Vermont State Guard

The Vermont State Guard (VSG) is an all-volunteer state defense force organized to support the State of Vermont during missions that remain under state authority. It operates in parallel with the Vermont National Guard as part of the state’s military-support structure, providing a reserve pool of personnel who can be activated by the governor when emergencies, civil-support requirements, or other state missions exceed the capacity of regular organizations. Its work is principally directed toward Vermont rather than national or overseas operations. The organization’s historical background reaches back to Vermont’s colonial and militia traditions, including the Green Mountain Boys. During later national conflicts, Vermont militia and state guard organizations performed domestic security and support duties while other units served under federal authority outside the state. A modern Vermont State Guard was created during the Second World War to replace Vermont National Guard units that had entered federal service. The wartime organization reportedly reached 1,278 enlisted personnel and 131 officers and protected infrastructure such as bridges, power facilities, and dams. It also remained available for local emergencies, including forest fires, searches for missing people, and aircraft-crash response. The contemporary incarnation was authorized by Vermont Governor Richard A. Snelling on April 26, 1982. Unlike the National Guard, the Vermont State Guard cannot be federalized. Its members serve as civilians when not activated, and the force may be called into service by the governor for state missions. It cannot be deployed outside Vermont without gubernatorial permission and is not intended to serve as a substitute for federally deployable military forces. When Vermont National Guard personnel are deployed or otherwise unavailable, the VSG can help carry out state responsibilities that would otherwise fall to the National Guard. Its stated functions include support during floods and other natural disasters, emergency communications, traffic and pedestrian control on non-public property, on-base security, military funerals and ceremonial events, legal assistance, chaplain services, emergency medical training, family and military-community support, and operational assistance to Vermont Army and Air National Guard units. The guard has also helped staff National Guard armories that might otherwise be closed during deployments. Members generally meet monthly and complete an annual training day, with additional activation or event support as required. Membership is open to Vermont residents with or without prior military experience, subject to eligibility screening. The force has promoted an inclusive role for people who may not qualify for federal military service because of age or medical circumstances, while also welcoming honorably discharged veterans. Applicants must be at least 17, be legal residents of Vermont, and pass a background check conducted through the Vermont National Guard process. The organization’s legal framework is associated with Title 32, Section 109 of the United States Code and Vermont statutes governing the state military establishment. Overall, the VSG is best understood not as a commercial brand or equipment manufacturer, but as a state-authorized volunteer support organization focused on resilience, emergency response, continuity of state military support, and assistance to Vermont communities.

Vermont’s state-defense tradition predates the modern organization by centuries. Colonial-era militia formations, including the Green Mountain Boys, contributed to Vermont’s military history during the American Revolution and participated in operations connected with Fort Ticonderoga and the campaign against British forces under General John Burgoyne. During the American Civil War, Vermont expanded militia and home-guard functions while Vermont units organized as United States Volunteers were sent outside the state for federal service. The state militia’s domestic role included maintaining local security and continuity when larger military formations were absent. Vermont’s militia tradition also included figures who later became prominent in public life, among them Carroll S. Page and John Calvin Coolidge Sr. A similar division between state and federal responsibilities appeared during the First World War. While Vermont National Guard units performed federal service, a state guard organization handled home-defense duties. Herbert Thomas Johnson, who had served in the National Guard and Vermont State Guard, became Vermont’s adjutant general in 1917 and held that position until 1941. The first modern Vermont state defense force was organized during the Second World War, when National Guard units were placed into federal service. The wartime Vermont State Guard was intended to remain a state organization and was therefore not eligible for federal deployment. It grew to approximately 1,278 men and 131 officers. Its responsibilities included guarding bridges, electric plants, dams, and other vital facilities, sometimes under severe winter conditions and with limited clothing and equipment. Members were also available for local emergencies such as forest fires, searches for missing people, and aircraft-crash incidents. The current Vermont State Guard was established through action by Governor Richard A. Snelling on April 26, 1982. Its authority is linked to federal recognition of state defense forces under Title 32, Section 109, as well as Vermont statutory provisions governing the state military establishment. The force is associated with the Vermont Military Department and operates alongside, rather than as a component of, the Vermont National Guard. The modern VSG is composed of volunteers who ordinarily live as civilians and train or meet periodically. It may be activated by the governor for state missions, including disaster response, military-support tasks, ceremonial duties, and other peacetime functions that can be assigned to the National Guard under state control. If National Guard personnel are deployed or unavailable, the State Guard can act as a force multiplier and help fulfill state-level responsibilities. Its listed capabilities include communications, security, legal assistance, chaplain services, medical training, military-community support, traffic control, and assistance at National Guard facilities. The constitutional and operational distinction between the VSG and the National Guard is central to its identity. The Vermont State Guard cannot be federalized and cannot be sent outside the state without the governor’s permission. Its purpose is therefore localized continuity and support rather than overseas deployment. Recruitment is open to Vermont residents with or without previous military experience, subject to age, residency, criminal-background, and other screening requirements. The organization has specifically encouraged applications from veterans and from people who are medically or otherwise ineligible for federal military service.

