National security, defense and the Essential Role of the U.S. National Guard from local crises to global missions.
PRAY FIRST for the protection and guidance for the men and women of the National Guard, and pray also for their families to find comfort and security as their loved ones serve.
The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. – Psalm 9:9
The U.S. National Guard plays a critical role in the defense and support of the nation, functioning as a unique branch of the military with both domestic and international responsibilities. Since its inception, the National Guard has stood as a force ready to respond to crises—both at home and abroad—reflecting the flexibility and resilience of the U.S. military system.
The National Guard’s National Role
The U.S. National Guard was officially established on December 13, 1636, as the militia for the Massachusetts Bay Colony—making it one of the oldest military institutions in the U.S. Originally, it served as a local militia to protect colonial settlements, but it evolved into a national force over time. Today, the National Guard operates under both state and federal authority, functioning as a key element of the U.S. national defense strategy.
Its primary role is to serve as a reserve military force that can be mobilized during times of crisis. It can provide military assistance during natural disasters, civil unrest, and acts of terrorism. In times of war, the National Guard can be deployed alongside the active-duty U.S. Army and Air Force personnel to support national defense efforts.
Domestically, the National Guard operates under the control of state governors during peacetime, and it can be activated by the federal government during national emergencies. Its national role encompasses disaster relief, emergency response, and maintaining civil order.
Some examples include the National Guard being heavily deployed during the response to Hurricane Katrina in 2005, providing critical search-and-rescue operations and disaster relief efforts. More recently, the Guard has been activated to assist in combating wildfires in California and providing logistical support during the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to disaster relief, the National Guard is often called upon to assist with civil unrest. For example, in 2020, the Guard was activated in several states during protests and demonstrations across the country to help maintain order and ensure public safety.
International Presence of the National Guard
While the National Guard’s primary focus is on domestic issues, it also has an international presence. National Guard units can be deployed abroad under federal orders to support U.S. military operations, humanitarian missions, or international training exercises. One of the Guard’s key international roles is to participate in peacekeeping and stabilization missions.
A notable example of the National Guard’s international deployment occurred during the Iraq War. Guard units were frequently deployed alongside active-duty military forces to provide logistical support, help in securing bases, and assist with reconstruction efforts. Additionally, National Guard troops have been deployed to Afghanistan as part of Operation Enduring Freedom.
The National Guard also plays a role in promoting international cooperation through the State Partnership Program (SPP). This program pairs U.S. states with foreign nations to engage in joint training and military exercises, helping to strengthen diplomatic and military ties.
Funding, Structure, Oversight, and Legal Boundaries
The funding for the National Guard comes from both state and federal governments. While each state funds its own National Guard units during peacetime, the federal government assumes financial responsibility when the Guard is activated for national missions. This dual funding structure allows the National Guard to maintain its flexibility, operating at both local and national levels.
The U.S. National Guard operates under strict legal frameworks that define its boundaries. The Posse Comitatus Act of 1878 limits the federal government’s ability to use military forces—including the National Guard—in civilian law enforcement. The Guard can only assist in law enforcement when under the authority of a state governor or when explicitly authorized by Congress or the President under special circumstances, such as during a national emergency.
Historically, there have been few instances where the National Guard has overstepped its bounds, primarily because of these legal safeguards. During times of civil unrest, the presence of the Guard can raise concerns about the use of military force in civilian situations, but laws like the Posse Comitatus Act and the National Guard’s oversight mechanisms seek to ensure accountability.
Challenges in Recruitment and Its Implications
In recent years, recruitment for the Guard has faced challenges, reflecting broader trends in military recruitment across the U.S. Some of the factors contributing to this decline include a shrinking pool of eligible candidates due to health or educational reasons and the growing competitiveness of the civilian job market.
If recruitment numbers continue to decline, the National Guard may face staffing shortages that limit its ability to respond effectively to domestic crises or fulfill its international commitments. This would place a greater burden on active-duty military forces and could leave gaps in critical areas such as disaster response and homeland security.
