The Rhode Island State Guard 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. ...

Rhode Island Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area and the seventh-least populous, with slightly fewer than 1.1 million residents as of 2020, but it ...

. As a state defense force, the Rhode Island State Guard served as a state military unit which assumed the stateside duties of the

Rhode Island National Guard The Rhode Island National Guard consists of the: *Rhode Island Army National Guardbr>*Rhode Island Air National Guardbr>** 102nd Information Warfare Squadron ** 143d Airlift Wing ** 281st Combat Communications Group ** 282nd Combat Communication ...

when the National Guard was in federal service. However, unlike the National Guard, the State Guard, when organized, answers solely to the

Governor of Rhode Island The governor of Rhode Island is the head of government of the U.S. state of Rhode Island and serves as commander-in-chief of the state's Army National Guard and Air National Guard. The current governor is Democrat Dan McKee. In their capac ...

and by law cannot be federalized or deployed outside the borders of Rhode Island.

History

History of predecessor units

Prior to the creation of the

National Guard of the United States 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.American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

, the

1st Rhode Island Regiment The 1st Rhode Island Regiment (also known as Varnum's Regiment, the 9th Continental Regiment, the Black Regiment, the Rhode Island Regiment, and Olney's Battalion) was a regiment in the Continental Army raised in Rhode Island during the Americ ...

was raised to serve in the Continental Army. Rhode Island raised

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 ...

to fight for the

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union of the collective states. It proved essential to th ...

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 ...

. During the

Spanish–American War , partof = the Philippine Revolution, the decolonization of the Americas, and the Cuban War of Independence , image = Collage infobox for Spanish-American War.jpg , image_size = 300px , caption = (cloc ...

, the 1st Regiment, Rhode Island Volunteers, was mustered into federal service but did not see combat.

World War I

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 ...

federalized state militias and placed them under federal control. When the National Guard was deployed abroad 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 ...

, states were forced to raise replacement units to provide homeland security capabilities. During World War I, Rhode Island raised 18 companies of State Guard, composed of 100 men each, and established a headquarters and supply company, a machine-gun detachment and a sanitary detachment. In order to equip the State Guard, the state purchased .38 revolvers from private dealers, and obtained five hundred

.45 caliber This is a list of firearm cartridges which have bullets in the to caliber range. *''Length'' refers to the cartridge case Case or CASE may refer to: Containers * Case (goods) A case of some merchandise Merchandising is any practic ...

Springfield rifle The term Springfield rifle may refer to any one of several types of small arms produced by the Springfield Armory in Springfield, Massachusetts, for the United States armed forces. In modern usage, the term "Springfield rifle" most commonly ref ...

s and two hundred fifty

.30 caliber The 7.62 mm caliber is a nominal caliber used for a number of different cartridges. Historically, this class of cartridge was commonly known as .30 caliber, the imperial unit and customary unit equivalent, and was most commonly used for i ...

Krag–Jørgensen rifles from the federal government. The state also possessed an additional six hundred

World War II

The State Guard was reactivated in 1940, reaching the size of one regiment. The Rhode Island State Guard reached a strength of over 1,300 men during the war. Rhode Island also formed the Rhode Island State Guard Reserve during the war.

Korean War

On the onset of the Korean War, several states, including Rhode Island, reactivated their state defense forces at cadre strength as a safeguard against the possibility of their National Guard units being federalized.

Cold War

The Rhode Island State Guard was reactivated in 1987 and renamed the Rhode Island State Defense Force. By 1990, it consisted of only three members.

Legal status

State defense forces are given legal recognition by the federal government under Title 32, Section 109 of the United States Code. The authority to maintain independent chartered military organizations separate of the National Guard is recognized under Rhode Island Law. Chapter 30-5, section 30-5-5 of the Rhode Island General Laws allows the

to call and organize portions of the unorganized militia whenever it is deemed necessary, and required when the

is in federal service.

Legal protection

Under Rhode Island law, no employer may fire an employee due to the employee's membership in the Rhode Island State Guard, or due to their obligation to perform military service, or attempt to hinder their ability to perform military service. Nor may employers threaten or otherwise insinuate that an employee will suffer repercussions from the employer as a result of his or her service with the Rhode Island State Guard. Any employer or agent of an employer who is guilty of these offenses is guilty of a misdemeanor offense.

References

{{Authority control Military in Rhode Island State defense forces of the United States