"A Florida state guard established by the rightwing governor, Ron DeSantis, under the guise of a civilian disaster relief force is instead being trained as an armed, combat-ready militia under his personal command, according to military veteran recruits who have quit the program.
Several veterans resigned after an encampment last month having become concerned at the “militaristic” training and “abuse” one disabled veteran suffered at the hands of instructors, according to an investigation by the Miami Herald and Tampa Bay Times.
Promoted by DeSantis as an “emergency focused, civilian defense force” when it was established in June 2022, the state guard has quickly morphed into something quite different, the report found.
Volunteers have been trained for military combat, including the use of weapons; khaki polo shirts and pants were replaced by camouflage uniforms; and recruits were “barked at” by boot camp instructors at the joint training base who woke them before dawn and imposed lights-out by 10pm.
Additionally, DeSantis’s compliant, Republican-led state legislature has contributed to the change of direction, this year approving a massive expansion in the force’s funding, size and equipment. Its budget increased from $10m to $107.5m, and its maximum size more than tripled from 400 recruits to 1,500.
On the governor’s shopping list were helicopters, boats, police powers and reportedly even cellphone-hacking technology for a force outside of federal jurisdiction, and accountable directly to him."
MORE AT:
TheGuardian
State guard set up by DeSantis is being trained as personal militia, veterans say
Richard Luscombe in Miami
Sat 15 Jul 2023 13.54 EDT
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"The original plan to field 200 volunteers with a budget of $3.5 million, proposed in late 2021, grew to 1,500 people and $108 million. The first-year budget includes $50 million for five aircraft and $2.7 million for boats — equipment that many experts say is beyond the budget of most State Guards.
When the initial boot camp began in June, Mr. Newhouse and six other volunteers who spoke to The Times said they were surprised to find that the training syllabus included such lessons as rappelling off buildings and learning to use a compass to navigate out of the woods, skills they said seemed better suited to training for war.
One of the recruits, who like most of the others did not want to be named because of fear of reprisals, described the training as more like a “military fantasy camp” than the practical instruction expected in topics such as how to respond to hurricanes.
The volunteers said the training seemed poorly structured, with an inordinate amount of time spent, as one of them described it, “marching in fields.” Some of the men said that as veterans with years of experience in the military, they were offended when they were yelled at by junior instructors acting like drill sergeants, who disregarded their previous ranks.
They said they had expected sessions on such things as how to set up distribution of water and other resources during disasters. But that training, a copy of the schedule shows, came only at the very end, after classes on marksmanship and the concealed carry of weapons as well as a “combatives” class on hand-to-hand combat."
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Turmoil in Florida’s New State Guard, as Some Recruits Quit
Some who volunteered for the force commissioned by Gov. Ron DeSantis said the group, billed as a natural disaster relief organization, had become too militarized.
July 15, 2023Updated 4:06 p.m. ET
Reporting from Camp Blanding Joint Training Center in Starke, Fla.
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Wikipedia
The Florida State Guard (FSG) is the state defense force of the U.S. state of Florida. The FSG was created in 1941 to serve as a stateside replacement for the Florida National Guard while the National Guard was deployed abroad during World War II. The FSG is available to the governor of Florida whenever needed, but unlike the National Guard, the FSG is trained and funded by the state and therefore can not be federalized.[2] The FSG was reactivated in 2022 after the Florida legislature appropriated US$10 million in funding.[3]
Background
State defense forces are authorized by the federal government under Title 32, Section 109 of the United States Code.[4] Twenty-three states, as well as the territory of Puerto Rico, actively maintain these forces.[5] Florida law also allows the creation of a state defense force, either as a full-sized force when any part of the National Guard is federally deployed, or as a reserve cadre of officers and non-commissioned officers regardless of National Guard deployment.[2]
Original incarnation
Creation
Before the United States entered World War II, President Franklin D. Roosevelt instituted a peacetime draft, and federalized various National Guard units, including Florida's National Guard.[6] As a result, states which had previously counted on their National Guard to maintain peace, quell riots, protect against sabotage, or repel a potential invasion were given the alternative of creating their own state-level military forces under the State Guard Act signed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt on October 21, 1940.[7] In 1941, the Florida Legislature and Governor Holland created Florida Defense Force, later to be rebranded as the Florida State Guard.[8]
The purpose of the state defense forces, including the FSG, was to fulfil the National Guard's state obligations. This included guarding infrastructure, protecting against sabotage, calming riots, or aiding law enforcement. Although the mainland United States was never invaded during World War II, state defenses would have shared responsibility with the federal military and National Guard in defending American territory had an invasion occurred.