Pray the Vote 2024 – Candidate and Party Positions
As the election nears, the presidential candidates have expressed their views on how to address the concerns in the United States Educational system. There has been support for boosting the educational system, offering reform legislation, and planning for the future. Here are their platforms.
SPECIAL NOTE: The full platform for each party can be found on their respective websites. The following excerpts are unedited. Reader discretion is encouraged as these are political statements and have not been checked for accuracy. The Presidential Prayer Team is non-partisan and does not support or endorse any of the following statements.
2024 Democratic Party Platform – TRANSFORMING OUR ARMED FORCES FOR THE 21ST CENTURY:
Democrats believe our military is—and must be—the most effective fighting force in the world. To keep it that way, we need to bring our forever wars to a responsible end, rationalize our defense budget, invest in the forces and technologies of the future, repair civil-military relations, and strengthen our covenant with service members, veterans, and military families.
Ending Forever Wars
Democrats know it’s time to bring nearly two decades of unceasing conflict to an end. Our military engagements, which have spanned from West Africa to Southeast Asia, have cost more than $5 trillion and claimed more than half a million lives. Our war in Afghanistan is the longest war in American history, with the youngest U.S. troops now fighting a war that was launched 75 before they were even born. President Trump said he would get the United States out of these wars, but instead he deployed more combat forces, expanded their missions, and stoked regional tensions that unnecessarily endangered American lives and interests.
Democrats will deliver on this overdue commitment to end the forever wars, and we will do it responsibly—setting priorities, leading with diplomacy, protecting ourselves from terrorist threats, enabling local partners, and bringing our troops home.
Democrats are committed to a durable and inclusive political settlement in Afghanistan that ensures that al-Qaeda isn’t allowed to reconstitute, the Islamic State (ISIS) isn’t allowed to grow, and the international community can help Afghans safeguard hard-fought gains, especially for women and girls.
Democrats will end support for the Saudi-led war in Yemen and help bring the war to an end. This war is responsible for the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, and it amplifies threats to the region and to our interests.
Democrats believe that the United States should support diplomatic efforts—not block them. Democrats will not only end the wars that have cost so much American blood and treasure—we will apply their lessons. We will only use force when necessary to protect national security and when the objective is clear and achievable—with the informed consent of the American people, and where warranted, the approval of Congress. That is why we will work with Congress to repeal decades-old authorizations for the use of military force and replace them with a narrow and specific framework that will ensure we can protect Americans from terrorist threats while ending the forever wars.
Rather than occupy countries and overthrow regimes to prevent terrorist attacks, Democrats will prioritize more effective and less costly diplomatic, intelligence, and law enforcement tools. We will right-size our counterterrorism footprint, put it in service of broader regional and overarching foreign policy objectives, and ensure it never undermines the values we seek to uphold. And we will mobilize our partners to make sustained investments that can prevent conflict and help extinguish the flames on which extremists feed.
Securing our Competitive Edge
Democrats believe the United States military should be the best-trained, best-equipped, and most effective fighting force in the world. Ending the forever wars, reducing the enormous stress on our forces, and rationalizing our global military footprint are essential prerequisites to securing our competitive edge—but they’re not enough.
We will invest in technology and forces that meet the threats of the future—from cyber to space, and artificial intelligence to unmanned systems—and reinforce the alliances and partnerships that enhance our collective security. Rather than continuing to rely on legacy platforms that are increasingly exposed and vulnerable, Democrats support funding a more cost-effective, agile, flexible, and resilient force with modern transportation and logistics capabilities that can operate 76 in more contested environments. Democrats will accelerate defense transformation in a responsible, ethical way, and with strong privacy protections. And we believe the implications of climate change for national security and the Department of Defense can no longer be an afterthought, but must be at the core of all policy and operational plans to secure our vital interests.
Defense Spending
Democrats believe the measure of our security is not how much we spend on defense, but how we spend our defense dollars and in what proportion to other tools in our foreign policy toolbox and other urgent domestic investments. We believe we can and must ensure our security while restoring stability, predictability, and fiscal discipline in defense spending. We spend 13 times more on the military than we do on diplomacy. We spend five times more in Afghanistan each year than we do on global public health and preventing the next pandemic. We can maintain a strong defense and protect our safety and security for less. It’s past time to rebalance our investments, improve the efficiency and competitiveness of our defense industrial base, conduct rigorous annual audits of the Pentagon, and end waste and fraud.
