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The Wisconsin Naval Militia is the currently inactive
naval militia
A naval militia is a reserve military organization administered under the authority of a state government in the United States. It is often composed of reservists of the Navy Reserve, Marine Corps Reserve, and Coast Guard Reserve, retirees ...
of the state of
Wisconsin
Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...
. The Wisconsin Naval Militia served as a
military reserve force for the state of Wisconsin, and was organized as a naval parallel to the
Wisconsin National Guard
The Wisconsin National Guard consists of the Wisconsin Army National Guard and the Wisconsin Air National Guard. It is a part of the Government of Wisconsin
Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is t ...
.
History
The Wisconsin Naval Militia was first created on 28 April 1909 when the
Wisconsin Legislature
The Wisconsin Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The Legislature is a bicameral body composed of the upper house, Wisconsin State Senate, and the lower Wisconsin State Assembly, both of which have had Republica ...
authorized a naval militia consisting of one
battalion
A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of 300 to 1,200 soldiers commanded by a lieutenant colonel, and subdivided into a number of companies (usually each commanded by a major or a captain). In some countries, battalions a ...
of four
companies
A company, abbreviated as co., is a legal entity representing an association of people, whether natural, legal or a mixture of both, with a specific objective. Company members share a common purpose and unite to achieve specific, declared go ...
. The naval militia maintained units at
Ashland and
Bayfield until
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 ...
.
By 1914, the naval militia had reached a strength of 160 men organized into three companies.
In 1916, the naval militia was temporarily disbanded due to the inability of the state to procure a ship to be used for training purposes; however, new units were immediately reorganized in different parts of the state, funded with money raised by private donors.
The naval militia was reorganized in 1927 with units in
Milwaukee
Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee ...
and
Madison Madison may refer to:
People
* Madison (name), a given name and a surname
* James Madison (1751–1836), fourth president of the United States
Place names
* Madison, Wisconsin, the state capital of Wisconsin and the largest city known by this ...
.
The Wisconsin Naval Militia was officially disbanded in 1955.
Legal status
The right of states to organize and maintain naval militias is recognized by the federal government of the United States under 10 U.S. Code §7851. Any naval militia may receive access to vessels, material, armament, equipment, and other facilities of the Navy and the Marine Corps which are available to the Navy Reserve and the Marine Corps Reserve if 95% or more of the naval militia's manpower is recruited from the
United States Navy Reserve
The United States Navy Reserve (USNR), known as the United States Naval Reserve from 1915 to 2005, is the Reserve Component (RC) of the United States Navy. Members of the Navy Reserve, called Reservists, are categorized as being in either the Se ...
or the
United States Marine Corps Reserve
The Marine Forces Reserve (MARFORRES or MFR), also known as the United States Marine Corps Reserve (USMCR) and the U.S. Marine Corps Forces Reserve, is the reserve force of the United States Marine Corps. It is the largest command, by assigned p ...
.
Reactivation effort
In the spring of 2001, the Wisconsin Department of Military Affairs announced the findings of a year-long study which found that reactivating the Wisconsin Naval Militia would likely prove to be a cost-effective enhancement to Wisconsin's emergency medical response capability. A bill which would have reactivated the naval militia passed the assembly of the Wisconsin Legislature by a wide margin but failed in the senate. Subsequent bills intended to reactivate the naval militia have also failed.
See also
*
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.
...
*
United States Coast Guard Auxiliary
The United States Coast Guard Auxiliary (USCGA, USCGAUX, CGAux, or USCG Aux) is the civilian uniformed volunteer component of the United States Coast Guard. Congress established the military organization, unit on 23 June 1939, as the United Sta ...
*
United States Naval Sea Cadet Corps
The United States Naval Sea Cadet Corps (USNSCC or NSCC) is a congressionally chartered, U.S. Navy-sponsored organization that serves to teach individuals about the sea-going military services, U.S. naval operations and training, community ser ...
*
United States Power Squadrons
The United States Power Squadrons (USPS) DBA America's Boating Club, is a non-profit educational organization, founded in 1914, whose mission is to improve maritime safety and enjoyability through classes in seamanship, navigation, and other rela ...
*
Wisconsin National Guard
The Wisconsin National Guard consists of the Wisconsin Army National Guard and the Wisconsin Air National Guard. It is a part of the Government of Wisconsin
Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is t ...
*
Wisconsin State Defense Force
*
Wisconsin Wing Civil Air Patrol
References
{{State Defense Forces
Military in Wisconsin
State defense forces of the United States