The Nebraska State Guard (NSG) is the currently inactive

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. ...

of the state of

Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the sout ...

, which was activated during both

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 opposing ...

and the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vietnam a ...

. As a state defense force, the NSG served on as a component of the organized militia of Nebraska, serving as reservists who trained periodically but could be called up during an emergency; however, unlike the

Nebraska National Guard The Nebraska National Guard consists of the: *Nebraska Army National Guard * Nebraska Air National Guard See also *Nebraska State Guard References External linksBibliography of Nebraska Army National Guard Historycompiled by the United States ...

, the Nebraska State Guard could not be federalized or deployed outside the state. Rather, when the National Guard was deployed, the purpose of the State Guard was to assume the stateside duties of the National Guard.

History of Predecessor Units

Both the National Guard and the various state defense forces trace their roots to organized militia units which composed the majority of American military forces before the creation of the modern National Guard under the

Militia Act of 1903 The Militia Act of 1903 (), also known as the Efficiency in Militia Act of 1903 or the Dick Act, was legislation enacted by the United States Congress to create an early National Guard and which codified the circumstances under which the Guard co ...

. The first organized militia, the Nebraska Volunteers, was a division-sized unit of volunteers created by an act of the

Nebraska Territorial Legislature The Nebraska Territorial Legislature was held from January 16, 1855 until 1865 in Omaha City, Nebraska Territory. Major issues Slavery In 1854 the Kansas–Nebraska Act created the Nebraska Territory, overturning the Missouri Compromise b ...

in 1856. Nebraska later created several

multiple units A multiple-unit train or simply multiple unit (MU) is a self-propelled train composed of one or more carriages joined together, which when coupled to another multiple unit can be controlled by a single driver, with multiple-unit train contro ...

during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...

World War II

Following the American entrance into

and federalization of all National Guard units, numerous states created state defense forces in order to protect their territory against invasion, unrest, insurrection, and sabotage while their National Guard units were deployed. Nebraska created the Nebraska State Guard in 1942. In April 1943, the Nebraska State Guard was deployed alongside federal Army soldiers and civilian volunteers to assist in protecting the Omaha Municipal Airport from floodwater during a flood of the Missouri River. The Nebraska State Guard was disbanded in 1947, though the statutes authorizing it remained in effect.

Vietnam War

Due to the heightened chance of deployment for several National Guard units chosen to be a part of the Selected Reserve Force during the

, Governor Norbert T. Tiemann reactivated Nebraska’s state defense force in 1968 to replace the Nebraska National Guard. The Nebraska State Guard was organized at a cadre level, with plans to expand through four phases and ultimately reach a full strength of roughly 4,000 men; however, due to the repeal of the Selected Reserve Force program, the Vietnam-era State Guard never expanded beyond a cadre of approximately 220 officers and enlisted men, primarily veterans of

or the

, organized across 35 units in 30 towns. The Nebraska State Guard was then disbanded in 1972.

Uniform

The Vietnam-era uniform for State Guardsmen, provided by the state, consisted of an army uniform with the federal patch replaced with a State Guard shoulder patch instead of the American flag, a pair of boots, and an “N.S.G.” brass insignia for the uniform’s collar for officers.

Legal status

State defense forces are given a legal basis by the federal government under Title 32, Section 109 of the United States Code. Currently, 23 states and the territory of Puerto Rico maintain active state defense forces. Nebraska law also recognizes the Nebraska State Guard as a military entity which can be reactivated by the Governor of Nebraska whenever any part of the National Guard of the State of Nebraska is in active federal service, whenever the President of the United States declares a national emergency, or whenever an emergency is declared by the governor. Therefore, the legal framework exists at both state and federal levels to reactivate the Nebraska State Guard in the future should these conditions be met.

References

{{State Defense Forces State defense forces of the United States Military in Nebraska