2024 GOP Platform – RETURN TO PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH:
Keeping the American People safe requires a strong America. The Biden administration’s weak Foreign Policy has made us less safe and a laughingstock all over the World. The Republican Plan is to return Peace through Strength, rebuilding our Military and Alliances, countering China, defeating terrorism, building an Iron Dome Missile Defense Shield, promoting American Values, securing our Homeland and Borders, and reviving our Defense Industrial Base. We will build a Military bigger, better, and stronger than ever before. Our full commitment is to protecting America and ensuring a safe and prosperous future for all.
1. The National Interest
Republicans will promote a Foreign Policy centered on the most essential American Interests, starting with protecting the American Homeland, our People, our Borders, our Great American Flag, and our Rights under God.
2. Modernize the Military
Republicans will ensure our Military is the most modern, lethal and powerful Force in the World. We will invest in cutting edge research and advanced technologies, including an Iron Dome Missile Defense Shield, support our Troops with higher pay, and get woke Leftwing Democrats fired as soon as possible.
3. Strengthen Alliances
Republicans will strengthen Alliances by ensuring that our Allies must meet their obligations to invest in our Common Defense and by restoring Peace to Europe. We will stand with Israel, and seek peace in the Middle East. We will rebuild our Alliance Network in the Region to ensure a future of Peace, Stability, and Prosperity. Likewise, we will champion Strong, Sovereign, and Independent Nations in the Indo-Pacific, thriving in Peace and Commerce with others.
4. Strengthen Economic, Military, and Diplomatic Capabilities
Republicans will strengthen Economic, Military, and Diplomatic capabilities to protect the American way of life from the malign influences of Countries that stand against us around the World.
5. Defend America’s Borders
Against all odds, President Trump has completed Hundreds of Miles of Wall, and he will quickly finish the job. Republicans will mobilize Military personnel and assets as necessary to crack down hard on the cartels that traffic drugs and people into our Country.
6. Revive our Industrial Base
Our Industrial Base is critical to ensuring good jobs for our people but also the reliable production of vital Defense platforms and supplies. Our Policy must be to revive our Industrial Base, with priority on Defense-critical industries. Equipment and parts critical to American Security must be MADE IN THE USA.
7. Protect Critical Infrastructure
Republicans will use all tools of National Power to protect our Nation’s Critical Infrastructure and Industrial Base from malicious cyber actors. This will be a National Priority, and we will both raise the Security Standards for our Critical Systems and Networks and defend them against bad actors.
Why It Matters and How We Can Respond
God calls us to care about the well-being of our communities and the protection of our nation. The National Guard plays a crucial role in providing security and humanitarian aid during times of crisis, reflecting values of service, sacrifice, and stewardship. We as Christians can learn to apply these things to our own lives by serving others in our communities.
One way we can tangibly support the National Guard is through prayer. Ask God for protection over its members, wisdom for its leaders, and peace for those who are impacted by the Guard’s operations. We are also called to advocate for justice and to ensure that the use of military force remains aligned with moral and ethical standards.
HOW THEN SHOULD WE PRAY:
— Pray for the leaders who oversee and direct the National Guard and for God to grant them wisdom and discernment in making decisions that protect and serve the best interests of both the soldiers and the civilians they safeguard. Also, pray that they act with integrity and that their actions reflect justice and compassion in times of peace and crisis. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. James 1:5
— Pray for strength and resilience for the men and women of the National Guard. The Lord is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him. Psalm 28:7
CONSIDER THESE ITEMS FOR PRAYER:
- Pray for peace and Safety During Deployments
- Pray for the families of those who serve in the National Guard to find comfort and strength.
- Pray for unity and healing in times of national crisis, especially when the National Guard is called to maintain peace and protect communities.
Sources: U.S. Department of Defense, National Guard Bureau, Congressional Research Service, Democrats.org, RNCPlatform.DonaldJTrump.com