• 1982

  Modern Vermont State Guard established

  [1]Vermont State Guarden.wikipedia.org

  Governor Richard A. Snelling signed the action establishing the modern incarnation of the Vermont State Guard on April 26.

• 1941

  Second World War state defense force

  [1]Vermont State Guarden.wikipedia.org

  Vermont’s modern wartime state guard reached a reported strength of 1,278 men and 131 officers and protected critical infrastructure while remaining available for local emergencies.

• 1917

  Home-guard duties during the First World War

  [1]Vermont State Guarden.wikipedia.org

  State guard personnel supported domestic security while National Guard units performed federal wartime service.

• 1861

  Militia and home-guard functions during the Civil War

  [1]Vermont State Guarden.wikipedia.org

  Vermont expanded militia responsibilities for domestic duties while Vermont units organized for federal service and deployed outside the state.

• 1775

  Vermont militia tradition during the American Revolution

  [1]Vermont State Guarden.wikipedia.org

  Vermont’s military history included colonial militia formations such as the Green Mountain Boys, which participated in revolutionary-era operations including the capture of Fort Ticonderoga.

A Vermont-focused, governor-controlled volunteer reserve that supplements the Vermont National Guard during emergencies and other missions under state authority. Its distinctive role is to provide trained local personnel for domestic support without being subject to federalization.

• Emergency services

  Emergency and disaster-response support

  The Vermont State Guard can be activated for state emergencies such as flooding and other natural disasters. Its volunteer personnel are intended to supplement the Vermont National Guard, provide additional manpower, and assist with communications, security, logistics, and other tasks assigned under Vermont’s state mission.

• Military support

  Operational and facility support

  The VSG supports Vermont Army and Air National Guard activities through functions such as on-base security, traffic control on non-public property, staffing assistance, communications, and support for military events. It has also helped keep National Guard armories staffed when Guard personnel were deployed.

• Support services

  Community and personnel services

  The organization identifies legal support, chaplain services, emergency medical training, family support, military-community assistance, funeral honors, and ceremonial participation among its available capabilities.

• 1982

  Reestablishment as a modern state defense forceStrategy

  Background

  Vermont needed a state-controlled military-support organization that could supplement the National Guard without becoming eligible for federal deployment.

  Action taken

  Governor Richard A. Snelling authorized the modern Vermont State Guard on April 26, 1982.

  Aftermath

  The VSG became an all-volunteer force available for Vermont missions, including disaster response, security, communications, ceremonial duties, and support to the Vermont National Guard.

  Source

1. 1Vermont State Guarden.wikipedia.org
2. 2Vermont State Guard official recruitment websiterecruitervsg.wixsite.com