displaying the national flag of a country. The image of the flag is usually produced by embroidery, using different colored threads. It can also be produced by printing directly on the fabric, although this is ...

on the right arm and OHMR unit patch on the left arm. The members of OHMR are authorized to wear the Army Service Uniform (ASU), with the exception of a red, rather than black, nameplate, OHMR or Ohio buttons, and SDF specific insignia. The OHMR wears the service cap (with modified insignia) with the ASU as well as the black beret with the red "State Defense Force" Beret Flash worn by some other states.Wear and Appearance of Uniforms and Insignia, Ohio Military Reserve Regulation 670-1
Ohio Military Reserve, dated 1 May 2012, last accessed 1 May 2020

Legal protection

Under Ohio law, members of the Ohio Military Reserve are guaranteed the same employment rights and protections as federal reservists enjoy under the

Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act The Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994 (USERRA, , codified as amended at ) was passed by U.S. Congress and signed into law by U.S. President Bill Clinton on October 13, 1994 to protect the civilian employment of a ...

(USERRA). Among other legal rights guaranteed under this provision, OHMR members are protected from discrimination based on their membership in the OHMR both during the hiring process and after becoming employed; they are also guaranteed a

leave of absence The labour law concept of leave, specifically paid leave or, in some countries' long-form, a leave of absence, is an authorised prolonged absence from work, for any reason authorised by the workplace. When people "take leave" in this way, they are ...

from their places of employment whenever they are activated for training or to take part in an emergency, and their employers are required to reinstate these employees to their previous positions when they return from deployment. Members of the OHMR, being a part of the Ohio Organized Militia are treated as law enforcement officers and are immune from arrest during state active duty deployment except in case of treason or felony when aiding the civil authorities after being called upon by the Governor with executing the laws of the state, suppressing insurrection, repelling invasion, or promoting the health, safety, and welfare of the citizens of this state. Arrest powers are limited in scope in that the arrest must be made with the immediate intent to deliver the person in custody to civil authorities.

Awards and decorations

The OHMR issues multiple awards and decorations to its members, and allows members to wear OHMR-approved ribbons from the State Guard Association of the United States. Members are also permitted to be awarded certain State of Ohio, Ohio National Guard awards when approved by the Adjutant General of the State of Ohio. * OHMR Ribbon of Valor