The Utah State Defense Force (USDF), formerly known as the Utah State Guard, is the currently unorganized

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 Utah. The USDF, along with the

Utah National Guard The Utah National Guard consists of the: * Utah Army National Guard **19th Special Forces Group (Airborne) **65th Field Artillery Brigade **85th WMD CST **97th Troop Command **115th Engineer Group (CBT) **204th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade **211t ...

, is part of the organized militia of Utah. However, unlike the National Guard, the State Defense Force is by law solely under the command of the

Governor of Utah 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 ...

and cannot be federalized or deployed outside the borders of Utah. Although inactive, Utah's State Defense Force Act allows the Governor to reactivate the USDF through executive action.

History

The first

militia A militia () is generally an army or some other fighting organization of non-professional soldiers, citizens of a country, or subjects of a state, who may perform military service during a time of need, as opposed to a professional force of r ...

in Utah was the

Nauvoo Legion The Nauvoo Legion was a state-authorized militia of the city of Nauvoo, Illinois, United States. With growing antagonism from surrounding settlements it came to have as its main function the defense of Nauvoo, and surrounding Latter Day Saint ...

which was composed of volunteers from

the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Christianity, Christian church that considers itself to be the Restorationism, restoration of the ...

. This unit served as the primary militia for the state of Utah until it was dissolved by the Edmunds-Tucker Act. After the passage of 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 ...

which created the modern

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.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. ...

. 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 World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, the Utah State Guard was organized to replace the Utah National Guard, and consisted of approximately 600 members who were responsible for protecting National Guard armories and other state facilities. The Utah State Guard was tasked with recovering debris from

fire balloon An incendiary balloon (or balloon bomb) is a balloon inflated with a lighter-than-air gas such as hot air, hydrogen, or helium, that has a bomb, incendiary device, or Molotov cocktail attached. The balloon is carried by the prevailing winds t ...

attacks launched by

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the n ...

which had landed in Utah. The Utah State Guard was reactivated in 1981. However, due to various issues, including a concern that white supremacists had infiltrated the ranks, the Utah State Guard was reorganized in 1997 by General John L. Matthews, the Adjutant General of Utah, as a cadre of around thirty officers who would be tasked with securing National Guard armories during federal deployments. At this time, the Utah State Guard was also renamed the Utah State Defense Force.

Current Status

An attempt was made to disband the Utah State Defense Force in 2001 by Neal Hendrickson, but it failed to pass committee. As of 2022, Title 39 of the Utah Code still allows the governor of Utah to organize and maintain the force. A 2022 bill (H.B. 360) passed both chambers of the state legislature which recodified Title 39 to Title 39A, made technical changes, and clarified that the force is not subject to federal activation.

Legal basis

State defense forces are authorized by the federal government under Title 32, Section 109 of the

United States Code In the law of the United States, the Code of Laws of the United States of America (variously abbreviated to Code of Laws of the United States, United States Code, U.S. Code, U.S.C., or USC) is the official compilation and codification of the ...

. Nearly half of all U.S. states, as well as the territory of Puerto Rico, actively maintain these forces. Under state law, the Utah State Defense Force Act allows the governor to organize and maintain the Utah State Defense Force, making a reactivation of the USDF possible by either an act of legislature or by an executive order by the

References

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

History

Current Status

Legal basis

See also

References