Georgia State Defense Force
Encyclopedia
The Georgia State Defense Force (GSDF, GASDF, or SDF) is a military
unit of the Georgia Department of Defense
, serving in support of the national and state constitutions under direction of the governor and the adjutant general
of the U.S. state of Georgia. Members of the Georgia State Defense Force serve alongside the Georgia Army National Guard
and the Georgia Air National Guard
.
The mission of the Georgia State Defense Force is to provide an organized, trained, disciplined, rapid response volunteer force to assist state and local government agencies and civil relief organizations during emergencies to ensure the welfare and safety of Georgia
citizens.
The SDF's members help support and augment the Georgia National Guard
, provide professional skills to the Georgia Department of Defense, and assist Georgia communities. Volunteers are trained to assist the National Guard
, provide search and rescue, medical support, and disaster relief.
The Georgia State Defense Force is currently organized with a headquarters based in Atlanta, three brigade
s with geographic areas of responsibility throughout the state, medical companies, a support command providing special skills' augmentation, a band (based on the Army Band - Large, Music Support Team (MST) concept), medical and Chaplain Corps (Based on Army special branches religious support) with a Command Chaplain, Brigade Chaplain and Battalion Chaplain (UMT) Unit Ministry Team, along with other detachments. Each brigade and equivalent unit is commanded by a field grade officer (usually a colonel
). The current chain of command for the State Defense Force at the state level is organized under three positions: The commander-in-chief
(Governor Nathan Deal
), the adjutant general
(Major General James Butterworth), and the Georgia State Defense Force commander (Brigadier General Jerry Bradford).
Current eligibility to join the State Defense Force extends to men and women between the ages of 18 and 64. Prior military experience is not required, although approximately 40 percent of active members have prior service experience.
, Sergeants of the Guard trained future colonists in militia tactics. Georgia settlers arriving in 1733 became members of General Oglethorpe’s militia and were called up during the Battle of Bloody Marsh
in 1742 to help repel the Spanish invasion of Georgia. These militia forces later joined General George Washington
in the fight for American Independence.
The volunteer militia remained in continuous service throughout the 18th and 19th centuries. During this time, the militia participated in Indian wars against the Creeks
, Cherokees, and Choctaws, and, with the outbreak of the American Civil War
, Georgia responded with over 100 volunteer regiments, battalions, and batteries. The portion that remained at home helped to defend Atlanta and Macon
, shadowed by the Union advance in 1864. This volunteer commitment was second only in number to the Commonwealth of Virginia
. After World War I
, the militia was called to put down labor unrest at factories and mills across the state.
In 1940, with the onset of World War II
, Governor E.D. Rivers requested the American Legion
to organize the Georgia State Defense Corps. The next year, in 1941, it was activated and placed under the command of Brigadier General Omar Bradley
, commanding officer at Ft. Benning, Georgia. Its name was shortly changed to the State Defense Corps of Georgia and then to the Georgia State Guard in 1942. During World War II, 8,000 volunteer members guarded war plants, critical communications facilities, utilities, reservoirs, and transportation facilities. They were trained to repel an invasion that never came. Although not officially disbanded until 1951, the Georgia State Guard began its retirement in July 1946.
The Georgia State Guard was re-authorized in 1973 to serve as a constabulary
force, and throughout the 1970s and 1980s was tasked to serve as a backup for state police forces. Legislation resulted in the first muster in 1985 when it was re-activated as the Georgia State Defense Force under the command of Brigadier General John Gillette. The force was tasked to provide a cadre around a larger force to assume the vacated domestic missions of Georgia National Guard members called to federal duty.
The current Georgia State Defense Force is authorized by the federal government
under 32 USC 109(e), by the State of Georgia
under Title 38 of the Official Code of Georgia
, and under NGR 10-4 (National Guard Bureau
). The Georgia Department of Defense is composed of the State Defense Force, the Army National Guard
, and the Air National Guard
, all of whom serve under the direction of the adjutant general
of Georgia.
Recent operations include support to National Guard units during the Gulf War
, participation in the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games, emergency aid to agencies such as the Federal Emergency Management Agency
(FEMA) and Georgia Emergency Management Agency
(GEMA), support to Georgia National Guard
units and their families since 2001, and activation during the 2004 G-8 Summit
at Sea Island
and the 2005 Katrina
and Rita
hurricane evacuations.
