in the National Guard; a decision that, to many, might seem like an escalation of arms

in an already tense conflict. And while we can’t predict the effect that the National

Guard will have on future events, we can look at what the national guard is and how it works.

The National Guard is a reserve component of the United States Armed forces. So, yes.

They are the army. But they function slightly differently than the rest of the US army.

The army is controlled by the Federal Government and can be deployed anywhere the President

chooses. The same is true for the National Guard. But the difference is, the President

isn’t the only one who can call on the national guard. State Governors can too.

The name National Guard is actually a little misleading, because each state has its own

separate National Guard. And during an officially declared state of emergency, like the one

in Ferguson, the Governor has the right to call that guard into action.

A Governor doesn’t lead the National Guard like the President leads the armed forces.

A Governor has to work with that state’s Adjutant General. He or she is the Army Representative

who decides the specifics and parameters for their troops. Which is why Governor Nixon,

in his executive order, called for the “Adjutant General of The State Of Missouri to… call

and order into active service...the organized militia”

Major General Stephen Danner is the Adjutant General of Missouri. And as such, he’s the

man in charge of the Missouri National Guard. Danner does answer to the Army Chief of staff

and the President, but they don’t have to be involved unless they choose to be. It is

possible for Major General Danner to make decisions on his own.

As to whether or not this is an escalation of arms in the Ferguson crisis; yes, technically

it is. But it’s also an influx of well-trained professionals who are better qualified and

less personally involved than local law enforcement. That doesn’t mean that the national guard

will be able to instantly calm everything, or that they’ll make the right decisions

or that things will end soon.

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