- The National Guard, rooted in colonial militia, serves the needs of the state under governors.
- Active task forces and reserves operate under federal command. Sometimes even national guard can.
- Different laws regulate when a president “federates” the guard, with special circumstances.
American military fights wars abroad, but also continues to return home. However, there are different types of forces, and the rules on what they can and cannot do on household land can be confusing.
In recent months they have only seen a lot of activity. Active troops are transporting migrants as part of the new White House expulsion measures, with others located on the US-Mexico border. Their counterparts in the National Guard are also active at the border. Other guard units have helped the battle of fires and helped recover the hurricane.
What is the difference between active task, guard and reserve?
The National Guard traces its roots all the way to colonial America.
“The best way to think about the guard is like a classic citizen,” said Rachel Vanlandingham, a national security expert and professor at the Southwest Law School. Those state militants have turned over 250 years into individual national state guards, with about 430,000 members collectively across the country.
The guard is made up of regular community members as teachers, bankers, social workers, etc. Who can be called to respond to emergencies at the discretion of their state governors. “When needed, they will wear a uniform,” Vanlandingham said. “But they especially belong to the state.”
There are generally two categories of people joining the National Guard, said Katherine Kuzminski, which supervises the center for a new military program, veterans and American security companies.
Most national guard troops or pursue a civil career, but still want to serve or were once active but now part -time.
Like reserves and active forces, National Guard troops go through basic training with specialized job training. They carry specific military work, which may include anything from truck mechanic or pilot to infantry or administrator specialist.
Because active troops are assigned to military bases that usually leave large populations, leading to less overlap with civilians, most Americans rarely deal with active bodies, and more likely to know someone who is in guard or reserve.
North Carolina National Guards appointed in the 130th Brigade of Clear Waste Maneuvering in Lake Lure, NC, October 8, 2024 as part of the efforts to relieve Hellenic Hurricane. Photo of the US Army National Guard by SGT staff. Hannah Tarkelly
Similar to the guard, the spare forces are equivalent to part -time active force. Many reservists are also former full-time bodys that were once active. Reservists often belong to units based outside their home countries, meaning that they can travel every month to “training”, performing routine tasks to stay fresh in uniform.
Both guard troops and reservists are usually forced to serve a weekend a month in uniform and then at least two weeks in a year to preserve military skills.
Active service members are registered for a separate number of years, with options to extend. They live in or near the military base in which they are assigned. Most active service members work normal working days, but are expected to suffer long training exercises, perform overnight tasks and are often in call 24/7.
To whom do you answer?
The most important differences between guards, reserves and active task forces are in their command chains and legal authorities.
First, the chain of command for all reservists and active bodies is entirely through the Defense Department, up to the Service Secretaries and the President. States have no control over reserve forces.
Each of the armed services under the Department of Defense has its own reserve component, but only the military and air force have national guards. States do not need historically for naval forces, Kuzminski said, so the Navy Department (which includes the maritime Corps) does not have an component of the National Guard. For now, there is not even a national spatial force guard.
Reservists also have the opportunity to “activate”, which means they can become an active task for a certain period of time, either to be placed abroad or report daily on a state base for certain periods of time. “Activation” can be a popular choice for reservists seeking stability amid economic insecurity in their civil work or that are simply eager to decide and serve.
The control of the National Guard is different and a little confusing.
Most of the time, the National Guard operates under the control of their state governor, Vanlandingham said. When invoked by the governor, guard bodies are most often responding to natural disasters or emergencies, such as those in North Carolina who responded to Hellenic Hurricane or those in California who were activated in response to recent fires. National Guard troops also settled in Capitol on January 6, 2021, amidst rebellious efforts to compete.
“The guards belong to a service, but their command chain goes to their governor,” Kuzminski said.
A national guard in North Carolina with the 105th engineers Battalion, cuts the wood during waste cleaning operations in Lake Lure, NC, October 8, 2024., as part of the Hellenic Hurricane Relief effort. Photo of the US Army National Guard by SGT staff. Hannah Tarkelly
Where are the boundaries?
A president or governor may seek to “federalize” their guards’ bodies, setting them with loans to the nation. When the guard is federalized, those bodies exchange to operate under various laws that regulate the rest of the DD, known as Title 10.
Federal guards’ bodies were vital to the global war against terror, Kuzminski said. Hundreds of thousands set over the years.
But the federal adhesion to the Legal governing guard operations has made titles in recent years. During the first term of President Donald Trump, he brought unjustified guard troops, overseas in Washington, DC, a non-state jurisdiction, to extinguish the protests. Some experts said the measure endangers laws that prevent unconstitutional use of bodies at home.
Governors can activate their National Guard bodies to serve some roles in the implementation of domestic law at home, but all major constitutional guarantees still matter, Vanlandingham said. “It is not as if different rules are implemented.”
POSSE COMITATUS ACT stops federal troops from participating in this role why. To bypass Posse Comitatus, presidents can rely on the act of the uprising. Trump has repeatedly navigated the idea of using home army recently, The direction of some legal experts to say that the act of uprising is late for the reform.