In 2010, the GSDF and its members were recognized by a special resolution of the Georgia Legislature for their participation in Operation Healing Hands, providing disaster relief to earthquake victims in Haiti. After the devastating outbreak of tornadoes across the Southeast U.S. in May, 2011, members of the GSDF participated in relief efforts in Lamar County and other hard-hit areas of the state.
Military
A military is an organization authorized by its greater society to use lethal force, usually including use of weapons, in defending its country by combating actual or perceived threats. The military may have additional functions of use to its greater society, such as advancing a political agenda e.g...
unit of the Georgia Department of Defense
Georgia Department of Defense
The Georgia Department of Defense is a state agency charged with coordinating and supervising all agencies and functions of the Georgia National Guard...
, serving in support of the national and state constitutions under direction of the governor and the adjutant general
Adjutant general
An Adjutant General is a military chief administrative officer.-Imperial Russia:In Imperial Russia, the General-Adjutant was a Court officer, who was usually an army general. He served as a personal aide to the Tsar and hence was a member of the H. I. M. Retinue...
of the U.S. state of Georgia. Members of the Georgia State Defense Force serve alongside the Georgia Army National Guard
Georgia Army National Guard
The Georgia Army National Guard is the Army National Guard component of the Georgia National Guard, administratively part of the Georgia Department of Defense. It consists of more than 11,100 Citizen-Soldiers training in more than 79 hometown armories and regional facilities across the state...
and the Georgia Air National Guard
Georgia Air National Guard
The Georgia Air National Guard is the air force militia of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is, along with the Georgia Army National Guard, an element of the Georgia National Guard...
.
The mission of the Georgia State Defense Force is to provide an organized, trained, disciplined, rapid response volunteer force to assist state and local government agencies and civil relief organizations during emergencies to ensure the welfare and safety of Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
citizens.
The SDF's members help support and augment the Georgia National Guard
United States National Guard
The National Guard of the United States is a reserve military force composed of state National Guard militia members or units under federally recognized active or inactive armed force service for the United States. Militia members are citizen soldiers, meaning they work part time for the National...
, provide professional skills to the Georgia Department of Defense, and assist Georgia communities. Volunteers are trained to assist the National Guard
United States National Guard
The National Guard of the United States is a reserve military force composed of state National Guard militia members or units under federally recognized active or inactive armed force service for the United States. Militia members are citizen soldiers, meaning they work part time for the National...
, provide search and rescue, medical support, and disaster relief.
The Georgia State Defense Force is currently organized with a headquarters based in Atlanta, three brigade
Brigade
A brigade is a major tactical military formation that is typically composed of two to five battalions, plus supporting elements depending on the era and nationality of a given army and could be perceived as an enlarged/reinforced regiment...
s with geographic areas of responsibility throughout the state, medical companies, a support command providing special skills' augmentation, a band (based on the Army Band - Large, Music Support Team (MST) concept), medical and Chaplain Corps (Based on Army special branches religious support) with a Command Chaplain, Brigade Chaplain and Battalion Chaplain (UMT) Unit Ministry Team, along with other detachments. Each brigade and equivalent unit is commanded by a field grade officer (usually a colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
). The current chain of command for the State Defense Force at the state level is organized under three positions: The commander-in-chief
Commander-in-Chief
A commander-in-chief is the commander of a nation's military forces or significant element of those forces. In the latter case, the force element may be defined as those forces within a particular region or those forces which are associated by function. As a practical term it refers to the military...
(Governor Nathan Deal
Nathan Deal
John Nathan Deal is a United States politician, the 82nd and current Governor of Georgia. He was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives as a Democrat in 1992 but switched to the Republican Party in 1995...
), the adjutant general
Adjutant general
An Adjutant General is a military chief administrative officer.-Imperial Russia:In Imperial Russia, the General-Adjutant was a Court officer, who was usually an army general. He served as a personal aide to the Tsar and hence was a member of the H. I. M. Retinue...
(Major General James Butterworth), and the Georgia State Defense Force commander (Brigadier General Jerry Bradford).