During the war, the First Air Squadron of the FSG regularly patrolled the coast of Florida, searching for German U-boats. The squadron was also used to assist in search-and-rescue missions.[8]
Membership
Membership during WWII was open to all Florida men aged 18 to 60. The commitment lasted for three years, although members who were eligible could be drafted into the federal military at any time.[8] Most of the members were veterans of World War I.[9] Members of the Florida Defense Force's air wing, the First Air Squadron, were required to either have a private pilot's license or have served in the military at least one year.[8] By 1943, the Florida State Guard numbered 2,100 Florida men in 36 units.[10]
Organization
Each county was able to organize its own unit so long as it could recruit at minimum fifty Florida men who met the qualifications required by the state.[8] By 1943, there were 63 separate units of state guardsmen organized. The FSG also maintained a separate air squadron, known as the First Air Squadron.[10]
Equipment
Uniforms, surplus weapons, and other equipment were provided by the state of Florida.[8] Florida law also permitted the FSG to use National Guard armories and receive any surplus weapons and equipment offered by the Department of Defense.[2] The approximately 27 airplanes used by the First Air Squadron were privately owned by the fifteen individuals who piloted them; however, they were allowed to have "1st Air Squadron, Florida Defense Force" painted on both sides of the nose of each plane.[8]
Disbandment
The Florida State Guard was disbanded in 1947 after the Florida Army National Guard was released from Federal Active Duty.[8]
Reactivation
On December 2, 2021, Governor Ron DeSantis announced, in his $100 million budget for the Florida National Guard, that $3.5 million would be invested into reactivating the FSG. It would allow for training and equipment of up to 200 members.[11] In March 2022, Florida lawmakers proposed a budget which included $10 million for reactivating the Florida State Guard. The funding would allow for an enlistment of 400 enlisted troops and six full-time civilian employees.[3] The newly reactivated organization began soliciting applications from prospective employees in May 2022.[12] On July 1st, 2023, the Florida legislature increased the size of the FSG to 1500 members.[13]
On June 14, 2022, Governor Ron DeSantis announced the reestablishment of the Florida State Guard as an emergency-focused civilian volunteer force and appointed retired Marine Corps. Lieutenant Colonel Chris Graham as director. On June 30, 2023, 120 New FSG Guardsmen were graduated from the Basic Operational Orientation Training Camp (BOOT Camp) at Camp Blanding, marking the Inaugural class of 2023 of the Florida State Guard, the first in 75 years. [14]
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The two main constituent groups were the Allgemeine SS (General SS) and Waffen-SS(Armed SS). The Allgemeine SS was responsible for enforcing the racial policy of Nazi Germany and general policing, whereas the Waffen-SS consisted of the combat units of the SS, with a sworn allegiance to Hitler. A third component of the SS, the SS-Totenkopfverbände (SS-TV; "Death's Head Units"[2]), ran the concentration camps and extermination camps. Additional subdivisions of the SS included the Gestapo and the Sicherheitsdienst (SD) organizations. They were tasked with the detection of actual or potential enemies of the Nazi state, the neutralization of any opposition, policing the German people for their commitment to Nazi ideology, and providing domestic and foreign intelligence.
FROM: Wikipedia
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