Ohio National Guard

Official Logo of the Ohio National Guard

The Ohio National Guard comprises the Ohio Army National Guard and the Ohio Air National Guard. The commander-in-chief of the Ohio Army National Guard is the governor of the state of Ohio. If the Ohio Army National Guard is called to federal service, then the commander-in-chief becomes the President of the United States. The military commander of all forces in the State of Ohio is the Adjutant General, Major General Deborah A. Ashenhurst (the first female to hold this position) is responsible for the command of 17,000 members, preparedness and readiness, installation management, and budget of the Ohio National Guard. The current Assistant Adjutant General for Army, with responsibility for overseeing the Ohio Army National Guard training and operations, is Major General John C. Harris Jr. The current Assistant Adjutant General for Air is Brigadier General Stephen E Markovich, with responsibility for overseeing the Ohio Air National Guard.

Ohio Army and Air National Guard units can be mobilized at any time by the governor of the State of Ohio upon declaration of a state of emergency or by the presidential order to supplement regular armed federal forces. Unlike Army Reserve members, National Guard members cannot be mobilized individually (except through voluntary transfers and temporary duty assignment (TDY), but only as part of their respective units. However, there has been a significant amount of individual activations to support military operations since 2001. The legality of this policy has been a source of contention in some quarters. The Ohio Military Reserve and the Ohio Naval Militia constitute Ohio's state defense force, and augment the Ohio National Guard during stateside missions, especially when units of the National Guard are federalized.

External links

• Bibliography of Ohio Army National Guard History compiled by the United States Army Center of Military History