Current eligibility to join the State Defense Force extends to men and women between the ages of 18 and 64. Prior military experience is not required, although approximately 40 percent of active members have prior service experience.
History
The Georgia State Defense Force’s rich heritage dates back to England. Under the direction of General James OglethorpeJames Oglethorpe
James Edward Oglethorpe was a British general, member of Parliament, philanthropist, and founder of the colony of Georgia...
, Sergeants of the Guard trained future colonists in militia tactics. Georgia settlers arriving in 1733 became members of General Oglethorpe’s militia and were called up during the Battle of Bloody Marsh
Battle of Bloody Marsh
The Battle of Bloody Marsh took place on July 18, 1742 between Spanish and British forces, and the latter were victorious. Part of the War of Jenkin's Ear, the battle was for control of the road between the British forts of Frederica and St. Simons, to control St. Simons Island and the forts'...
in 1742 to help repel the Spanish invasion of Georgia. These militia forces later joined General George Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
in the fight for American Independence.
The volunteer militia remained in continuous service throughout the 18th and 19th centuries. During this time, the militia participated in Indian wars against the Creeks
Creek people
The Muscogee , also known as the Creek or Creeks, are a Native American people traditionally from the southeastern United States. Mvskoke is their name in traditional spelling. The modern Muscogee live primarily in Oklahoma, Alabama, Georgia, and Florida...
, Cherokees, and Choctaws, and, with the outbreak of the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, Georgia responded with over 100 volunteer regiments, battalions, and batteries. The portion that remained at home helped to defend Atlanta and Macon
Macon, Georgia
Macon is a city located in central Georgia, US. Founded at the fall line of the Ocmulgee River, it is part of the Macon metropolitan area, and the county seat of Bibb County. A small portion of the city extends into Jones County. Macon is the biggest city in central Georgia...
, shadowed by the Union advance in 1864. This volunteer commitment was second only in number to the Commonwealth of Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
. After World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, the militia was called to put down labor unrest at factories and mills across the state.
In 1940, with the onset of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Governor E.D. Rivers requested the American Legion
American Legion
The American Legion is a mutual-aid organization of veterans of the United States armed forces chartered by the United States Congress. It was founded to benefit those veterans who served during a wartime period as defined by Congress...
to organize the Georgia State Defense Corps. The next year, in 1941, it was activated and placed under the command of Brigadier General Omar Bradley
Omar Bradley
Omar Nelson Bradley was a senior U.S. Army field commander in North Africa and Europe during World War II, and a General of the Army in the United States Army...
, commanding officer at Ft. Benning, Georgia. Its name was shortly changed to the State Defense Corps of Georgia and then to the Georgia State Guard in 1942. During World War II, 8,000 volunteer members guarded war plants, critical communications facilities, utilities, reservoirs, and transportation facilities. They were trained to repel an invasion that never came. Although not officially disbanded until 1951, the Georgia State Guard began its retirement in July 1946.
The Georgia State Guard was re-authorized in 1973 to serve as a constabulary
Constabulary
Constabulary may have several definitions.*A civil, non-paramilitary force consisting of police officers called constables. This is the usual definition in Britain, in which all county police forces once bore the title...
force, and throughout the 1970s and 1980s was tasked to serve as a backup for state police forces. Legislation resulted in the first muster in 1985 when it was re-activated as the Georgia State Defense Force under the command of Brigadier General John Gillette. The force was tasked to provide a cadre around a larger force to assume the vacated domestic missions of Georgia National Guard members called to federal duty.
The current Georgia State Defense Force is authorized by the federal government
Federal government of the United States
The federal government of the United States is the national government of the constitutional republic of fifty states that is the United States of America. The federal government comprises three distinct branches of government: a legislative, an executive and a judiciary. These branches and...
under 32 USC 109(e), by the State of Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
under Title 38 of the Official Code of Georgia
Official Code of Georgia
The Official Code of Georgia Annotated or OCGA is the compendium of all laws in the U.S. state of Georgia. Like other U.S. state codes, its legal interpretation is subject to the United States Constitution, the United States Code, the Code of Federal Regulations, and the state's...
, and under NGR 10-4 (National Guard Bureau
United States National Guard
The National Guard of the United States is a reserve military force composed of state National Guard militia members or units under federally recognized active or inactive armed force service for the United States. Militia members are citizen soldiers, meaning they work part time for the National...
