Republican Rep in NH Proposes State Guard Separate From National

Republican lawmakers in New Hampshire are proposing a new law to create a volunteer defense force separate from the National Guard to assist in disaster relief and state defense, the Concord Monitor reported Tuesday. State Rep. Daniel Itse of Fremont proposed the measure, which would establish the state guard with an unknown number of volunteers who would sign up for a year.

Rep. Daniel Itse

The inactive guard could train and volunteer to serve when needed but wouldn’t be compelled to do so.

Almost 25 states, including Vermont and Massachusetts, have state guards. The federal government cannot call up the state guards like it can the National Guard.

"We have a very thin, I guess you'd say, National Guard . . . the majority of who are not here with us right now," Itse told the Monitor. He introduced similar measure in 2007 and 2009 but they failed.

Other state guards "play substantial roles in their disaster response," he said. "I simply believe it would be prudent for us to have it, in this day and age."