Army National Guard

The Army National Guard (ARNG), in conjunction with the Air National Guard, is an organized militia force and a federal military reserve force of the United States Army.

They are simultaneously part of two different organizations: the ARNG of each state, most territories, and the District of Columbia (also referred to as the Militia of the United States), as well as the federal ARNG (as part of the U.S. National Guard). The ARNG is divided into subordinate units stationed in each U.S. region, operating under their respective governors and governor-equivalents.^[4]

The foundation for what became the ARNG occurred in the city of Salem, Massachusetts, in 1636, the first time that a regiment of militia drilled for the common defense of a multi-community area.^[5][a]