). The Georgia Department of Defense is composed of the State Defense Force, the Army National Guard
Army National Guard
Established under Title 10 and Title 32 of the U.S. Code, the Army National Guard is part of the National Guard and is divided up into subordinate units stationed in each of the 50 states, three territories and the District of Columbia operating under their respective governors...
, and the Air National Guard
Air National Guard
The Air National Guard , often referred to as the Air Guard, is the air force militia organized by each of the fifty U.S. states, the commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the territories of Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the District of Columbia of the United States. Established under Title 10 and...
, all of whom serve under the direction of the adjutant general
Adjutant general
An Adjutant General is a military chief administrative officer.-Imperial Russia:In Imperial Russia, the General-Adjutant was a Court officer, who was usually an army general. He served as a personal aide to the Tsar and hence was a member of the H. I. M. Retinue...
of Georgia.
Recent operations include support to National Guard units during the Gulf War
Gulf War
The Persian Gulf War , commonly referred to as simply the Gulf War, was a war waged by a U.N.-authorized coalition force from 34 nations led by the United States, against Iraq in response to Iraq's invasion and annexation of Kuwait.The war is also known under other names, such as the First Gulf...
, participation in the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games, emergency aid to agencies such as the Federal Emergency Management Agency
Federal Emergency Management Agency
The Federal Emergency Management Agency is an agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security, initially created by Presidential Reorganization Plan No. 1 of 1978 and implemented by two Executive Orders...
(FEMA) and Georgia Emergency Management Agency
Georgia Emergency Management Agency
The Georgia Emergency Management Agency or GEMA is the emergency management agency for the U.S. state of Georgia. Its function is similar to that of the Federal Emergency Management Agency in preparing for and responding to disasters, and mitigating potential hazards....
(GEMA), support to Georgia National Guard
Georgia National Guard
The Georgia National Guard is the National Guard of the U.S state of Georgia consists of the Georgia Army National Guard and the Georgia Air National Guard...
units and their families since 2001, and activation during the 2004 G-8 Summit
G8
The Group of Eight is a forum, created by France in 1975, for the governments of seven major economies: Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States. In 1997, the group added Russia, thus becoming the G8...
at Sea Island
Sea Island, Georgia
Sea Island is an affluent resort island located in the barrier islands just off the Atlantic coast of southern Georgia in the United States. The resort complex is located in an unincorporated Glynn County....
and the 2005 Katrina
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...
and Rita
Hurricane Rita
Hurricane Rita was the fourth-most intense Atlantic hurricane ever recorded and the most intense tropical cyclone ever observed in the Gulf of Mexico. Rita caused $11.3 billion in damage on the U.S. Gulf Coast in September 2005...
hurricane evacuations.
In 2010, the GSDF and its members were recognized by a special resolution of the Georgia Legislature for their participation in Operation Healing Hands, providing disaster relief to earthquake victims in Haiti. After the devastating outbreak of tornadoes across the Southeast U.S. in May, 2011, members of the GSDF participated in relief efforts in Lamar County and other hard-hit areas of the state.
External links
- Official Georgia Department of Defense Website
- Official Georgia State Defense Force Website
- FIRST BRIGADE HQ, North Georgia Official Website
- 1st Battalion / 1st Brigade, Rome, GA Official website
- 2nd Battalion / 1st Brigade, Marietta, GA Official website
- 3rd Battalion / 1st Brigade, Winder, GA Official website
- 4th Battalion / 1st Brigade, Dahlonega, GA
- Medical Detachment / 1st Brigade, Atlanta, GA Official website
- FIFTH BRIGADE HQ, South Georgia Official website
- 1st Battalion / 5th Brigade Luthersville, GA
- 2nd Battalion / 5th Brigade Jackson, GA Official Website NEW
- 3rd Battalion / 5th Brigade Statesboro, GA Official website
- 4th Battalion / 5th Brigade Fitzgerald, GA Official website
- 911th Support Command, Atlanta, GA Official website
- 1st Medical Company, Atlanta, GA Official website
- 105th GaSDF Band, Atlanta, GA Official website
- FIRST BRIGADE HQ, North Georgia Official Website
- Official Georgia State Defense Force Website