State Defense Forces and their role in American homeland security

Download
Author
Pohnel, Jonathan R.
Date
2015-03Advisor
Dahl, Erik J.
Second Reader
Halladay, Carolyn C.
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
State Defense Forces (SDFs), or organized state militias and naval militias, have a long and distinguished history of service in the United States. These state-sanctioned organizations are substantiated and legitimized through the U.S. justice system and constitutional law. Currently, 23 states and U.S. territories have SDFs; unlike National Guard units, they cannot be federalized, which means they remain a state-level asset during emergency management operations. SDFs were utilized successfully during Hurricane Katrina, proving their value in state and federal emergency response efforts. This thesis seeks to analyze the structure and usefulness of the SDF as a volunteer emergency response organization. Second, it seeks to understand the evolution of the SDF by examining U.S. militia history. Third, it examines the disaster-relief efforts of SDFs with regard to Hurricane Katrina. SDFs provide state governors with emergency response personnel who are locally available and ready to serve in multiple capacities. Presently, state officials can promote legislation and develop a mission-flexible State Defense Force that can act as a reserve force for local law enforcement and the National Guard during natural and man-made disasters. The SDF may be the next step in the evolution of state and local emergency response in the 21st century.
Rights
This publication is a work of the U.S. Government as defined in Title 17, United States Code, Section 101. Copyright protection is not available for this work in the United States.Collections
Related items
Showing items related by title, author, creator and subject.
-
Classification of summertime West Coast fog and stratus events and the development of fog and stratus forecast techniques
Ireton, Greg S. (2001-09);The fog and stratus that frequently plagues the West Coast in the summer months is responsible for a variety of impacts on everyday life, the greatest impact on aviation. Many flight delays and cancellations that are ... -
Computer-aided software evolution based on inferred dependencies
Harn, Meng-Chyi (Monterey, California. Naval Postgraduate School, 1999-12);The major problem addressed by this research is how to automate parts of software evolution using dependency rules, especially for large and complex real time embedded systems. The main topics of this study are the development ... -
Supply Chain Management and its Route to Normal Science: a Kuhnian Analysis
Ascef, Rogers; Ferrer, Geraldo; Mullins, Steve (2014);The evolution of science has intrigued countless scientists. Many philosophers hold that scientific evolution is linear and constantly adding to the overall body of knowledge. Thomas Kuhn changed this view. In his famous ...