Four senate files relating to Wyoming’s militia forces and defense institutions have made their way through the legislative process. Both branches of the Wyoming National Guard would see more incentives, the Office of Homeland Security will become its own department, and the governor would be financially empowered to create a new defense force.
Some of the changes are in line with a pivot among the current administration. In November, Pres. Donald Trump signed a memo that outlines how the U.S. military is adjusting its strategic plans and recruitment strategies to preserve a “military overmatch” with China.
U.S. military officials have implemented efforts to meet that strategy. National recruitment numbers have increased, although that may be a reflection of a weak economy. Western states’ National Guard recruitment has bounced back from previously slow years. Wyoming has been nationally recognized for its recruitment numbers among the Army Guard.
Amendments to the Wyoming state guard
This bill would kick-start the process of creating a state defense force, or a militia operated solely by the state. The state National Guard currently exists under federal and state control, with the governor as the executive in the chain of command.
But the guard can be called away from the state by the U.S. President. A unit within the Wyoming National Guard has been deployed to Kuwait in recent years, before the current war with Iran.
A state defense force would act as a permanent homeland force for both emergencies and defense. Wyoming wouldn't be the first state to organize such a militia. Nearly 20 other state defense forces are currently organized.
To create one in Wyoming, the bill does away with a prerequisite that the National Guard must be ordered into the service of the United States, instead allowing the governor to assemble a State Council of Defense, which then creates a state guard regardless of federal activation or deployment. The bill’s stated purpose for the guard is to “preserve the public peace, to execute the laws of the state, to suppress tumult, riot, mob or invasion, to respond to either natural or manmade emergencies within the state, to support national wildland fire response or to perform other duties as the governor may require.”
The bill also appropriates $25,000, which would be used by the State Council of Defense to begin building the State Defense Force. This type of council has been called in Wyoming during the first and second World Wars. The council would set the standards for a permanent state guard. According to the bill, the age to sign up would be 25. Further amendments add that the state force would be armed and trained in a framework similar to the Wyoming National Guard.
The Wyoming National Guard has deployed to major conflicts, including during World War II and the Korean War. The largest recent deployment took place under the Bush administration during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Maj. Gen. Gregory Porter, the adjutant general of the Wyoming National Guard, believes that in the long run, this change will protect Wyoming from the potential of an unprecedented "attack" in the homeland by one of America’s geopolitical adversaries, like China. Porter said that developing this force over time would prepare Wyoming in the event the National Guard is deployed.
“Over the last 30 years, we have executed the global war on terror,” said Porter. “This next fight that we prepare for, we think is going to be much bigger, and I think that if we go against China, Russia, North Korea … they're going to attack us in the homeland. And my concern, as I started to think about this, is: What happens if we go to war and the National Guard of Wyoming has to go with it?”
China’s navy reached blue-water status, or the ability to operate internationally five years ago according to some experts. While China has more vessels than the entirety of the U.S. Navy, there’s little to indicate China would land an armed force on the mainland. Instead, the military and intelligence community believe cyber attacks, supply chain disruptions and an invasion of Taiwan are far more realistic concerns.
Russian armed forces are bogged down in Ukraine, and it's believed Russia is more concerned with Arctic security. A U.S. threat assessment deemed North Korean air and ground forces as too “heavily reliant on Soviet-era equipment and lack adequate
training”. Instead, North Korea is opting for strategic threats and missile demonstrations, according to the threat assessment.
SF 67 passed the House and Senate and awaits action from the governor.
Wyoming National Guard reenlistment bonus program
SF 12 was signed into law. It incentivizes reenlistment or extension of service in the Wyoming National Guard by offering a bonus of up to $5,000. The bill appropriated $1 million for the bonus program.
Wyoming National Guard member referral amendments.
This bill was also signed into law. Like SF 12, it aims to help the Wyoming National Guard’s numbers by increasing the amount in a referral bonus program up to $1,000 for current or former guard members, employees of the military department and recruits.
Wyoming department of homeland security
According to State Budget Department Director Kevin Hibbard, 71% of the governor's office administrative budget is costs associated with the Wyoming Office of Homeland Security.
“There's a $41 million standard budget, $29 million is Homeland Security,” said Hibbard. “I am routinely, constantly communicating to national partners or other reporting entities: Why is the state of Wyoming's governor's budget similar to other states with much larger appropriations?”
This bill would take the homeland security office and turn it into a new department with its own budget and director, who would be appointed by the governor. According to the bill's proponents, as well as Hibbard, there would be no new positions, hires or duties associated with the move.
This bill was signed into law.
