National Guard

Militia force recruited by each state of the USA. The volunteer National Guard units are under federal orders in emergencies, and under the control of the governor in peacetime, and are now an integral part of the US Army. Following the terrorist attacks on the USA on 11 September 2001, more than 50,000 members were called up by both their states and the federal government to reinforce homeland security. A similar number were deployed in the wake of the catastrophic hurricane Katrina in 2005. National Guard members have also served abroad in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The National Guard has been used against demonstrators; in May 1970 at Kent State University, Ohio, they killed four students who were protesting against the bombing of Cambodia by the USA.