Active 1961 - 2015 Allegiance Oregon Type State defense force | Country United States Branch Army Role Military reserve force | |
 | ||
The Oregon State Defense Force (ORSDF) is the official state defense force of Oregon and one of the three components of Oregon State's organized militia, with Oregon's Army and Air National Guard (ORNG) making up the other two. It serves as a state-level military and emergency services reserve force.
Contents
- Civil War
- Spanish American War
- World Wars I and II
- Modern times
- Duties
- Training
- Units
- ORSDF Pipe Band
- References
On the military side, the ORSDF assists, augments or replaces the National Guard as ordered by the Governor (e.g., during times of crisis or when the ORNG is deployed elsewhere). During emergency or disaster incidents, the ORSDF assists requesting civil or military authorities with rapidly deployable emergency communications, coordination, and incident command system expertise and support compliant with Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) rules.
As part of the official state militia, the Oregon State Defense Force serves under the Governor of Oregon rather than the President of the United States and draws its legal authority from Chapter 399 of Oregon law. Those statutes require that the ORSDF be made up of individuals that are not a part of the federal military services or the National Guard. It is an all volunteer force composed of former military personnel from all the military services and is a branch of the Oregon Military Department.
As of April 2015, the OMD has temporarily suspended the Oregon State Defense Force. However, a spokesman for the Oregon Military Department stated on record that the suspension was temporary and the ORSDF would return to active service. As of March 2017, the Oregon Military Department has yet to keep its promise.
Civil War
Although Oregon militia units did not directly serve in the Civil War, they were called up to replace the federal soldiers who were called away from protecting the frontier and redeployed to fight against the Confederate Army. In 1866, the state militia was disbanded as federal soldiers were once again deployed in the Oregon territory. However, almost immediately after their disbanding, they were re-formed after legislation was introduced by State Representative Colonel Owen Summers.
Spanish-American War
During the Spanish–American War, Oregon provided the 2nd Oregon Volunteer Infantry Regiment to serve in the Philippines. They were among the first United States forces to enter the Pacific theater of the war, and served with distinction. The 2nd Oregon Volunteer Regiment was the first unit to land in the Philippines, and the first to enter the capital of Manila.
World Wars I and II
After the transformation of state militias into National Guard units, subject to deployment by the federal government, states were forced to organize their own military units if they wished to protect their borders and infrastructure from sabotage or attack. In World War I, a Home Guard was mustered to protect shipyards. In World War II, a Home Guard was once again created in order to guard National Guard bases and protect against sabotage. After both wars, the organizations were deactivated.
Modern times
The Oregon National Guard Reserve was formed in 1961, and was renamed the Oregon State Defense Force (ORSDF) in 1989. In 1996, the ORSDF was activated to assist in recovery operations after severe snowstorms struck Oregon. In 2002, the Oregon State Defense Force was reorganized to better parallel their National Guard counterparts. As of April 2015, the Oregon Defense Force has been disbanded. Spokesmen from the Oregon National Guard promised that the ORSDF would be returning.
Duties
By statute the Oregon State Defense Force is an internal security force for the Oregon State National Guard and can be called upon by the Governor of Oregon to serve under many capacities. These capacities include, but are not limited to:
Since state defense force members live at home rather than on a military base, it is possible that in the event of an emergency, members may be based more closely to the disaster area and would be able to respond more quickly than federal emergency response units such as FEMA. Also, because the state defense force is not a part of the federal military of the United States, it is not prohibited from serving as law enforcement during an emergency when directed by the governor, unlike federal military units prohibited from doing so by the Posse Comitatus Act.
Training
The Oregon State Defense Force has no training facilities, and as such must recruit from prior military members in order to maintain a level of professional training, with the exception of professionals who may offer skills needed by the Oregon State Defense Force, who may be exempted from the prior service requirement. Soldiers in the ORSDF are required to attend drills with their unit to refresh and expand upon training, generally once a month.
Units
ORSDF Pipe Band
The Oregon State Defense Force maintains a military band, which is composed of bagpipe and drum players. The unit was invited to play in Ronald Reagan's inauguration in 1981, and has continued to play in military ceremonies and parades in Oregon.