National Guard

Because I have had many people ask me what exactly the Army National Guard does:

U.S. militia. The militia is authorized by the Constitution of the United States, which also defines the militia's functions and the federal and state role. Article 1, Section 8 provides that Congress shall have the power to call forth "the Militia to execute the Laws of the Union, suppress insurrections and repel invasions." Congress was entrusted with organizing, arming, and disciplining the militia, but the appointment of officers and the training of the militia were reserved to the states. Further provisions were made in the Second Amendment. In peacetime the National Guard is placed under state jurisdiction and can be used by governors to quell local disturbances, as in Newark and Detroit riots in 1967, and to help in times of local disasters, such as floods and hurricanes. In times of war or other emergencies the National Guard is absorbed into the active service of the United States and the president is commander in chief. The National Guard has been partially mobilized during the Korean War, the Berlin crisis of 1961, and the Persian Gulf War and for peacekeeping in Bosnia and Hercegovina. The National Guard's equipment and personnel are standardized to conform with U.S. army regulations. Enlistment is voluntary; compensation, paid by the federal government, is given for periods of drill and field training.

Basically, the National Guard serves dual duty. The state Governor is their Commander in Chief most of the time, but they can also be called up by the Federal government. They are trained in exactly the same was as active duty army personnel and if called up, will do exactly the same jobs as someone in active duty military dependent on their specialty. Bubba's MOS is Military Police. That is what his advanced training will be in and when he is finished in June, he will have the same qualifications to serve as an MP as someone who is full-time Army. And he could choose to go active duty if he likes it enough, without any additional training.