The Arkansas National Guard (ARNG), commonly known as the Arkansas Guard, is a component of the Government of Arkansas and the National Guard of the United States. It is composed of Army and Air National Guard units. The adjutant general's office is located at Camp Robinson MTC, North Little Rock.
Dual missions, state and federal
National Guard units can be mobilized at any time by presidential order to supplement regular armed forces, and upon declaration of a state of emergency by the governor of the state in which they serve. Unlike Army Reserve members, National Guard members cannot be mobilized individually (except through voluntary transfers and Temporary DutY Assignments (TDY)), but only as part of their respective units. However, there have been several individual activations to support military operations since 2001.
Federal mission
When National Guard troops are called to federal service, the President serves as Commander-In-Chief. The federal mission assigned to the National Guard is: "To provide properly trained and equipped units for prompt mobilization for war, National emergency or as otherwise needed."''' For much of the final decades of the 20th century, National Guard personnel typically served "one weekend a month, two weeks a year", with a portion working for the Guard in a full-time capacity. The current forces formation plans of the US Army call for the typical National Guard unit (or National Guardsman) to serve one year of active duty for every six years of service. More specifically, current Department of Defense policy is that individual Guardsman will be given 24 months between deployments of no more than 12 months each.
During the Little Rock School Crisis in 1957, President Eisenhower issued Executive Order 10730, which placed the Arkansas National Guard under Federal control. As of February 2023, the Executive Order 10730 has not been revoked.
State mission
The Governor may call individuals or units of the Arkansas National Guard into state service during emergencies or to assist in special situations which lend themselves to use of the National Guard. The state mission assigned to the National Guard is:"To provide trained and disciplined forces for domestic emergencies or as otherwise provided by state law."'' When not activated for its Federal mission, the Governor through the State Adjutant General commands Guard forces. The Governor can call the Guard into action during local or statewide emergencies, such as storms, drought, and civil disturbances, to name a few.
Military support to civilian authorities (MSCA) Upon the request of either the judge or sheriff of a county or the mayor of a city... ...whenever it is made to appear to the Governor that there is a breach of the peace, riot, resistance to process of this State, or disaster or imminent danger thereof... ...the Governor may order into the active service of the state... ...for such period, and to such extent, and in such manner as he may deem necessary, all or any part of the organized militia.
The intent is that the National Guard is called only when civilian resources have been used first and fully exhausted. While in this status, Guard units report only to military authorities, Guard Authorities do not replace Civilian Authorities. The use of the National Guard is intended as a temporary measure to prevent the loss of life or damage to property.
Examples of MSCA missions conducted in state active duty status
When Tornados hit Dumas, Arkansas, on Saturday, February 24, 2007 the Arkansas National Guard deployed 130 Soldiers to conduct the following missions: Security operations Prevention of looting Curfew enforcement Power generation
In 2009 the Arkansas National Guard conducted over 101 MSCA missions, including:
Texas wildfires
Major ice storm – 81 missions
Mena tornado
Water purification to support the town of Dierks, Arkansas
H1N1 flu vaccinations
The types of missions that the Arkansas National Guard conducted in 2009 included:
Power generation
Emergency shelter
Cots and blankets
County disaster response teams (search and rescue, route clearance, debris removal) Water provision
Examples of MSCA provided in a Title 32 status
The National Guard may also respond to natural disasters and other domestic operations in a Title 32 status. In this situation, the Guard is still under the direct command and control of the Governor, but the Federal Government provides the funding through Title 32 of the United States Code.